What preamps outshine the Aesthetix Calypso?

Ckoffend, a single box DAC/CD player will not have a full blown tube preamp build in. It will be a DAC with (tube based) output stage and simple volume control, usually digital. In the case of the romulus the volume control is "Relay-based switched resistor analog/digital design.". This typically is one (small) board, and will easily fit into the single box.

If you are even considering going the volume controlled DAC route, I suggest you look into the Zodiac Gold + Voltikus. This is a DAC/Preamp (only one analog input) with analog volume control that has been getting some very good press.

I will be getting one myself to do a shootout against my perfectwave DAC + Modwright Preamp. I got intruiged by the DAC + Volume control scenario after (reluctantly) comparing the Perfectwave DAC (digital) volume Control directly into my poweramps, with running it through the Modwrigth. Much to my surprise, the difference were very small, and this got me thinking if I get a better DAC with better (analog) volume I should be able to get better sound than what I currently have, and resale of the modwrigt would pay for the project. A huge plus is the fact that the Zodiac has one analog intput, because this is all I need for my HT bypass.

There are some dealers that will get you a 30 day trial so trying this is a risk free proposition.

Edorr ...not to highjack this thread..but how do you get HT bypass using analog input?

Makes this option interesting to me

That's easy. For this your DAC / Preamp needs to have a digital volume level display, and a step attenuator (the Zodiac Gold does). You can simply ask the maufacurer what volume level corresponds to "unity gain" (i.e. 0db attenuation).

You connect the HT mains to the analog input, set the DAC/Pre to this unity gain level and you're in business. In fact most HT bypasses in preamps work like this - they don't bypass the active circuit, but fix the level at unity gain.

If the maufacturer does not know you can find the unity gain level yourself using an SPL meter, but you don't even really have to. The manual will tell you the gain of the preamp and the Db increments. So if your preamp has 10db gain and 0.5 steps increments and has a scale of 0-140, you just set the level to 120.

Better still, you don't even have to be at precise unity gain, because after deciding what level to fix the DAC/preamp on, you next trim your channels on the MCH sourse (typically a SSP) using the SLP meter. This which would synch up all the chanels even if your DAC/Preamp is not at exact unity gain.

Edorr, I have tried the PW DAC straight into my VAC Phi 200. I even bought a Lightspeed Attenuator to try, given the supposed shortcomings of a digital volume control. After a few weeks, I just did not like the sound, as the soundstage seemed to collapse and the bass was MIA. I put the Calypso back in the chain and much preferred it to the amp-direct and passive preamp setup. Makes me think the Modwright might not float my boat.

The BAT preamps sound increasingly appealing. Most reviewers/owners impressions mention how they throw a really wide soundstage and provide really deep bass. If they are slightly dark, that is OK with me, as a lot of CDs sound a bit "peeky" in my current setup.

My short list of used preamps for $5K includes first and foremost Ayre K-1xe then VAC Renaissance followed by VTL 6.5

As you can imagine, all of the above rarely show up on the used market, although lately I've seen a few K-1xe's, (mostly due to the fact that the model is discontinued.)