Analogue clipping from digital sources

Also, Ralph is right for an AMP, 2V might be overload but preamps have been 100% aware of the CD standard since then and are built for it, so I disagree.

@erik_squires FWIW the high output digital problem is one of the issues that any preamp manufacturer has to find a way to deal with. With a phono section or tuner, you might need 15dB of gain to work with most power amps, but you (most of the time) don't need any for digital.

We've been lucky in that our patented direct-coupled output section of our preamps is neutral enough and is able to prevent coloration from the interconnect that there is still a benefit using our preamps with a digital source.

@atmasphere  but phono stages have additional gain just for them.  It's true that you almost don't need any gain for CD's, but tape decks and tuners were often near that, no? 

The 2V peak outputs should not be a surprise anymore.

Still, that's not to say any particular maker or model doesn't overload more easily than others.

In my read a good DAC analogue stage may only need an additional preamp where switching to analogue sources is required. Absent that the pre adds distortion.

thank you to @atmasphere and @erik_squires for explaining an obviously important issue that hasn’t been sufficiently discussed

but phono stages have additional gain just for them.  It's true that you almost don't need any gain for CD's, but tape decks and tuners were often near that, no? 

@erik_squires No. quite often a tuner or phono section will make 1Volt. A cassette machine makes 1 Volt (@ 0VU), as do consumer (not pro) reel to reels (also @ 0VU).

OP: 

With modern amps, input impedance is usually quite high, 25kOhms or more, and plenty of voltage gain, so with many combinations of modern DAC's and solid state amps a separate preamp is no longer technically needed.

Best,

E