The Best Preamp is no Preamp?

@ozzy62 I agree a passive can be preferable to dac only setup. My active pre is in fact dual TVC.

With respect to integrated amps, there are some that will put expensive two box solutions to shame. With separates I really believe some gear plays nice with each other and some doesn’t….synergy….   I have have people call BS on this but I believe it’s true.  With an integrated there is less cable, less connections, less to fail hopefully.   So with a good integrated the control and amplifier sections complement each other and are well sorted out.  I have nothing against integrated amps ….   Some awesome ones out there 

Nothing is better than nothing at all...

If i could save the money and go Passive or no Pre-amp at all i would have done this years back.

Whilst many on here claim no pre-amp is best probbably have not had very great pre-amps. You dont loose details by adding a pre-amp you gain more control on how that power amp works.

The sound becomes less Flat and more dimensional in space but if you going to use some El Chepo pre-amp then prob its best not to use one altogether.

At this rate i would say just buy Active Studio Speakers, Go Direct from DAC to Active Speaker and call it a day, you will get gobs of Detail and dynamics but at the expense of fatigue.

@soix 

I just re-read the post and realized the OP was using a damn AVR as a preamp.  And not just any AVR, but a Marantz AVR which, IME is one of the most veiled and colored AVRs out there.  So no wonder when the OP heard the detail and transparency of going direct to the amp he found it revelatory.

yup... that makes what might initially sound like a hard question a really easy one...