Are Pre-Amps necessary?

Preamps can look real cool - like my Audio Research SP6! However a passive pot works just as well since most all DACs output 2 volts - enough to drive most all amps into clipping (1 volt needed).

Good question OP. I have been wondering this myself for the longest time. Soon now thanks to you we will know. Already learned, 1v to clipping. Who knew!?!? This is off to such a great start, one can only imagine the many fascinating new things to come!

You already answered your own question. The rest are just someone else's opinions. 

Yes, unless you dedicate yourself to researching and investigating really compatible components… I mean way harder than just high end audio… or you simple love the sound of one companies products together. Then the answer is a good preamp is the heart of a great system. Many people have tried, many people have given up. 

By the way in general, tone controls don’t perform the function to which they are designed, note high end audio equipment do not have them, and digital processing has basically the same problem. You want equipment that does a very minimum very very well and nothing else. Low end equipment comes with all sorts of buttons and functions.

I am sure some day great preampless systems will common… but honestly not for a long time.

Yes