Preamp Necessary?

There is a previous thread on this topic in the Sound Advice section titled "CD direct to Amp," but, in brief, yes, all you need to go direct to amp is a CD player with variable outputs/volume control. You can get a used Sony XA7ES in that price range, just as an example.

another exapmle (and just a bit north of $2000) is wadia's 830. it should be coming down a bit as the introduction of the 831 is just around the corner. there is a good selection out there. as daddyo suggested, take a look at that other posting. it is pretty exhaustive and, as you'll read, some people have pretty divergent opinions. as always, experiment and trust your own ears.

Resolution Audio CD50, used for around $1600.

i am doing that right now with a cal 15. 1600$ or so. i feel like the sound is good but wanting. i am shopping for a tube pre amp....think this might fill in the gaps. have heard the same comment from my dealer on direct cd to ss amps. even in wadia. have not a-b'ed anything yet.

Re: CD players in the 1K range. You might want to check out the Denon DCD-1650AR with variable outputs and volume control. Hell of a deck for the money. Managed to earn a class B rating in the three previous Stereophile Recommended Components lists. I've been pleased with this unit. The sound really opens up with a good interconnect such as an entry level Siltech. The DCD-1650 was retailing for about $1,000.00 when I bought it a year ago. By Chuck