About $3500 if buying used. Or about 5-6K if you insist on buying new.
Always active (unless you get singularly lucky with the amp match) and almost always go with tubed preamps (unless you want to spend the big bucks).
Almost everyone tries to do without one and convincing themselves for the longest time that they don't need one and fighting wars on this point. You need a good preamp and they are rare. If your budget is under 8K for amp/preamp, a good integrated is always the way to go. My dealer told me this when I started my audio journey, I didn't listen, now 10 years later, I realise his wisdom.
I am using DAC direct as well, it beats most cheap preamps, but it still sucks, I am waiting to snatch the right used preamp : Shindo (Masseto or above), Coincident, Convergent etc.
Always active (unless you get singularly lucky with the amp match) and almost always go with tubed preamps (unless you want to spend the big bucks).
Almost everyone tries to do without one and convincing themselves for the longest time that they don't need one and fighting wars on this point. You need a good preamp and they are rare. If your budget is under 8K for amp/preamp, a good integrated is always the way to go. My dealer told me this when I started my audio journey, I didn't listen, now 10 years later, I realise his wisdom.
I am using DAC direct as well, it beats most cheap preamps, but it still sucks, I am waiting to snatch the right used preamp : Shindo (Masseto or above), Coincident, Convergent etc.