Phone preamp question

@sleepwalker65 ,

You are indeed correct and I am wrong. The very definition of a preamp makes passive preamp an oxymoron.

@yogiboy ,

True, but can be quite the crapshoot on there regarding tubes as I'm sure you know.

@thecarpathian

I’ve been buying vintage preamp tubes on Ebay for the past twenty years. There are many reputable sellers that test before selling and I have never received a bad tube. If by chance you did receive a bad tube a refund is never a problem!

@yogiboy ,

Agreed. I've bought several on EBay myself with zero problems.

I guess my point was, which I didn't convey well is given the voluminous amount of sellers there, as always, check seller feedback and transaction numbers.

You might disagree but you are still wrong. How can call something a preamplifier when does not amplify the signal?

It sits where a preamp sits, and switches inputs like a preamp.

Also most preamps attenuate, so the amplifier part is not amplifying, and not really doing impedance matching like a power amp does.