I have a PS Audio Direct Stream that i ran directly into a PS BHK 250 amp. It was very pristine & revealing but seemed to be lacking somehow. A friend brought over his PS BHK Preamp one night & the difference was dramatic. Everything was more robust, rich & engaging. It makes no sense that inserting extra cicuitry can improve the sound, but in this case it did. It was so much better that bought a BHK preamp.
DAC DIRECT IN TO AMPLIFIER OR TO PREAMPLIFIER
For the longest time, I believed that the best preamplifier is no preamplifier. Eliminating a component from the audio chain would yield less distortion & greater purity.
Recently, I have had reason to re-think my logic on the matter - and I am (I think) changing my mind. Better said, assuming that the preamplifier in the component you are using (in my case, a DAC) can produce 95% or greater quality sound compared to the preamplifier component, then no preamplifier is the best option. The 5% represents the (estimated) loss of fidelity in adding another set of interconnects.
That said, most DACs do not have an outstanding preamplifier built in. I think most have average passive attenuators, and the better DACs have active preamplifiers that are very good - but not as good as a quality preamplifier.
What are your thoughts?