It really, really, really works well.
I love my 2ch room now... no preamp- makes me laugh sometimes.
I have not had any popping sound either to this point w/ the 980. It sounds amazing, and i would have to spend much more on a high level preamp to sound better than this. The goal in my mind is to have as few breaks in the signal chain as possible- I dont want to colorize the sound from the CD- I dont want to change the audio signal- how much money do you have to spend on a preamp that sounds as if it is not there? alot.
This is also the easiest and fastest way to compare RCA's... direct from the source to the amp. The Opps's volume control is great to say the least.