With Wadia, pre-amp or no pre-amp

i've never used wadia cd player but i know that it has digital volume control that degrades the sound on lower volume levels. you can use an external passive volume control(or passive preamp) and use fixed output with much better results if your rest of electronics are compatible with passive preamp.
the regular electronic preamp will bring you less headache in terms of figuring out and matching.

I guess I'd like to add one more comment to my above post, I think direct at higher volume levels the Wadia direct add a decree of imtimacy that the preamp just won't give you. However, the preamp does help in dynamics and soundstage like I said above. Depends on what's more important to you and what you want to spend.

Even though I'm NOT using Wadia, I still like it better without preamp. I use McCormack TLC-1 passive mode as a preamp, an excellent preamp in my opinion, but I still like it better without the preamp.
I'm only using a Denon DCD-3000, still hoping to get a Wadia some day.
The rest of the system are Threshold T-200 and B&W Matrix 802 S3.

I own the 860x and have used it with and without, either the Rowland Synergy or Adcom GFP 750 preamps. In both cases I prefered largley the sound of the Wadia run direct. I think in a word it sounds more accurate and true to the natural sound of intruments in space. I did match the output voltage of the Wadia to match my amps and play at a reading of between 80-90.

I've sold the Wadia stuff for a few years now, and demo it on some high end gear. My experiences overall dictate that, in most systems, you're going to find the down side being that you'll lack dynamics and soundstage, yes, to a degree. If, like most people here posting probably, you listen to mostly instrumentals, vocals, string quartets, light classical, jazz, etc, you can probably get away with the "passive" approach, or dirrect CD/amp connection. If on the otherhand you want full bodied dynamic capabilities, and are into rock, pop, full scale stuff, heavy percussion, R&B, Metal, Reggae, world music, whatever, you'll be less pleased I think with the passive approach!..in this case a very good high end preamp will do you better justice, with minimal coloration, if any.
I've worked in many high end shops over the last 20 years, and can say this is the general trend, in passive vs active preamp dillemma...it's always a trade off it seems