Passive Pre - No Regrets?

i was the very happy owner of the Balanced version of the Placette passive RVC for 5 years until about a year ago when i replaced the $1800 Placette with the $23k darTZeel NHB-18NS. the Placette replaced the Levinson #32 preamp back in 2001 and then proceeded to easily better maybe 10 to 15 preamps in my system over 5 years. this includes quite a few $10k to $15k units as well as a few other passives.

there were a couple of pre's that were at the same level of the Placette overall but with trade-offs.

i did compare the Placette to the Bent Audio passive here;

http://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.mpl?forum=tweaks&n=77331&highlight=mikel&r=&session=

a few above posts comment that the Placette passive lacks dynamics compared to other passives or some of the best active pre's. that was not my experience 'except' in the case of the battery powered darTZeel; which has dynamics beyond anything i have heard. my experience was that assuming that the interconnects between the Placette and the amp were kept very short (1 meter maximum and .5 meter ideally) and the input impedence of the amp was sufficiently high, the Placette offered SOTA dynamics and really micro-dynamic life that was amazing.

at $1000 list price for the single-ended version and $1800 for the balanced version the Placette RVC has such a high price/value relationship that one can hardly have any excuse not to at least try one. the passive linestage is $400 more (for the single-ended version) and has equal performance.

it remains the second best pre i have yet heard.

unconditionally recommended.

I also have tried the passive route a couple of times in the last decade. Yes, initially there is some satisfaction about clarity, blacker background, etc. However, I always wind up missing the dynamic impact and rythmatic drive that only a active preamp can bring. The active has more body and soul to the music, IMHO.

I compare it to listening to Nordost Valhalla cables. Initially they are breathtaking, but over time, I found them to be too thin and lacking musical weight for my tastes.

Obviously some will have different opinions, but they are wrong. :-)

(I'm kidding guys!)

John

So, you only want to hear from people that had positive experiences? It sounds like you've already bought the unit and now need support for your decision. Just kidding. But, what about comments from people who haven't had good luck with this?

There is a lot of confusion about this. The volume control in a passive is no different than the volume control in any active preamp. It is in a different box so you neeed cables to hook it up, that's the only difference. The volume control inside a preamp is also a passive device. You can build either one with a transformer, pot, stepped attenuator, whatever.

You can successfully use a passive if:

1. the rest of system has enough gain to drive the speakers to the desired level

2. the input impedance of the passive is high enough to properly load the source

3. the output impedance of the passive is low enough to be a good match to the amp

4. you don't try to use cables that are too long or have high reactance

Those that had poor results failed to meet one or more of these requirements and finding a passive that meets all of the above for a given set of components may be impossible. Trying to use one in a system that requires the extra gain from an active preamp is doomed to fail. Many don't understand what these requirements mean, choose an ill suited passive for the job, and end up with lousy sound. That's not the fault of the passive but of the person putting together the system.

The big problem with volume controls of any type is that they always take something away. The advantage designers of preamps have is they can optimize their design for the type of volume control they choose. Unless the user of a passive takes the same care in choosing they will likely end up with poor results.

Herman - enjoyed your post and helpful explainations.
I went to a passive pre - a custom made modded QED unit.
Since my original active pre was a Forte 2, not a stellar performer, the passive mops the floor with the Forte 2 in terms of transparency, space, detail, clarity, neutrality, etc... just worked for me, never thought about impedences etc.