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

$15,000.00!

“The result of trolling is that someone has to correct your misrepresentation- and then we go on and on, around and around. That's classic trolling.”

george, you’re clearly a knowledgeable person and have a lot to contribute and can obviouly say whatever you want but this sort of behavior tends to damage your credibility, if you actually care. You accuse others with a vast technical experience in the field for expressing their opinion for personal gains and one could argue the same for your opinion and your passive attenuators. Not a productive approach to exchange knowledge. And no, I’m not stalking you, just seem to keep running into the same thread and reading the same arguments.

I believe what Nelson Pass is indicating, is that with many sources, and in a perfect world ( system match ), passive would be ideal. However, he knows, as most of do, the perfect world does not exist. Just my interpretation of all my readings. Enjoy ! MrD.

Thank you mrdecibel, and that's exactly what I post  "system (impedance) match" whether it's direct or with passive, which today is more the norm than the exception.
 There are just some here that are protecting their interests, like a dog with a bone.

Cheers George