Preamp/DAC Suggestions

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.

I would purchase a preamp 1st. Listen to your system with it for awhile and then consider the DAC upgrade. 

If interested in a tube preamp check out Aric Audio. He has a good website, and is easy to talk to. He makes preamps at several price points. His preamps have low output impedance and variable output so can be matched to most any solid state amplifier. 

Why are you not using the amp in the Rogue? and what tubes are you using in the pre section. I roll Mullards and NOS Brimars in my Sphinx 3 depending on my mood. The sound is warm and detailed. Maybe better tubes would help, I stream from Tidal via Bluesound Node with an MHDT Orchid DAC Sell the Mytek and look into a better DAC and try some new tubes. 

@evank I used the amp section of the Rogue for awhile and then went looking for upgrade options. I tried a couple other integrated amplifiers I liked okay but none that I could afford and upgraded the sound of the Sphinx. Then a shop near me had a used Mytek Brooklyn Amp they let me audition at home. I found it really added a lot of detail and improved sound at both lower and higher volumes. Since it was what I could afford at the time, I ran with it and have been happy with the combination for the past couple years. I've rolled a few tubes through the Sphinx and found some better than others to my ears. I'm using Electro-Harmonix ECC82H Golds right now and like them better than the others I've tried. I can't recall offhand if I've tried Mullards, but I think I did for awhile.

I'm not really sure I want to use tubes going forward in my main system. My kids and wife use the system for tv and often leave it on, which seems to burn through the tubes. I do like the tube sound and think I'll end up with a dedicated tube system for my office. But in the main living room system, I'm leaning solid state. The best integrated I've sampled in my home so far is the Atoll IN-200, which may be what I end up with. But I'm thinking I'd rather go with separates just for the fun and variety of being able to upgrade a piece at a time to see how I like the sound. There's an Atoll PR300 preamp available for under $1000 right now that might be a good fit. Then I could upgrade the DAC and eventually the amp. 

@audiotroy I auditioned the ST200 and loved it. But like I wrote above, I'm hesitant to go all in on one piece as it doesn't leave as much room to play with future upgrades. Though I suppose the speakers would be the next upgrade if I went with the ST200. What speakers do you find match best to the Atoll? 

@grateful_dad one thing to consider is that in your $5000 price range (and even above) it’s unlikely you will get a DAC with a built in preamp that will be better than a dedicated preamp. I would focus on a DAC first and not worry too much about the built in preamp. You have few choices, and just to name a few…

Benchmark DAC3 L or HGC (even has analog input)

PS Audio Direct Stream Digital DSD (a bargain now that a new model is anticipated)

Bricasti M3 

You can get PS Audio and Bricasti with a built in network player that would eliminate the need for your Bluesound if you use Roon