Is my preamp useless?

Charles, I fully understand your point as you know. Yeah, I am still confident :)

Hi Bill, you had a wonderful system posted on this site, I'm sorry you felt the need to delete it. I have had my system posted for the past 4 years and fortunately have had no issues or problems, I hope that continues to be the case.

I do have the LS attenuator coming for a 4th time and I will try it yet again!

I have a Yamamoto DAC with an output of 3.1volts, three different amps ranging from PP tube, DHT SET tube, and SS monoblocks. Input impedances range from 80kohms to 200K ohms. Amp input sensitivity range from 350mv to 1 volt .My speakers are 92 db effecient and an easy 8 ohms to drive never going below 6 ohms. Simple two way speaker with very few crossover parts.

I will bring a host of ears over for a listen. I am prepared to eat a part of the active pre if not better to all. Perhaps a small part like a resistor!

I do like the LSA as I have owned it twice and tried it three times in various passive friendly systems. Very clean sounding and does everything right. It would be my choice if I could only spend $1,000 or less on a preamp. Quite good indeed.

For all my family listeners and close by Aphiles it was not up to the the musical standard of my active. Why am I trying it a 4th time? Because I am completly astounded and confounded by all the positive press the LSA garners. It beats out $20,000 preamps and the like according to the long thread here on the Gon. I cannot wrap my mind around this as my experiences were quite conclusive three different times with different gear. Yes... all passive friendly.

I am open minded and would love to own a $500 passive that moved me like a $20,000 active. Who could possibly want to spend more just to spend more? Well, ok some would. Not me.

My music room is stocked with gear that will make this comparison fun and interesting yet one more time.

Grannyring that is an interesting thing to do. To keep trying the LSA. I appreciate your enthusiasm and earnest work to get good sound. That has been documented on Agon for all to see. And that has benefitted me and I am sure others. Thanks. And by looking, your system is quite a bit more expensive than mine. So it maybe more refined. You and I like Van the Man and I get him in all his glory through my system I feel.
Now I think the LSA needs to have a system built around it and not just dropped in to an optimized sytem for another pre amp if all the small things matter. I think that the LSA without that sounds ok. Doesn't seem to do anything real error prone. But doesn't have the more real feel of what I associate with real instuments in real space. I have no real good idea but I think that feel is in the lower mid range to the upper bass part of the spectrum and when that is excentuated I think that contributes to the feel of the the music along with the hearing it. And when that happens in a good balance it becomes more appealing to listen to. But just my thought. It doesn't matter because we know when we get it to sound like each one likes it to sound.

Marqmike, I own your speakers in a second system for my wife. Very musical speakers. Love the amp you put on them also. Good match. Your system is well matched and looks to be very musical. Well done.

Interesting comments on your experience with the LSA. It certainly sounds good in the right system. I agree with all you said, but wonder how prudent it is to build a system around a passive preamp. I know you did not suggest we do that, but I guess I don't think a passive is that hard to use or work into a system. Most digital front ends have plenty of output and many amps are of sufficient input sensitivity and impedance. Can it be the LSA is pure Magic in 1% of all system combinations:). No. I do t think that is the case. I think it works in many more systems than that.