Is no preamp really better that a good preamp?

Here is a quote from Nelson Pass, he is correct in every way, and I add to what he said that the only way one can better it is by going direct if the source has it's own VC.

Nelson Pass,
"We’ve got lots of gain in our electronics. More gain than some of us need or want. At least 10 db more.
Think of it this way: If you are running your volume control down around 9 o’clock, you are actually throwing away signal level so that a subsequent gain stage can make it back up.
Routinely DIYers opt to make themselves a “passive preamp” - just an input selector and a volume control.
What could be better? Hardly any noise or distortion added by these simple passive parts. No feedback, no worrying about what type of capacitors – just musical perfection.
And yet there are guys out there who don’t care for the result. “It sucks the life out of the music”, is a commonly heard refrain (really - I’m being serious here!). Maybe they are reacting psychologically to the need to turn the volume control up compared to an active preamp."

Cheers George

"What could be better than a passive?", certainly not all the active preamps he has manufactured. I have a lot of respect for Nelson Pass and I do think his designs are simple and straight forth (minimum gain stages). However he has never marketed a passive preamp to my knowledge but does recommend them.

No money in them ask me, he makes 10 x the profit making actives, why add passive to the range and effect sales of the actives, it's called business strategy, and he's a very wealthy man because of it.

Cheers George

Make that 1000 X

Phd; The Pass Laboratories Aleph L (2 different versions?) and Pass's First Watt B1 and B2 were interesting offerings.