I think you need a decent preamp in any system. I used to have an Audio Research Hybrid Preamp in the early nineties and for my DAC I have the Wadia Digital. I loved my Audio Research until it broke after three years of use. While looking for a replacement or trying to have my preamp repaired locally, I used my Wadia Digital which has a volume controller temporarily thru my Krell amp. The sound was not as warm with the DAC preamp as my Hybrid Audio Research so I ended up going for the newer products. Now my Preamp is solid state now which is a NuForce and I also switched my DAC to the Benchmark unit . My Wadia is still in use in my bedroom system . So the answer is a good preamp is vital to a good system and better as a stand alone than a preamp with DAC.
imThorek
imThorek