I agree, Msa. here's no question that my Aleph 2 monos are much happier having an Aleph P pre ($1800 used) pushing them rather than direct from my EMC-1 MkII (balanced).
It all depends upon gain and impedence matching, which can be a huge problem when going direct from a CDP to a power amp. Good luck.
It all depends upon gain and impedence matching, which can be a huge problem when going direct from a CDP to a power amp. Good luck.