What is a passive preamp?

Mr wear, from their official website as I pointed out in a link in a previous post.

http://www.audioresearch.com/products.html

MP1 Multichannel Preamplifier
SP17 Class-A Full-Function Vacuum Tube Preamplifier
LS17 Class-A Vacuum Tube Stereo Line Preamplifier
LS26 Class-A Vacuum Tube Stereo Line Preamplifier

If you care to notice they call every one of these a preamplifier.

I accept your apology.

03-02-08: Herman
A linestage is a preamplifier that can only deal with line level sources (CD players, DACs, tape decks, tuners) i.e. it is a preamplifier that does not have a phono stage.

OBVIOUSLY- The manufacturers(with VERY few exceptions) consider a linestage that CAN provide gain(requires a power supply or "active" circuit) to a signal passed through it(AMPLIFY said signal), whatever the source, a "PREAMPLIFIER." A linestage with ALL passive components in the signal path (resistors, capacitors, inductors), and no connections to a power supply/active circuit, a "PASSIVE LINESTAGE." Wasn't there a song titled, 'How Long WILL This Go On?' Maybe I'm thinking of, 'How Long HAS This Been Going On?' Yeah- that must be it! LOL!!