DACs With Killer Built-In Preamps

The Ayon is a very nice player and enjoy it! The Dude is simply the finest sounding preamp on the planet based on my experience with all manner of preamps. It simply play s music with the scale and ease one hears in a great live setting. If you like your music served up with a huge and dynamic presentation with an ease one expects at live venues, then this this preamp is it!

The Eximus is very lively sounding with great energy and excitement. Not dull at all.

@ Grannyring, Thankyou for you answers here, I never even heard of these brands, Is the dude pre-amp a tube unit? I like the tube sound!, If the Dude is a tube unit, what tubes does it use?, what is the retail cost of the dude pre-amp?,, thankyou Grannyring, you are a gentlemen!, cheers!

Just a quick update. I put my TRL Dude back into my system after living with a preampless system for many months. Well, I missed the Dude and it was a mistake to take it out of the system. I think removing the Dude gave the impression that the music gained transparency and improved detail.

Well, that was my ears tricking me for a short while as over the long haul I started to find the music a little brittle, forward and a tad threadbare. I put the Dude back into the system and the music was back.

My preampless system give an impression or perception of improved detail when I found is was really highlighting this area as the body and other musical cues were missing without the Dude.

This was not apparent until time made it absolutely clear. The Dude abides!

Granny - this demonstrates that your DAC has insufficient drive to be used direct.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

I respectfully think that had nothing at all to do with it. All the numbers and
specs line up to make the dac sing in my system, it did sing , but not as
well as the active Dude.

Or perhaps we agree......what do mean by drive?