How much do I need to spend to get a preamp that sounds better than no preamp?

It is a provisional patent, which has maybe been granted by now on this special circuit, he may not have given the secrete to how he bypasses the "active stage" in the the schematic so it runs totally passive, after all it is patented. I've seen other manufactures post schematics and leave out their special circuits. Why no Nelson.

His words

 "The only component in the signal path is wire and switch contacts."

This means nothing active in the signal path.
Same goes for my Lightspeed Attenuator there is nothing active or any switch contacts in the signal path just a passive ldr, yet it is powered by the mains for the leds to function. Yet it is a passive preamp with no gain.

Cheers George

About $3500 if buying used. Or about 5-6K if you insist on buying new.

Always active (unless you get singularly lucky with the amp match) and almost always go with tubed preamps (unless you want to spend the big bucks).

Almost everyone tries to do without one and convincing themselves for the longest time that they don't need one and fighting wars on this point. You need a good preamp and they are rare. If your budget is under 8K for amp/preamp, a good integrated is always the way to go. My dealer told me this when I started my audio journey, I didn't listen, now 10 years later, I realise his wisdom.

I am using DAC direct as well, it beats most cheap preamps, but it still sucks, I am waiting to snatch the right used preamp : Shindo (Masseto or above), Coincident, Convergent etc.

I’ve looked at most of the schematics Pass has posted or published. Typically when he means to leave something out he posts a "simplified"

Please post a link to this latest Aleph L schematic of his, not Milan’s early version mod’d interpretation of it.
As I can’t believe Nelson would say one thing and yet mean another.

As we’ve conversed quite a bit, as he designed a buffer for my Lightspeed Attenuator many years ago (later to be know as the B1 buffer) so it could drive his customers low input impedance amps <20kohms
This is "simplified", yet not stated as so by him.

https://ibb.co/choBZS


Nelson Pass quotes on the Aleph L

"At positions below 3 o’clock, the volume control functions as a precision passive attenuator using discrete resistor ladders."

"At the 3 o’clock volume control position, the Aleph L offers a direct path from input to output.
The only component in the signal path is wire and switch contacts." https://ibb.co/iVXKon


"The only component in the signal path is wire and switch contacts. At positions below 3 o’clock, the volume control functions as a precision passive attenuator using discrete resistor ladders."

"Above 3 o’clock, active gain is ADDED to the output signal in 2 decibel increments, for a maximum of 10 dB
As a result, you suffer the effects of active circuitry only when additional gain is necessary."



Cheers George

And for those interested, the manual of the Aleph L passive/active preamp.
 https://www.passlabs.com/sites/default/files/alman.pdf

Cheers George