Many use passive volume controls, V/V or V/B before the signal reaches an active stage. This is cheaper and makes it a hell of a lot easier to have an active/passive switch that still gives functional controls in passive mode. Many people also 'expect' the tonal differences from the varied loading that a trad V/V gives and makes it easier to accept an active bass I'd guess, especially if it's able to be played passively at the flick of a switch. I'd also dare suggest that most pre's are added to give the tonal shaping of B/M/T controls rather than an even blend between pickups and isolation from loading effects of controls and the (rack, combo,head) input resistance and capacitance and the cable capacitance.
As for the Redeemer, I gather it's only a single buffer, but it's hard to tell from the ad copy or the review.
Looking at it's specs of >2M input impedance, presumably with low capacitance (it's unity gain, so low Miller C) means that a single pickup driving directly into it or through a simple resistive divider volume control, will be very lightly loaded so the inherent resonace of the pickup will move up a bit in frequency and the Q of the resonance will increase, possibly a lot, so this will definitely be true
IMPROVED NOTE CLARITY
Individual notes within chords are heard with greater detail - harmonics jump right out!
ENHANCED SUSTAIN
Notes ring out longer because the pickups have been unloaded from the tone-killing effect of cable capacitance.
QUICKER TRANSIENT ATTACK
The guitar becomes very responsive to the players picking velocity and strength... This is something you will feel!
Not being 'critical', just analytical. This may be a great unit, but I'm not buying one and unless someone sends one to me to measure, I'll never know wxactly.
