CD player straight into amps?

To Preamp or not , that is the question.

I am running my APL 3910 direct to my Pass Labs Amp via balanced interconnects.
There have been several versions of this APL unit, the one I have has a deep defined bottom end. Tvad, no way would I call it thin.

I have tried several Preamps , thinking perhaps they would provide extra gain and that would result in improvement.
But, they all degraded the sound quality.

My opinion is that each designed unit probably tackles the volumne control in different ways, so it really depends on the unit.

I'm in Tvads camp,there is definitely "something missing" without a pre in the chain.This opinion is solely based on experiences with my system and my musical tastes.

I have been an active preamp guy forever, but I have recently been experimenting with the Promitheus Audio Reference Dual-Box TVC for use in a second system. I have been playing with this little point-to-point hand-wired passive pre in my reference system while I am waiting to fully assemble this second system, and the quality and transparency of this inexpensive component have been a real eye-opener. (This thing plays WAY out of its price league.)

I think a high quality TVC like the reference version of the Promitheus component is a great alternative to a traditional active pre if you have high quality source components and the input sensitivity on your amplifier is compatible. A TVC can give you all the transparency of a direct connection between your CDP and amplifier. It is potentially a better alternative than a direct connection if the volume control on your CDP is not first rate or if the additional current and alternative input/output impedances offered by the TVC prove to be a better way to drive your cables, preserve dynamics and overcome some of the other drawbacks often associated with the elimination of a preamp or the use of a resistor-based passive.

Back in the 70s we were buying those receivers with all of those buttons which allowed us to 'enhance' our music any way we wanted. The ultimate button being the "loudness" switch.

So when I got my Audio Aero Capitole CD player with volume control I at first couldn't resist running it through a pre as I couldn't imagine not getting my music "my way'.

It did not take me long to scrap the pre as the CD player was giving me the music much as the engineer had mixed it. The biggest shock was just how poorly some CDs are engineered. I now pay more attention to the label and I avoid the cheaper compilation CDs. It took the removal of my pre to appreciate this.