Schiit SYS

Hello, a local diyer wants to sell a pair of passive speakers and an amp. If I buy them, I still need a pre-amp. And I want spend not so much on the pre-amp.

Will Schiit SYS be a good choose? (it's passive, $49)
Or should I buy a Vali 2 and only use it as a pre-amp? (it's active, 3x SYS)

 

Sys has 2 inputs to choose from and does not amplify the signal (only attenuates)

Vali2 has just 1 input and does amplify the input signal.

 

This is an old thread, but for reference the Schiit Sys will bottleneck a more resolving speaker system even if it's on the lower end. With the sys as a passive pre my akitika amp is less resolving i.e. smearing, has less micro detail i.e. no emotion and feels dynamically compressed i.e. bass sucks.

I have toyed with the idea of soldering in a cheap resistor attenuator, but I have not found one that fits well without considerable modifcation. With all that said, I have not attempted to solder bridge the sys and circumvent the pot altogether. It might excel as a cheap RCA switcher.