First Watt F8, passive preamp, DAC

Personally I’d go with an integrated as needing a DAC with a good volume control will reduce your DAC choices quite a bit.  Just my $0.02 FWIW.  Best of luck. 

As I type I am running the same DAC with the volume at about 1:00 (so roughly 1.0V output?) into my preamp at 14db gain into the SIT-3 with 11.5 db of gain.  1V output with 25.5db of gain is plenty on my 94db speakers.  I typically listen around 83-84db average, so pretty loud.

The OP's scenario could "possibly" work BUT...

System gain is still 10 db less than yours. Not insignificant.

DAC voltage is 1.44 vs 1.8.

His speakers are 3 db less sensitivity than your 94 db.

Perhaps cutting it a bit close it seems.

Charles

@charles1dad 

Agreed, the F8 isn't going to cut it. Besides, I want an amp that's going to drive the speakers well, not just adequately.

How about a Valvet E2/E3? Those are rated only 12w and 21 db gain, and supposedly are very powerful. Still, the 1.4 vrms would be a concern. 

I've only had a single opportunity to try the volume output on the DAC. I fed it through the HT bypass on my integrated. The result was poor, both in power and sound quality, but this one test doesn't really prove anything. Still, a DAC as preamp will typically have more noise than a dedicated pre or integrated, right? 

I have owned a good num of First Watt amplifiers I have had great synergy running high output tube preamps with them.

@johnk 

Yes, I definitely see the wisdom in that approach.  I heard a loaned Nelson Pass D.I.Y. First Watt S.I.T. Paired with my Coincident Statement Line stage (101D tubes) and it was exceptionally good sounding. I do understand that the goal per topic is however  DAC direct to amplifier.

Charles