"Your question made me curious about what my system would sound like without the preamp. I connected the Benchmark DAC1 straight to the mono-blocks and listened. Unfortunately, I had to get up and leave within 20 seconds."
This implies that the Joule Electra Marianne Memorial Edition preamp might be performing something like equalization. Perhaps you simply prefer this equalization to a more truthful presentation.
I don't mean to offend but maybe this isn't what others may prefer.
