Climbing the Preamp ladder

i have tried running the wadia directly into the amp. not too bad. for some reason i have to stay old school. i have considered conrad johnson but don't know what is good in that line. same with audio research. also the modwright ls100 or its predecessor. the backert labs lesser pre also has me intrigued. thanks for all  your help guys. i know it's a bit of luck finding the combo that works for you. who could upgrade my bat besides bat?
thanks

i didn't know this. all i have ever done with the remote is change volume. i guess i'll have to figure out how to make the changes. thanks. by the way can i buy a remote?

my little buttons for volume up and down are cracked.they still work.

thanks for all the suggestions. last night I tried the DAC directly to the amp again. this time I made sure to adjust the voltage setting with the remote. it did change, in that the mids and highs were much more . . . call it forward or louder. i'll listen to it like that for awhile. however the search continues.
thank you,

keep me in mind when you want to sell your rhumba. what pres have you tried that the rhumba bettered? i listed mine.