Won't preamps become obsolete?

i agree with sugarbrie...

another reason for removing the pre is often a $$$ issue.

you cant get a decent new pre for less than $2500 to $3000 new or $1000-$1500 used.

though passive pre's add nothing to the signal-they sound waayy tooo threadbare for my taste and lack in dynamics /bloom/bass/and body

a interesting observation is there are alot more quality amp manufactures than pre-amp manufactures- ( most companies make a great amp but when it comes to preamps they suffer in comparison to the best pre-amp units such as...bat,audible illusions,Audio research(older ARC),pse hl-1, and cat)

Forgive me, but, "vinyl wanes..."

I think the interest in vinyl and associated gear is greater now than it was before CDs came out. Even my kids, who were both born after 1980, are gaga over the 12-inch-spinners. For digital they are into that MP3 thingy but each has a turntable which they use when at home.

Oh come on Vvrinc, I mean, I'm a big vinyl fan and have listened to almost nothing but since returning to it 6 months ago (just bought a Plinius M14 phono stage here on A'gon). My kids think my turntable is cool too but they are still downloading their audiofiles (pun intended) and we must all acknowledge that vinyl is gradually fading away as very little new stuff is released and vinylphiles prefer to search for the dwindling stock of old .... but I don't want to derail my own thread from the basic question I asked (and thanks to many above for your perspectives). As noted, I need a preamp because I will alway have vinyl but can't ignore the reality of cd. I asked about the future of preamps because I'm concerned if I lay out some big bucks for one,(looking at an ARC LS16mk2), it won't be a good investment as many people are turning to alternatives. What is a good longer term investment for $2K used?

Lots of good responses BUT it all depends on the matching of the CDP preamp and input on the amp. It also depends on the quality of the volume control in the CDP. The Shanling mentioned above had a poor volume control even in my highly modded one. It also depends on the preamp too. With some of the higher priced CDPs that have better volume controls, you will need a pretty good preamp to beat them running direct. I would not run an Audio Aero Cap MKII into many low end preamps an expect better sound than running it direct but maybe into higher preamps but this becomes a law of diminishing returns.

"though passive pre's add nothing to the signal-they sound waayy tooo threadbare ..."

My experience does not support the statement above.
My cdp has a volume control, but I still prefer the Placette Passive linestage in the chain. The Placette replaced a $6k tube preamp in my system.

I think Bigkidz is right about the importance of matching and the quality of the volume control. These are two of the reasons the Placette performs so well.