Avgoround,
I believe the source that was originally being considered as a substitute for a preamp was an Oppo BDP-105. The Oppo has very low output impedance and sufficient level to drive nearly any amp to full output. I use three analog sources, a Parasound JC-3 phono stage, an Ayre C-5xeMP, and stereo from an Oppo BDP-105, so I use a JC-2 to switch among them. I have tried the Oppo direct to my Proceed HPA 2 & 3 amps, and the sound is superb with no lack of dynamic range -- remember, any amplification amplifies both signal and noise, so doesn't change S/N. Even though I use a preamp for stereo, the surround outputs from the Oppo go directly to the amps.
db
I believe the source that was originally being considered as a substitute for a preamp was an Oppo BDP-105. The Oppo has very low output impedance and sufficient level to drive nearly any amp to full output. I use three analog sources, a Parasound JC-3 phono stage, an Ayre C-5xeMP, and stereo from an Oppo BDP-105, so I use a JC-2 to switch among them. I have tried the Oppo direct to my Proceed HPA 2 & 3 amps, and the sound is superb with no lack of dynamic range -- remember, any amplification amplifies both signal and noise, so doesn't change S/N. Even though I use a preamp for stereo, the surround outputs from the Oppo go directly to the amps.
db