I was. Have never tried pre-amp, though. One caution, and the reason why I sold it, was that when turning the volume all the way up - when utilizing my amp's volume control - there was a slight buzz. Cheater plug didn't cure it. Maybe amp's fault or combination issue, maybe other reasons. Anyway, my current CDP doesn't have it at all, so I assume it was the implementation or execution issue of the remote volume. As to the sound, yes, going direct is the way to go, in my opinion, if you have only one source.
