Eversolo DMP A6 with or without preamp

I first plugged the A6 to an Anthem mix 510 via analog and thought it sounded real good.  

Today's digital gear ain't too shabby.   I just picked up a Cyrus i7-XR  Integrated Amp and I love that little amp.  It has a built in DAC and coincidentally it has the same ESS chipset as the Eversolo.   I can't believe how good my TV, PC , and Vault 2i sound with that little guy.    That said I'm not surprised you like how it sounds.   

Some Mac preamps and integrateds have an input trim setting. Personally I would start with the Eversolo' s output set to fixed or maxed out.  I forget how it achieves max output , but you want a fixed out equivalent to approx 2 volts like any other source component RCA. 

If you have it XLR , I would do the same as it should be about 4 v when fixed.  

Then with that fixed I would adjust the input trim plus or minus if so equipped

Sounds better in what way or areas?
 

Yes, I turned the analog volume setting to max when feeding it into the preamp.

Btw, the Eversolo volume bypass mode has to be turned on if you want to use it preamp with it. I am new to all of this, and at first couldn’t get it to work with my preamp. 

Direct feed into the amp sounds more clear and transparent.  I don’t have a mic to precisely adjust the volumes for an equal comparison, but that’s what it sounds like to me. I am also going to play around different interconnects. Maybe that’s also the problem. 

I have gone back and forth with trying dacs straight to amps, and with preamps. Straight into the amp always sounds different,  not necessarily better,  depends on the dac . Some will sound good at first,  then you realize it doesn't really have the drive a real preamp provides. 

So a dac needs a good preamp section,  which  a lot of cheaper dacs doesn't have.