How much do I need to spend to get a preamp that sounds better than no preamp?

You must spend $9347.87 to sound like no preamp do it asap!!

So while you can make good arguments against passive volume controls and uncontrolled cable interactions, these are not a factor in my system. Thus, in my system, my statement above that there is no amount of money that can be spent on a preamp that will sound better that a straight wire, is a perfectly true statement.

@phomchick I agree on the first sentence 100%. But not on the last; most high end audio manufacturers don’t support the balanced standard even though XLR connections are used (and to be perfectly clear, I’m not sure whether that includes Oppo). So if you were to add a buffer or active line stage that *does* support the balanced standard, you *may* find that it is an improvement.

"6 XLR Balanced Audio Output

"XLR balanced connection offers better common - mode noise rejection and improved signal quality over the RCA connection. If your preamplifier, power amplifier, or active speakers offer XLR balanced inputs, you may use a pair of XLR audio cables to connect the ******** DAC’s XLR Balanced Audio Output to the XLR input of your device."

@atmasphere are you now willing to say that both my statements are 100% true? :-)

Aside from some technical points made throughout this thread which I find educational, I think the overall conclusions drawn are based on an assessment ultimately made by the listeners’s ears which are subjective by definition. There’s also an an additional degree of confusion since the two different scenarios of source direct to amp and using a passive preamp in between the two seem to be used interchangeably.  It would be more useful to just take a poll and tally the results. And I’m willing to bet my last dollar that most people including me will prefer an active linestage between the source and the amp vs. going direct from the source.

XLR balanced connection offers better common - mode noise rejection and improved signal quality over the RCA connection. If your preamplifier, power amplifier, or active speakers offer XLR balanced inputs, you may use a pair of XLR audio cables to connect the ******** DAC’s XLR Balanced Audio Output to the XLR input of your device.

@phomchick No, there is no way to tell from the above whether the unit supports the balanced standard or not. Here is the standard in a nutshell:

1) pin 1 is ground, pin 2 non-inverted, pin 3 inverted (the latter two are reversed in Europe)
2) the signal travels in a twisted pair usually within a shielded cable.
3) Ground is ignored by both output and subsequent input; it is used for shielding only.

4) The output is capable of driving low impedances of 2000 ohms or so without distortion or loss of bandwidth (in particular in the bass).
Of these four points, the latter two aspects are generally ignored by high end audio. This causes the cables to exhibit artifacts where they otherwise would not.

Here’s an easy test, which many balanced components fail. If you connect to an output XLR, using only pins 1 and 2 and get a signal with no hum or buzz, the standard is not being supported. This is because the return circuit for pin 2 is ground rather than pin 3. If the unit supports the standard, there won’t be a circuit between ground and pin 2 or 3, and with no circuit you get a buzz.

Back to the original question from the op - The BD105 is sort of a streamer DAC plus a digital preamp right? I am curious what quality of digital music the op is playing? if its high res - perhaps the digital volume control is more forgiving to the overall sound quality? What if a lower resolution music like spotify or apple music is played on BD105->Amp setup? Just curious! As someone else mentioned - to a newbie this is all good learning for me - but ultimately its whatever his ears tell him thats the truth!