Steve - Thanks for your help. Kevin at VAC is also great to work with. Apparently there are a number of VAC preamp users that are pairing up with your DNA-500 with outstanding results, and the numbers are growing! I guess I just had to get there to realize that!
Best cables I've found for this connection in my system, incidentally, are Nirvana S-X from John at the Cable Company.
The 3 of you plus David Elrod and Alex Peychev(APL HiFi)(plus a number of others) have really made this "hobby" a pleasure to be involved in. I feel as though I am getting tremendous value for my money, both in high quality, synergistic products and amazing "after the sale" support. I couldn't be happier at this point, but as we all know, there is no known cure for upgradeitis......
Thanks again.