Anybody tried EMM DCC2 into preamp?

I've tried the DCC2 pre section against a number of separate preamps--most of them tubed--including some from Audio Research, BAT, CAT, Atma-Sphere, and a couple of others, and in each case, the tubed units had a little more of that "body" that tubes are famous for, but I always went back to the DCC2 for its superior transparency and clarity. The DCC2 is one of the most neutral and revealing components I've ever heard, and I can see why some people might want to add some tube warmth and color to that sound, but personally I like it the way it is. To each, his/her own, I guess. FWIW, the only preamp that I consider clearly superior to the DCC2 is the upcoming DarTZeel pre (release hopefully in late September), which I heard at CES. That thing is downright staggering and will likely set a benchmark to which most preamps will aspire.

Henryhk:

To my ears, the DarTZeel was much more fluid, while improving upon even the DCC2s fantastic resolution and clarity. The noise floor was as low as I think I've ever heard. Dynamics were improved as well. It's not going to be cheap at 18k, but I think it's going to better units a lot more expensive. Of course, that's all speculation until the unit actually arrives, but judging from what I and others heard at CES--and we only heard a rough prototype--it's going to be pretty special.