I demoed the Bel Canto DAC3VB with the VBS power supply in my system and could tell no difference between using it as a preamp versus my Bryston BP6 pre that was no slouch. I was shocked to say the least. At your price I’d think you could get a DAC3.5 or 3.7 with the VBS, which I highly recommend as it brings the DAC to a higher level altogether. Hope this helps, and best of luck.
alternatives to Lumin for preamp funcitonality ?
Hi,
I've had phenomenal success with the Lumin preamp functionality, very quiet and tons of gain
I've run a D2 and T2 direct to power amp (no physical preamp or other components)
I would like to go back to my Bluesound Node as a streamer (prefer the software)
Is there a DAC/preamp alternative that specifically has strong preamp functionality
I was thinking maybe RME? anything in the 2k range would work, not too picky in the dac section......more so the preamp