How can an active preamp possibly help?

Some digital sources do not output enough signal to drive various amps to full power. As such, one can run into a lack of dynamics. Adding another gain stage takes care of that problem. Sean
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Are you saying you're going straight line level to your amp? Does your cd player have a digital volume control for varying the gain output? Or does your amp have volume control capability?
Either way, I'VE NEVER heard ANY DIGITAL VOLULME CONTROL, or passive set up, which has proper dynamic capabilities! The sound is always less dynamic, and seems flatter over all! If you're listening to Rock, heavy dynamics, Home Theater, or other, the sound is always not as strong!
Anyone who thinks this isn't correct, needs to just hook the 6 channel out of their DVD player dirrectly into their 6 channel amp(or whatever) and process the sound in their DVD player, with no preamp/processor involved!!! You'll get WIMPY, LACKLUSTER, DYNAMICLESS soundquality everytime!..NEVER SOUNDS AS GOOD!
I've come across a ton of audiophiles that are two channel buffs, who insist on just going ANALOG out of their dvd, and into their fav 2 channel preamp! Or guy's who go out of their CD player with volume control, dirrect into their amps! This has it's drawbacks in the form of weak dyanamics and bass comparatively. You couple that with the fact that the vast majority of guy's like this use speakers that are very polite, laid back, and dynamically challenged passive auiphile speakers, and you get anything but dynamic transparancy!...EGAD!
So, if you do have some sort of volume control from either your cd player or your amp, you're still not getting the dynamic capabilities you're intitled to, I find.
Good luck

A tubed pre-amp can/does produce much more natural sounding music than CD direct to amp, IMO. My 6 tube pre-amp adds liquidity, warmth, body, and richness, and all these things are properties of live music-- and I've played guitars-- both acoustic and amplified for 40 years.

Soundstaging may be an artifact of stereo imaging, but I like it, and I like it a LOT, and tubes do it better than anything else I've heard. But on balance, it really comes down to personal preferences. I like tubed pre-amps. Cheers. Craig

Interesting feedback. But my question remains...if the signal out of my CD player is already too loud (my McIntosh amp has a gain control I can move up and down, when it's at default 12 oclock position sound is way too loud), how can a preamp possibly help? Does it lower the volume of the signal it receives and then reamplify it? If so, how can this sound better than the original source unless it's adding some sort of EQ function?

Agree with your observation, and its the same comment that would be made for using a passive preamp -- which is, in effect, the same as not using any preamp except for volume control and source switching. I have gone "passive" and will never go back -- the transparency and overall improvement is astounding, and I don't notice any loss of dynamics or bass, which are some of the arguments which proponents of active preamps make. Presumably, they would also apply those same arguments to your use of the cdp's volume control. If that's the case, why do Mark Levinson and other top names provide a volume control in their cd players. To reduce dynamics and bass? I don't think so.