Is a good passive Pre something like bespoke better than an Active Pre do we really need the gain an active pre offers
I highly recommend the Tortuga passives. They use light dependent resistors (LDRs) instead of arrays of resistors or transformers. A key attribute is that there are no switches or potentiometers in the signal path, and of course no capacitors.
I've used active preamps (both tubes and solid state) and various passive controllers. The passive devices always lacked power and puch in the bass as well as "leaning" the sound. When I compared a Tortuga LDRxB with my (then) current Audio Research REF3, the Tortuga was better in every way.
Stage width is extremely wde as well as deep. Dynamics are even better. Bass has all the power, extension, and punch of any preamp that I've heard. Most importantly, the timbre of instruments is strikingly defined.
All functions can be controlled from a remote including variable input impedance, from 1 to 99k per on single ended units or per phase on the balanced units. My LDRxB includes polarity/phase inversion control, also from the remote. Calibration of the LDRs can even be performed from the remote, so LDR drift is a non-issue.
Lastly, their price is a bargain.
Best,
Robert