I'm using a DAC as a pre-amp, the Benchmark DAC1 HDR. I couldn't hear any difference between the HDR and a Levinson pre-amp. I don't like the 1/2-wide 1U form factor most of the DACs like the HDR use, but it sounds so good at such a low price it was irresistible compared to the Levinson.
I also find some integrated DAC/pre-amps are significantly quieter than most combinations of discrete components. You can easily test this by having all of the equipment on and not playing any music. Listen for how much white noise is coming out of the tweeters. Of course, if your amps have a poor small signal SNR the line-stage noise level could be covered up. (I had this problem to a small degree.) Nonetheless, even with very efficient speakers it is possible to have dead silence from the tweeters with you ear inches away. Some people say it doesn't matter once you're playing music, but if we're all so fixated on detail, how could audible noise not matter?
I also find some integrated DAC/pre-amps are significantly quieter than most combinations of discrete components. You can easily test this by having all of the equipment on and not playing any music. Listen for how much white noise is coming out of the tweeters. Of course, if your amps have a poor small signal SNR the line-stage noise level could be covered up. (I had this problem to a small degree.) Nonetheless, even with very efficient speakers it is possible to have dead silence from the tweeters with you ear inches away. Some people say it doesn't matter once you're playing music, but if we're all so fixated on detail, how could audible noise not matter?