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.

fai_v

I experimented with my DAC going direct to my power amplifier. The sound is good but NOT light-years better than using my preamp. My ’gut reaction’ is it might not be as clear, and the music does not seem as smooth. So, an hour later, after more listening. when going direct, I felt the music was missing something. The music was not as open or engaging when going direct to my power amplifier. The music felt more closed in.

When going direct, the sound was flat, lifeless and without an engaging factor. The additional of the preamp brought things back to normal. I am happy I did this audition so I now know and can forget about it.

For my application, and setup, I believe the preamp is needed to help the music sound natural, clearer, and engaging. My experiment is done. I believe that a preamp makes the music sound better.

I know that other people prefer going direct from a DAC to a power amplifier. Based on my audition, my decision is based on my equipment, my environment and how I listen to music. There is no right or wrong answer since it just depends on the individual. Everyone has a different opinion on going direct to an amp or using a preamp. The answer is it depends on the equipment and the sound you like.

I suggest you test the DAC direct to power amplifier and then make your decision.

I like the above post that says " I will keep the magic with my preamp".   

 

I like the above post that says " I will keep the magic with my preamp

+1

In my opinion a high quality preamplifier is paramount to achieving the very best sound /music reproduction from an audio system . Emphasis on "quality "

@ozzy62 

 

Well, put! A good quality preamp can’t hold a candle to an equivalent good quality preamp of today.

My MHDT Orchid tube DAC sounded way worse going straight into my tube amps. The Preamp does a lot of good for the sound.

I think it's about the output voltage of the DAC and the input voltage of the amp.  I plug my Orchid DAC directly into the Decware amp.  I control the volume through software and it sounds good to me.  The Decware amp has its own volume control so I keep trying to find the sweet spot though.   the biggest issue for me is that the output of the flac files vary so much I can't just find a volume level and leave it for multiple albums.

The preamp can either attenuate or boost the DAC signal if its powered or just attenuate it if it's passive.

Using a preamp also would add tone controls if you use them.