For over a month I had the opportunity to compare both the Audio Note M-8 and M-10 tube preamps with the DCC2 preamp in my system. I consistently preferred the "liveness" and musicality of the tubed preamps over the DCC2 preamp, which was also excellent. I chose to use the "extra" preamp. However, if you compare the costs and space, I could make the argument and be happy with using the DCC2 as my preamp.
Reg
Reg