What should I do - PS Audio DAC with or without Preamp

Congratulations on your purchase.

Typically systems sound better with a preamp… most of the time and significantly. But occasionally they will sound better without. Typically without a preamp they will sound very detailed, but flat and without soul. However, given the high quality of the DAC vs the rest of your equipment you will have to try it.

I would put your new DAC in your system and get it broken in. In this time you will get to know what it sounds like. Then switch to direct. If it is not immediately obvious which is better.. then when you switch back to using the preamp it should be.

For what it's worth I just got a Perfect Wave DAC Mk 2 and it really sounded bad used as a preamp, I also got a new Hifi Rose for a streamer but it also has a preamp built in and it sounded much better. My PS Audio BHK sounds great with the other PS Audio equipment in a huge way. Seems to me PS Audio equipment needs a dedicated preamp in general.

Thanks @ghdprentice and ​​​​​@donavabdear for the good advice and info.

Do you wanna know which sounds better?

Or is more convenient?

Obviously all of your sources can run through the DAC.

@fuzztone  Ultimately, sound better. Listening now through the preamp (Freya +) and it sounds pretty darn good. My big concern was that the PS Audio DAC is in a totally different "pay grade" than my preamp.

I'll just have to experiment at some point.

OP,

Yes you are correct. Tell us what you hear. My money is on keeping the preamp, so will be interested in hearing.

Finally, gave it a test and using the preamp with tube stage was the clear winner.

I have been through this several times testing my Wadia 321 DAC as a preamp as it is balanced as well as the power amp.  But my Mullard Rogue RP-1 only has single ended. Even with Balanced and some relatively nice XLR Audioquest cables the system always sounds a touch better (smoother) to my ears with my tubed pre in the mix.  

About once a year I switch back to the Wadia pre only to return to the Rogue.

I guess, bottomline is that a good preamp is the way to go.

👍😊 For most every system this is true. The preamp is the heart and soul of a system.

Most, but not all D2C brands will cost 50-80% less than their "traditional retail" equivalents because they do not have to have added margins for distributors and retailers. PS Audio is slightly different in that when they went D2C in the US, they did not change their pricing.

Agree that a good preamp will do wonders. While the DAC may have a decent volume control and analog stage, it likely cannot parallel the sonics of a quality, dedicated preamp. Most DAC volume controls are digital in nature and their analog gain stages are an afterthought and do not deliver optimal gain and harmonics, all while offering a low noise floor. One of these three are typically sacrificed.

The only DACs with built in preamp I have ever loved are the T+A SDV 3109 HV (but hey, that’s $38,900) and the T+A DAC 200, which has a quality equivalent of a $3K preamp built into it. I’m sure if you get into DACs $15K+, then their volume control / preamp sections will be better. 

Oh, and I did own the PS Audio DirectStream DAC MKI - heavily modified with upgraded Edcor transformers, Farad Super3 linear power supply, etc. Owned it for many years, and I always always always preferred it with a separate preamp.