Thanks, riaa. I just sent him a message.
I'm trying to avoid an active pre or any pre at all. Ultimately the way my tastes are going, I think I may have to move to a highly efficient speaker.
Valvet with DAC for volume
I've begun looking at the Valvet E3, Have people had good luck using a DAC for volume control? Or a passive pre? The E3 has 21db gain. You can special order a higher gain up to 30db, though each step will raise the noise floor. I suppose it ultimately depends on your speakers. Mine are Devores, rated 91db, 8-ohm. Devores are easy to drive, but still, 12 watts is not a lot. A higher gain setting is not a great substitute for actual power and I've read that the low 90s db is as low as you want to go with these E3/E2 models.