I run my 5400 balanced analogue to a BAT VK50SE pre (you have to - it has no RCA sockets) and it works very nicely. I like the JC-2 very much - and you will too. I believe the preamp takes quite some time to break in though.
Regards,
Regards,
Balanced analog or HDMI from Sony 5400ES
I suspect the answer depends on the relative strength of the DAC in the processor v that in the 5400ES, but do you have a preference? In my case, i'm using HDMI and the processor is a Cary Cinema 11a, but I'm considering moving to a Parasound JC-2 BP and using balanced analog. I also use 7.1 analog from an Oppo 105 and balanced analog from a JC-3.