2. amps-preamps
  3. 138620-76358

Is pre-amp getting killed?

Hi,
   I'm in the market for the Pre-amp and DAC. I had the PS audio Stellar Gain Cell DAC/Pre-amp combo and I sold that to go separates. I thought of buying PS audio Direct Stream DAC and Audio Research REF 6 Pre-amp. I started doing research and spoke to few dealers. Below are the recommendations I got,

1. Bel Canto EX DAC
2. Simaudio 390 Network Player/DAC

3 dealers I spoke recommended to go with Pre-AMP/DAC/Network player combo instead of separate Pre-amp and DAC. Is pre-amp's are getting killed by the combo? 

Any thoughts?

karurravi
Post removed 
glennewdick's avatar
glennewdick
1,793 posts
 

d2girls

that's totally unacceptable on this form, trash talk like that. just move on please and keep your comments to your self next time.

chrissain
470 posts
 
The new bel canto ex dac looks stunning, if it's in your budget I would for sure check it out. My Bel Canto dac 3.7 hits way above its price class. 
rbstehno
1,552 posts
 
I like my ps audio DS dac with the bridge II. I looked at a lot of dacs and if the dac wasn’t fpga based, it was old technology and I skipped it. Every 6 months, I get an update that makes the DS sound better, and the current DS is rated in the top tier group.
i used the DS directly into my classe monoblocks and when I went with a new McIntosh c47 preamp, sound quality jumped for the better. 
moto_man
400 posts
 
I now now use an MSB Analog DAC with volume control and upgraded MSB power supply instead of my preamp. Sounds fantastic. I would think that “less is more” when it comes to the signal path, so because eliminating the preamp takes more cabling and electronics out, there is less to affect the signal...
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