Are passive preamps better?

Atmasphere, I do recall many saying that in professional applications using balanced cable the wire is unimportant. I once had the Cello system using Cello Strings and all in balance. We found to our consternation that Siltech balanced cables sounded better than Cello Strings. I have no idea whether the Cello Suite was able to drive into a 600 ohm load, but I suspect that was a design goal. Does this not suggest that there were still sonic differences? I remember thinking that I could not afford to use all Siltech.

A 600 ohm LOAD is tough! A 600 ohm OUTPUT impedance used to be normal for tube preamps, but then the tube power amp input impedance used to run 100K and up, so it was probably OK.

Solid state preamps have output impedance of 50 ohms or less, which would be OK even for a 600 ohm load.

Gregm, dpac wasn't using a passive linestage; he was using a tube preamp. It would not surprise me at all if I don't understand how impedence works. I'm a gifted dyslexic and I struggle. I go by instinct, and I'm learning as much as I can from you guys. And yes. I am interrested in how impedence works. Please tell me.
John, I understand what you are saying about vintage gear. I have heard of the Audio Research 10 and ll before.
I will read all of this discussion again to absorb what I can.
Scott Endler got back to me. The nude attenuators are backordered and he refunded my money. Meanwhile I've been researching autoformers and transformer attenuators, and I've been waiting for the cable to fully break in. I see the motive now for attempting to achive a successful passive linestage. Without the Sim, I hear the amp, as though for the first time, and it is wonderful. I also am guessing there will be a trade-off with a passive device. What strikes me the most is sensitivity. My amp's sensitivity is 1.1 volt, and the lower the listening level, the more this spec is evident. Lynne

Eldartford, 600 ohms may be tough, but not impossible. We developed a direct-coupled output, not unlike our power amps, to do the job. I think our MP-1 might one of the few preamps that can drive headphones directly as a result.

Tbg, I've had direct experience with the older Cello stuff. It doesn't seem that it was designed with 600 ohms in mind.

Good thing I re-read. Atmasphere's discussion of a preamps inability to control the cable. I reconnected the preamp, but this time I ran the variable output to the preamp in. The sound is improved over the fixed output. Maybe that's because the signal running through that circuit with pot changed the impedence--or resistance or capacitance or inductance--that the preamp cannot control. You have to tune the preamp with cable or any other means you can think of. Yes? ( Atmasphere says that degradation of sound quality at lower listening levels is the same issue, which I thought must be sensitivity. I got that). This might be the most important thing I've learned so far. Lynne