Dumb question......why do you need a preamp?

I’m ready to admit my favorite tube preamps are a "coloration" (i.e. a pleasing distortion) added to the sound. But I really, truly prefer the resulting sound with them in the chain. If you want something that is a straight, transparent pass-through (i.e. "wire with gain"), then solid state or passive is the better way to go and I think there are many fine preamps which can get you there.

Back in the day of "just" analog sources, a preamp with some extra gain could be quite useful. Now we have digital sources that can push out 4 - 10 Volts from their XLR outputs, and your preamp is simply acting as a fancy attenuator (to be sure - attenuator quality matters!). You might as well look at something like a nice Khozmo passive, if you’re doing digital only (being careful to match impedance between source and amp, the goal being a 1:10 ratio on each side).

If you’re doing BOTH analog and digital sources, then you might have an awkward dance of optimizing for both of those with one preamp. Though these days, there are plenty of options for getting the analog source levels up on par with digital - e.g. using a SUT, or a high gain phono like Pass Labs or ARC Reference.

I can't imagine life without preamps.  I own several.  Actually most of us who play vinyl records have two, because the phonostage is a preamp, or a pre-preamp if you want to think of it that way.  Then there is the line stage, which usually has all the controls on it, volume, input selection, outputs for amps and subs and so on.  Think of it as your control center.  An integrated amp has all of these things "integrated" into one box, but all the parts are there.  So for most of us, having a preamp, or two is absolutely the way of it.  I will leave those you want to work around it to their own devices.  For the majority of us, having preamps is sine qua non, that is latin, meaning: without which nothing.

Active preamps have always provided the soul for my systems, performers become  real live flesh and blood, totally indispensable for me.

I have been a huge preamp user/buyer/seller over the years. I love a great tube preamp having owned at least 15 or so over the years. I have also built several very good tube preamps over the years. Today’s hybrid integrated amps are so good that I do not think sound quality is an issue anymore. The last two integrated amps I have owned keep pace with separates priced up to $12,000 - $15,000. In addition, you save the cost of one set of ICs and a power cord. Also, the short signal paths of a rightly constructed integrated coupled with eliminating the cable and connectors of separates is a potential sound quality enhancer!

I now own a John Tucker/eXemplar Audio made hybrid integrated with a tube preamp section. He included some nice upgrades (parts quality) I wanted and the result is wonderful. My previous Circle Labs A200 was also a hybrid design with tube front end that sounded very good.

So a preamp is certainly not a must if most concerned with sound quality. We have many good choices in integrated amps today!

For me the preamp was always the “heart” of a great system in the past. However if not into vinyl, than in today’s systems the front end dac/server combo can now play that role. I have found my dac is now the heart of my system.

I feel if you have a power amp ,we'll yes you need one...if you have a receiver  nope.