Are there any pre-amps with optical inputs?

Right now I am using my receiver for my rear, center and sub speakers but have my front speakers connected to a tube amp. A preamp with the HT pass through may have been the way to go, but I really liked the sound of the Sophia tube amp for 2-channel so I got it instead.

What I really need to do is to try out just 2-channel for a movie to see if that is really satisfactory to me and from that experience see if I want to proceed with optimizing a 2-channel set up or continue with the 2-channel/5.1 set up I have now - with some changes in equipment.

Slightly OT, one of the problems I am having with my 5.1 set up right now is that I don't have matched speakers. I was hoping that Terry of Cain & Cain would be producing some mini-Abbys and a center speaker, which he had mentioned he was going to be making and selling a couple of months ago, but I have a feeling this may not happen after all. Sigh.

Holly

Do what I did I just used my receiver for 5.1 and use a tube pre amp with a HT bypass. Best of both worlds and you wind up with more inputs.

I looked at one of the Tact preamps; it only had one digital input. I didn't check any of the other models as yet.

Thank you both for the DAC suggestion. That would make my choice of preamp a whole lot easier, wouldn't it? I didn't even think about that. :-o

So, what DACs are good choices? Guess I better start doing some research!

Holly

I agree with the above. I'd just get a preamp and external dac. There's not alot to choose from in preamps with digital inputs but on the flipside there's ton's of regular preamps and dacs to choose from. Also digital technology keeps getting better and a few years down the road with an outboard dac you could just change the dac without changing the preamp. Your budget is large enough to do very well. You may also want to consider a Tact with room correction and these can be ordered with digital inputs I believe. Best of luck on your search.

Why not just get an external DAC or processor? Then you could use any preamp.

I know the Music Hall Mambo has a built-in DAC and I believe it has optical inputs (I know it has a coaxial input). But it is an integrated amp, and I'm not sure if it has preouts.

Michael