CD direct to monobloks?

I've run both a Theta Miles and Resolution Audio 21 directly into either an Aragon 8008BB or B&K M-200's in balanced mode with good results. Every time a preamp goes in for trial, it gets sent back. Have tried variety of solid state and tube pre's, including a couple that cost more than my entire system-still no dice for my tastes.

If you already own all this, what do you think? If you haven't tried it yet because you are afraid to run the cd player directly into the amps, don't be. That's what the volume control on the cd player is for. Just remember to turn the volume all the way down at first and raise it while the music is playing.

Try the different possibilities and let your ears decide. You can't hurt anything. Do make sure the volume is turned down on the Shanling or Primare before firing everything up.

Your old Adcom was a decent preamp. Things may be better with or without it. Good luck.

It all depends on how good the variable output stage of the CDP is and how it will match with the input impedance of the power amps. This is very important and could make or break a direct-to-power-amp setup.
Going power amp direct will be the shortest path and will require less interconnects, which is worth considering both sonically and financially, but it's not all that matters.
Technically all combinations you mentioned are viable, it will be for you to try them and decide what sounds best *to your ears*.

Hi Tiofelon, ordinarily this can be a great idea, but certain requirements must be met or else it's plainly not worth it. What you stand to gain by this method is the elimination of an entire component from the signal path (preamp), which, unless you've already spent a ton of money on a truly first-rate one, you can expect to get a good gain in overall transparency at the very least. However, if your CDP uses standard 16-bit processing, then any reduction of volume in the digital domain will reduce the volume by reducing digital audio resolution, quickly darkening the sound quality. For example: reducing the volume by 2db reduces the resolution of a 16-bit chip to that of a 14-bit chip. But, if your CDP uses, say, a 32-bit chip, then you can reduce volume as much as 16db without altering the sound quality at all (if you don't use oversampling). More viable still are the new 64-bit DAC's and players now on the horizon.

To see if you're a likely candidate for bypassing your preamp you can try an experiment: take any CD you know is comparatively quietly recorded and hook up your CD straight into the mono's, but be sure to start with your volume on the CDP all the way down. Try a track that starts off low in volume and slowly builds, if you can. Gradually increase volume until you get to either the loudest point you'd ever be willing to listen to it or as loud as your system will safely tolerate. If you can consider this volume level to be satisfactory to you in the long run as a maximum for your tastes, then you can very likely benefit from going preampless with your system the way it is. But, if that max volume level is in fact too low for you, even with normally recorded CD's, then you'd have to consider some future gear swapping to get it to come out right (either a different amp with a higher gain, or speakers that are more efficient, or even both, if you needed or wanted to).

What she said. Digital volume control has no impedance matching vs analog volume control. Listen first to it without a pre-amp. is the resolution and detail what you like? You eliminate a set of interconnect cables and a pre-amp if you go direct. I'm all for this approact as long as there is no impedance issues. But, since you were considering a pre-amp, go "borrow" a few from a good dealer in your price rance and A/B them vs CD direct. You can do this anytime.

enjoy

A quality tube preamp is the most important component in the audio chain.

With regards to digital volume controls, I have some info that may be of value. I have been a long time Wadia user and have had several players; all of which have dig vol. I wanted to really find out how big the difference in sound quality is when lowering the dig vol. I went to my local dealer and set a Wadia up with the best components I could find in the store and started listening. Also, I wanted some input from someone besides me, so I had 2 people from the store and 2 reviewers from audio magazines listen as well. (I believe one reviewer was from TAS and the other from Stereoplile). In the end, not one of us heard any difference no matter how much we lowered the volume. I don't know if you will get the same results with other brands, but I would at least listen before I made a final judgement.

Thank you all for your responses! It seems that I got some experimentation to do, which is part of the joy of this hobby. Thanks again!

As far as I know:
First of all, a CDP with variable output doesn't necessarily mean that the volume control is implemented in the digital domain.
Second of all, volume control implemented in the digital domain in a unit working internally on 24 or 32 bits, and Wadia is such an example, doesn't mean sacrificing resolution when the attenuation occurs. Lots of least significant, zero-padding bits to cut into before degradation occurs.

Like Xxqq250 said above,if you already own all this, what do you think?

Well I tried the variable output from the Primare I21, the sound was thin and compressed. Then I feed the amps direct from the Shanling, with the same result. In the end the best sound I got is from the pre Adcom GTP-350. Not bad all all! Still I wonder if I could get a better sound with a best new/used preamplifier, since the Adcom is an old and basic pre. Any suggestions about a pre that could match the monobloks? Any help from Rotels owners would be very much appreciated.

03-12-12: Westborn
A quality tube preamp is the most important component in the audio chain.

I had this experience when I upgraded to a Nagra PL-L last year.

I assume you have tried the cdp direct to the integrated? If not, why not? It very well may be your best combination.

I have always tried to run direct from cdp to amp(s) and always came back to having a preamp. As far as which one you should chose for your Rotels is easy, the Rotel that is from the same series as your amps. IME brands can be interchanged with sources and the like but the pre and amp combo is usually better within same brand and if possible series.

Douglas I did try the cd direct option and the sound was thin and compressed. Besides the level of cdp output run out pretty quik!