DACs that do well without a preamp
Frequently it’s just that the passive preamp sections usually included in the DACs don’t have sufficient output to fully drive the amp it’s hooked up to. As always, it comes down to proper system matching. Personally, I’ll always use a separate stereo pre as I find it to be a critical component to get the best sound out of my system. But that’s me. |
A great preamp with a fixed level DAC has always performed best for me. There is no substitute for a great preamp, it is more than just a volume control and switcher A really good one can transform a system into next level sound quality . There are so many great speakers and amps not being utilized to their full performance potential because they don't have a great sounding preamp in front of them. |
@alan_a , like everything in our esoteric hobby, "your own results may vary". In my case, I connected my HD30 directly to a Coda Model 11 and fed to a pair of PSB Stratus Golds and I was very pleasantly surprised with the sonic results. Perhaps in your experience there was a poor match with the gain level of your amp? I can only attest to the sound quality that I heard. And yes, in may main listening room, I have a Lumin streamer connected to a tube preamp paired with a solid state amp. |
Agree fully, I run a tube pre and tube amp so may have just been predisposed to a certain sound that completely changed when the preamp was removed. So maybe not bad just different enough for me that I didn't like it. The HD30 doesn't seem to get much attention but I've demoed several other dacs in attempt to better it and dollar for dollar I haven't found a better unit. |
@soix Thanks for your reply -- I think that's as good an explanation as I'm likely to find. The voltage level of the DAC output may be in the right range, but it can't generate enough current to properly drive the amp. I do own a preamp (Parasound 2100), but I thought it was a weak link, so I'd be better off without it. Sounds like I may want to keep it around for a while. |
