Pass Labs XA25 without preamp (from a variable output source) vs INT25

UPDATE: Ok, I listened for about an hour. I think the preamp is needed. (Mine is in the shop.) Why? The dimensionality of the soundstage is much reduced and there is a raw quality to some of the recordings where before there was a smoother and more liquid quality.

In short: I retract my earlier claim that it sounds good. With my relatively inexpensive streamer (but nice DAC), I still want my tube preamp back.

Also, it couldn't play above about 78 db.

@chorus Thanks for sharing your experiences. 🙂 When you replaced your XA-25 for the INT25 you say you didn´t notice a SQ improvement but, did you feel you loosed "something" with that move? Which speaker do you have?

Thanks!

@hilde45 Thanks for the update! Much appreciated!

Just noe more question. Did you use the same DAC when using the XA25 with and without the preamp?

BTW it´s not a surprise you only get 78dB cause XA25 has only 20dB of gain so if droven directly by a source and without a preamp that source must be one with more than the 2V CD standard voltage.

Thanks again!

@joegt Yes, same DAC. 

My setup is BlueSound Node 2i --> Orchid DAC --> XA25

Honestly, I *wanted* to like it. I hoped I had found a magical way to cut out the preamp. Here's what a friend said about my experiment:

"you lose some layering not going through a tube amp. I’d expect it to be a tad more grainy, less depth, and not as smooth....An active preamp is one of THE most important components ina lower efficiency system. Using a Node’s preamp section and volume control is gonna be limiting. An XA-25 would reveal all limitations of a directly connected source like (the preamp section) of a Node2i."

@hilde45 Did you control de output level of the Orchid DAC with the Bluesound? If so then I think you are loosing bit depth resolution performing attenuation in the digital stream instead at the core of the DAC (modern DAC perform digital attenuation at much bit depth inside the DAC). If the Bluesound has a modern DAC (i.e. ESS or AKM) that performs digital attenuation at DAC core and at much higher bit depth I suggest you to try the variable output of the Bluesound directly to the XA25 and please share your impressions with us. Althougn maybe is a lower quality DAC than the Orchid I think you´ll have way better results this way if variable output is used.

Thanks!!

P.S.: SOrry about my Englis grammar. I´m not english native spoken.