Lowend Preamp on a budget.

Maybe it's the former Audio salesman in me, but when I see a thread like this, I want to know much more about all the other gear the original poster has, the room it's going to be in, what types of music he/she listens to, how loud, and what type of interconnects he/she is using and what are their objecives, and whether they prefer tubes or solid state and do they want new or used. Having that information would be a lot more useful to recommend a preamp that would best fit your needs. Please advise, thanks

I would give a nod to the passive if you can work with what it offers but I would buy the one they have for 135 with the smd attenuator. It is a bit cleaner sounding than the Alps plus you get cmc RCA'S for all inputs and outputs. Actually I bought one for a second system and it is now my gold standard for an inexpensive pre.

I guess not many have heard a EE mimi-max . THE giant killer.