Do I really need a preamp?

Marqmike, I would think first your power amp has enough gain
for a passive preamp to work very well, this would be a very
important thing. Second you must have a very good quality
passive preamp, passive preamps like active are not all
created equal. I have had high quality amplifiers that they
could carry an inferior preamp and vice a versa. Get both
right and your in for a treat. A few years ago I owned a
McCormack DNA-1 with a revision A which had plenty of gain
for a passive preamp coupled with an upgraded McCormack
passive preamp. It sounded heavenly, there was no lack of
dynamics, it was refined and transparent as hell. I miss
that combination terribly because I never thought of looking
at another active preamp with this combination.

I believe even in Stereophile John Atkinson states 47k-51k input impedance has been an unofficial input impedance standard now for over 50 years for most home audio S/S products input resistances. Since it was made the standard for MM cartridge loading way back and they followed suit with preamp and poweramps at 47k-51k.

Tube amps have even higher up to and higher than 100kohm which is even better for higher value passives like 20kohm ones.

As for the very few amps that are 10k that many tube preamps won't drive, they constitute probably less than 1%
of the market share.

Cheers George

For years I used a Preamp. Once I bought the PS Audio Direct Stream Dac and sent the output to my BSG QOL and then to my Amp, I sold my Preamp.

"I really do as it sounds much better if you have a great preamp as i do."

OK, I will ask: Ebm, what preamp do you have?

I do have to say I have purposely picked out matching components that support and complement my system with a passive attenuator. We can't get away from things being system dependent I don't think. I have heard some great sounding systems with active pre.'s. It seems to me I can hear extra electronics in my system when I put in more that I have. I am probably delusional but that's ok with me. I like the less is more if I can make it work. And it has worked really well for me.