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

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.

No preamp here, only a phono stage and switchbox.

Or as Mapletree Audio calls it, a Line Router.

I wish I had an explanation for the vastly better sound you get with a good preamp. I don't. But in almost every case it is. This may change over time as DACs incorporate ramps into their circuitry... also, separate boxes almost always sound better. 

This is an issue for folks without a good system and realize they can build one without one with all digital. Sounds great... then they put a preamp into their system and realize all the body and naturalness of the sound they were missing. If they don't do it, they may never know. There are lots of testimony to this effect scattered around this site.