@ Grannyring,, Hi, I just bought a Ayon 2s player running direct to amp, still burning in the unit, does not sound bad at all, not exactly my cup of tea of choice of tubes, 6h30 x4,, I am very currious about your expertise with audio!,, The main reason I am running direct to amp is because my I/c is A Taralabs Zero Gold, Retail, $15,000.00 a meter!,, I cannot afford to get another one for a pre-amp, LOL!, I have read this entire thread and liked it and the gentlemen here, I do not know anything about the Eximus DP1, Or Dude pre-amp, I would like to ask, can you elaborate more on these 2 products?,, I am not sure if I want to keep the Ayon 2s permently in my main system, The Ayon Sounds good, I like 12ax7 and 12au7 type tubes sound alot, different, the 6h30 and the 12ax7 sound from each other, both have good qualitys,,, I am using A Krell 700cx for An amplifier, Thankyou, cheers!