Great future as they do make a difference, more so then the power amps. This is especially true if you are into vinyl, as they contribute much more then any combined unit. I have a knock off of the HK Citation 1 (VAS) and it is a joy for vinyl listening. The design of this unit is almost fifty years old, so when you marry it with current SOTA parts, like VAS did, it comes close to blowing away many Audio Research units. I think, aside from the DAC technology, pre amps will around along as there is vinyl.
