I have tended to follow "conventional wisdom" in my system set up in that I have used mono block amps with very short runs of speaker cable (4-5 feet) which requires the use of relatively long runs of interconecting cable (5-7 meters). The need to drive long runs of interconnecting cables makes passive preamps a concern to me in that I have been advised that passive preamps do not do a particularly great job of driving long runs of interconnects (more than 3 meters). Because this limitation has been a concern for me I have stayed away from passive preamps. Obviously your system may be different, but for me, in order to get the best out of a digital source, an active, balanced preamp is best.
