To correct the usual single nasty critic who lacks deep understanding, I will clarify again. This issue about preamps was discussed about 1-2 years ago on this thread when Jay had the dcs Rossini I recall. A few knowledgeable people here said that the DAC's have an amplification stage which cannot be bypassed. Even if there is a fixed gain output, the preamp circuitry of the DAC is still in the chain. So by adding an external preamp, there are effectively 2 tandem preamp circuits in the chain. Jay did acknowledge that adding his past preamps slightly reduced the detail and transparency of the whole system, but he vastly preferred the additional preamp for its benefits in larger soundstage presentation and dynamics. This entire issue should not be framed in terms of whether the DAC preamp stage is better or worse than the external dedicated preamp stage, but whether 2 tandem circuits are better than 1. With all prior preamps Jay has used (all excellent), he preferred the 2 tandem stages for the benefits I just cited. Of course, the 3010, being the best preamp by far, produces wonderful results, better than any other preamp he has used.
As I posted recently, my bet is that there is only a barely audible difference in clarity/transparency between the 3010 and bypassing it. But with his latest Magico S7 speaker which is far superior to his prior speakers, and the Boulder 3060 which is far superior to any power amp he has used, he is now enjoying the clarity/transparency of his entire system like never before. He said that he doesn't need to listen at high SPL's to get enjoyment, the way he needed to listen with less revealing equipment. So I began to wonder whether his priorities have changed, and if he now values clarity/transparency more than before. It was natural for me to again raise the issue at this time regarding preamp or none.
Jay, it is a worthwhile exercise for you to try the DAC direct into the 3060 amp and compare with the 3010 inserted, using music played at very low SPL's of 20-40 dB. I suspect the 3010 is so good that there will be only a slight benefit in transparency direct without it. I don't think YT has the resolution needed to demonstrate this, so only you and visitors who know your system will be able to assess this. This will also be a great test of your ears to see what differences you notice. The 3010 is superb, but I doubt it is totally transparent due to lots of circuitry. If it is 99+ % transparent, you may find that the added 3010 yields benefits in macrodynamics and spatiality that are still the deciding factor for you. I might feel the same way, if I primarily listened to large scale music with large macrodynamics. Since I primarily listen to more delicate music for ultimate clarity, I would choose source direct, without any preamp, using the best attenuator. For less frequent large scale music, I would reconnect the first rate preamp to regain (pun applicable) the large dynamics.
One nice feature of a TT system is that the cartridge only needs an RIAA EQ circuit to play LP's, plus a large gain of 70 dB to deal with low output moving coil (MC) cartridges. In many cases, this is plenty of gain to yield everything--clarity and macrodynamics. If this isn't enough gain, an additional gain stage can be considered. The most transparent line stages have low gains of 6-9 dB or so, which have the best chances of providing maximum transparency. Medium and high output MC's don't need much gain, an advantage, but generally the most detailed and neutral low output MC's needing more gain still produce the most detail. Low output MC's have the lowest moving mass and fewest turns of wire, offering the most clarity, other factors being equal.
