The first truly high end piece of gear I bought was a pre-amp. I couldn’t believe that change it made in my system. Without changing my midfi CD player or power amp, I was hearing a 3 dimensional sound stage for the first time, and a less brittle, much warmer and rounder sound. It excited me so much I rushed to purchase a high end power amp. It added bass authority and an even rounder more musical sound, but the soundstage magic was still a product of the preamp. I’ve been a preamp believer ever since, and would not consider using only a DAC with a volume control. That’s my limited experience.
Should I eliminate my preamp?
I have been using my Audio Research tube preamp and Bryston amp to drive Magnepan speakers for years. Recently I added a Oppo blue ray player to my system and connected directly to my amp using the balance cables. The reason was to eliminate the signal having to go through another piece of equipment before it hits the amp. Am I wrong or what am I missing?