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

@goofyfoot curious your past preamps? 

Simple answer is no you don’t need a preamp to play music through an amplifier.  You just need volume control on the amplifier or source and you’re good to go.  Preamp is exactly what its namesake implies.  It’s just a signal processor between your source and amplifier.  If you have a decent steamer, you should be able to hook straight to your amp.  

I don't understand the question at all if this member is saying he has an integrated amp, because then he is using a preamp. This sounds like an AI question.

Whether to use a pre or not is a hotly debated issue. I think this is a result of improper impedance matching between pre and power amps and the quality of the DAC analog stage. I use a MSB Reference DAC which has an additional analog input which I use with my Phono pre. I had a VAC sig preamp originally but sold it when I compared the SQ to the Reference alone. As others have said Dealers push Preamps to increase sales.