DACs that do well without a preamp

For about $2,000 used you could get a Bel Canto 3.7. Very musical and I use it without a preamp with my tube amp (Willsenton R8). However, it doesn’t handle very hi res files or MQA.

The RME ADI-2 DAC FS at $1300 does a great job without a preamp. I’m using one in my second system paired with a PS Audio S300, KEF LS50s & a REL T/5i subwoofer. Lot’s of rave reviews out there on this great little DAC, but it hasn’t garnered must praise on this forum.  The sound of the RME definitely fits your description of "Looking for clean, detailed, uncolored sound that "lifts the veil".

I find reading this forum somewhat humorous. When I was young, I thought the preamp was more important than the power amp. It’s job is amplifying < 2 volts, so it has a proportionally large impact. Real world experience with how different amps drive very good speakers has changed that, but the only reason to forgo a preamp is funds. The other thing I’ve learned is that separate components are only better than integrate systems of an equivalent quality. A Boulder integrated amp will sound far better than separates from others costing less than ~ $20k. Or a HINT6 will sound better than separates less than ~$5k. I mention all this because the most affordable strategy over time is to buy something good and keep it. The expensive way to go is to keep buying mediocre components and then swapping them out for other mediocre components.

for mtdining: Excellent summary of affordable vs. expensive. I agree because I've tried both!.

If you want to go without a preamp I think you need to increase your budget by a good amount. People run the chord Dave as a pre but I have not liked that setup in systems that I have heard. I did run a dCS bank Tom without a pre into a Krell duo 300xd with gods results. MSB Dac are goood without preamps but I would be looking at the premier or higher. I have a discrete that does well without a pre but I highly prefer my system with the D’Agostino HD pre in it.