2. amps-preamps
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DAC as pre amp

This post is just a brief for posterity sake in regards to the the significance of a good pre.  As I have stated in other threads over the last few years , when the subject arise,  I occasionally remove my pre from the chain and run my Wadia 321 as the pre.  I always find my way back to my dedicated pre.  I got some Quad Z-4s awhile back and after a recent post regarding the DAC direct question I decided to try again.  This round the improvement was even more dramatic with the dedicated pre and the Quads. My modest system is good enough for my level of listening sophistication.  but If I ever decided to upgrade a component in the future , the pre would be the unit I would explore.   Another member stated that a good pre will ad a "richness" to the sound.  I think that is exactly what I hear.  

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yesiam_a_pirate
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For me swapping in a quality Dac into my Audio Research pre and power amp rig was my first step to going pre-ampless. Next my friend talked me into selling him my ARC SP 15. Now I am DAC connected by XLRs to my ARC power amp and loving it. To me the sound is "cleaner" - specifically the bass which is more controlled and faster. The mids sound the same and the tweeters are sharper. I suppose that is all due to the voicing ARC built into the SP 15. 

Looking back my conclusions are thus: 1) A pre gives you more volume. 2) A pre colors the sound which may or may not be a bad thing depending on what you prefer. I have a few years more experimenting to go before I have a solid table pounding resolution to this question. For now I like DAC direct to tube amp.

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