Will DAC always sound better going straight into a Power Amplifier?


Hi All,

I experimented today with plugging my Khadas Tone Board DAC straight into a Power Amp, and then using a vintage restored Yamaha solid state preamp in the chain...and the sound seemed to be clearer without the preamp.

Is this always the case, where a DAC will sound better directly connected to a power amp?

I see some expensive DAC offerings, like the Musetec 005 and the Holo Audio May, and was wondering that if i want to save up for one of them...if i have to save up for a preamp as well.

If it will cloud the sound, then i'll leave the preamp out of the mix.  Let me know your thoughts all!

I've read that some people have had experiences where the DAC sounds better through a preamp, so I'm not sure if there is a universal answer here or not.

128x128fai_v

My experience says no. Sounds great on some music but hard driving music runs out of gas. 

 Typically not. The sound can often sound at first blush, but it looses heft and musicality. While there are folks that have components that work to skip the preamp. That is not the most common experience by a very large margin. Most folks go back to a preamp to get the best sound. 
 

If your objective is to put together a preamp-less system, it can be done… it is difficult, but some folks claim they have done it. I’ll keep the magic with my preamp.

using a vintage restored Yamaha solid state preamp 

That would not be my first choice.