Preamp/DAC Suggestions

Look at a Bricasti M3. You can find them used or even *New with a good discount that will keep you within your budget.

rs507 the m3 is not a true preamp It has no analog inputs

If the op wants a preamp,  the M3 does not have any analog inputs. 

we are a bricasti dealer the m3 is an excellent dac, in fact it is an excetional  Dac for the money.

so you must understand as with everything in audio there is a product for each user we appreciate you love Bricasti but the M3 is not a preamp it is a dac that can be ordered with a volume control option.

so for this reason we recommended the Atoll which is a dac/preamp

Dave and Troy

audio intellect NJ

Atoll and Bricasti dealers

Be aware that some dacs buffer signals so syncing with TV picture can be problematic. 

Lots of really good recommendations here and I don’t envy you having to weed through them all. I’ll just chime in that it seems to me by and large many people find benefit by using an active preamp in their system. While I know there are also lots of people who are very happy using their DAC as a volume control, that can be very system dependent, and I’ve read lots of posts where people using their DACs for volume control then realizing big performance gains by inserting an active preamp. I can’t remember one where someone removed their active preamp and using their DAC as a volume control was an improvement. My point, this is very system dependent but the odds seem to favor using an active preamp, but obviously you should try both ways in your system. FWIW.