Preamp Necessary?

Re: CD players in the 1K range. You might want to check out the Denon DCD-1650AR with variable outputs and volume control. Hell of a deck for the money. Managed to earn a class B rating in the three previous Stereophile Recommended Components lists. I've been pleased with this unit. The sound really opens up with a good interconnect such as an entry level Siltech. The DCD-1650 was retailing for about $1,000.00 when I bought it a year ago. By Chuck

i am doing that right now with a cal 15. 1600$ or so. i feel like the sound is good but wanting. i am shopping for a tube pre amp....think this might fill in the gaps. have heard the same comment from my dealer on direct cd to ss amps. even in wadia. have not a-b'ed anything yet.

Resolution Audio CD50, used for around $1600.

another exapmle (and just a bit north of $2000) is wadia's 830. it should be coming down a bit as the introduction of the 831 is just around the corner. there is a good selection out there. as daddyo suggested, take a look at that other posting. it is pretty exhaustive and, as you'll read, some people have pretty divergent opinions. as always, experiment and trust your own ears.

There is a previous thread on this topic in the Sound Advice section titled "CD direct to Amp," but, in brief, yes, all you need to go direct to amp is a CD player with variable outputs/volume control. You can get a used Sony XA7ES in that price range, just as an example.