DAC vs. Preamp

Thanks for the knowledge. I'm getting the opinion that almost no one thinks going without a preamp is a good idea. I thought that would be the case.

Ricred1,
Congrats on the recent upgrade to your system.
Can you please describe the difference between going direct from the Aeris dac to power amps vs through the Corus preamp?
I have heard the Corus in my system but not the Aeris dac.
Thanks in advance.
J. :)

i'm also firmly in the 'better with a dedicated preamp' camp.  wanting to simplify my system as much as possible, i've tried several times to remove the pre and use a DAC (wyred, weiss, etc, etc) to control volume, but have always found that i prefer my system with a dedicated linestage.  while there is seemingly consensus in this thread, if you search the archives, you will find opinions do vary on the subject.  in my case, i absolutely prefer my system with a dedicated pre.  YMMV!!

I have a Bryston BDA-1 which I bought used on AG. I often see a used BDA-2 for sale also. I have the Arcam 137 used as a transport and USB?SPdif converter for my MAC Mini.  The Bryston products lean toward the analytical/transparent side. I use a tube preamp.  Several inputs on the Bryston, XLR and RCA outputs. 

jon2020,

I can't speak on the difference between going direct from the Aeris dac to power amps vs through the Corus preamp. The only dacs I experimented with going direct were the PS Audio DSD and Bricasti M1. I already had the JR Continuum S2 integrated amp when I purchased the Aeris and never had an opportunity to try it direct. The JR 625 S2/Corus combination is a significant step-up from the Continuum S2, but I can't honestly say which component(625 S2 or Corus) has the most impact, because I received them at the same time.

I will say, in my system the Aeris DAC has more detail, images better, and has a slightly larger soundstage than the Bricasti M1. 

In addition, I will admit that I prefer a sound on the slightly warm side of neutral and that's what my current combination provides.