every time I have tried a Dac with a volume control, it did not sound as good as having an actual preamp in the system. Granted, I have only tried it twice, but as others have said it would depend on the system. of course these days there is DAC/peramps and Preamps with built in DAC, Intergrateds with DAs ect.. Lots of options and many ways to get the sound you want.
Do I really need a preamp?
As I continue to upgrade my system, I keep asking myself this. I'm looking at the Benchmark DAC2. Since it acts as a preamp, do I really need one? Currently I'm using Peachtree 220 with the NovaPre and it sounds nice, but like the way these things go, I think it could sound even better. With the upgrade, I'm thinking I can eliminate the Pre and run the DAC2 with a new amp (thinking D-Sonic maybe)but I'm not sure.
Any useful information would be appreciated. Pretty new to all this, but deeply obsessed.
Any useful information would be appreciated. Pretty new to all this, but deeply obsessed.