First Watt F8, passive preamp, DAC

I think you should be ok with digital, do you know the output of your DAC?

I have run a DAC directly into a SIT-2 which is 18db of gain and it worked great.  Running the same DAC into a SIT-3 with only 11.5 of gain was also fine, although I did run out of headroom on some CDs with really low peak levels.  But even inserting my Pass X2.5 preamp with only 4 db of gain fixed that minor issue.

The DAC output is 100 ohm unbalanced, 200 ohm balanced. I guess that's pretty good. 

The DAC output is 100 ohm unbalanced, 200 ohm balanced. I guess that's pretty good. 

Those specifications (In ohms) are referring to the output impedance. What is the output "voltage" of your DAC?

Aha. Would it be 1.414 VRMS unbalanced? It's the PS Audio Directstream DAC. 

1.44v is pretty low.  Most DACs output 2v and higher. With that low voltage coupled with a low gain amplifier, unless your speakers are high sensitivity, you’ll likely need an active preamp to provide additional gain.

Charles