Are Preamplifier’s Relevant Today or just a Hinderance with Digital Playback ?

@yyzsantabarbara  My streaming path is Cardas Ethernet to an Innous Zenith MK2 via WireWorld USB cable to a Matrix X via a cheap .5 meter HDMI cable to my DAC.  I hear a clear and distinct SQ improvement using the Matrix as opposed to going direct from the Zenith with a USB cable or Ethernet cable to Bridge II.  Ethernet to Bridge II sounds the worst and it only supports up to DSD64.

I’ve procrastinated on buying an “audiophile” grade I2S cable because I like what I hear now.  Having said that, I liked the sound of a NAD M22v2 power amp until I heard the BHK250 in my system.  I’ve been looking at my options and will buy a better HDMI cable soon.  

Fiber optic is somewhat appealing to me, and I’ve researched the OpticalRendu.  I’m not sure the SQ improvement is worth the switch and I have no way of knowing unless I buy the pieces needed to find out.  I never say never, but for now I plan to stick with what I have.

in_shore OP
Are Preamplifier’s Relevant Today or just a Hinderance with Digital Playback ?

Everything being a good match eg: impedance matched and also the digital domain volume control is not below 70% (so it "bit strips") then direct sounds just like what the the source is giving out, if it’s good or bad. Unless you want/need to color it with a active preamp.

If you can’t use your digital volume control at 70% or above because it too loud, then use a $49 Sys passive between it and the power amp to preset the level so then you can use the digital volume at 70% or higher.

Remember what Nelson Pass says about passive preamps

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

@oldschool1948 Your Innuos is likely helping out a lot in the streaming quality department. In my case, I do not do anything to improve my streaming pipeline until the Fibre cable then USB to DAC. So for me the difference was huge. So much so that I bought 2 OpticalRendu's for each of my DAC's.

You can easily get by without a separate pre-amp it’s your choice. 

it takes a heck of a DAC to have an analog section capable of robust drive and dynamics that a good preamp brings to the table- if you are plugging directly into a power amp and not an integrated.  
i need a preamp because I need tubes and that is where I prefer them.  
i cannot live on solid state alone.  it really does sound lackluster,