Is no preamp the best preamp of all?


As an experiment I hooked up my OPPO BDP-95 (which has a volume control) directly to my amp. I was very pleasantly surprised to hear a significant improvement in clarity and sound quality. Typically I have the analog outputs on the OPPO running through my preamp in Analog Direct. I have heard that the circuitry within preamps can cause cross-talk in the analog signal, deteriorating the quality of the signal. So, would having no preamp (and therefore no other circuits to interfere with the signal) be better than an expensive analog or digital preamp running in Analog Direct? I am not really interested in Room Correction or DSP of any kind. I was considering purchasing a Bel Canto PRe6 (which I've read is excellent for multichannel analog), but would it be better to just have the OPPO running directly to the power amp?
128x128cdj123

09-05-11: Amfibius
There is no such thing as no preamp. A preamp is simply gain stage + volume control. Just because your DAC has a built-in gain stage and volume control, and you elect to connect it directly to your power amp, does not mean that you do not have a preamp in the circuit. You do - your preamp is built in to your DAC. If your DAC has an elaborate gain stage, then adding a preamp would quite concievably worsen the sound, because you would be adding additional circuitry.

you're thinking about *analog* volume control; digital volume control works differently (i'm not going to go through the detail of digital volume control here because it has been discussed many times before) and does not have the issue to which you are referring. as a clue, if you see a device that has fixed and variable outputs, then the volume control being implemented is most likely analog. with a digital volume control system, you would typically only have a single output (of course you might actually have both single ended and balanced outputs, but they would be carrying the same signal).
I read about his "conversion" a few months ago, a bit too mystical, but he sure does like just about anything Mr. Blume brings to market - must be precisely his cup of tea.
I doubt anything mystical. He wrote about what he experienced, nothing more or less.
Yup, mystical was the wrong word. I just think AS loves IB's sound, and given his views of Coincident gear over the years, it does not surprise me that he would love the line stage too - apparently the two of you must like similar things from your equipment - you gear looks like it must work beautifully together.
Pubul57,
Thank you very much for your kind comments regarding my system.
The Coincident components have worked out superbly for me.