How much do I need to spend to get a preamp that sounds better than no preamp?

Can we really expect a simple pre amp to improve on the mastering engineers ear and gear? If so just put a bunch of your favorite preamps in series and the sound would just keep getting better!

Improve on it no- maintain neutrality yes.

If you were instead to put a bunch of your favorite passive volume controls in series, the result would not be pretty. Nor would putting a bunch of active preamps in series. The idea in high end audio is to do the least damage to the signal while getting it from the source to the speakers.

The simple fact is that a passive is too simple to do the job. The reasons why have been explained several times in this thread.

I guess my takeaway so far has been that an active preamp can actually improve the sound of the source. Your comment about doing the least amount of damage makes the most sense to me.

I've tried it at length. Most notably with a TEO passive preamp. It still misses out on that jump factor, that aliveness that a good active brings to the table. I only really use analog signal though, maybe one might have more luck with digital. 

Wow I just read the meat of this thread and  I can't believe the people dishing out the crap to kosst!!   He's right and the rest of you are wrong. He built and owns one of Nelson's products and loves it so  I think we can rest assured he does not hate the man and is not slandering him. 
And I 100% agree I would much rather have an amplifier with 15 DB of gain then with 30.