How important is a preamp for purely digital sources?


I’m currently deciding if I need a pre-amp in my setup.
I’ll be using a Bluesound Node 2i as the source and a McIntosh MC7100 as the power amp.

the question is ... how much sound improvement will I get by adding a pre-amp knowing that all my source material will be digital? Will it be more beneficial if I add a quality external DAC instead?

Thanks!!
dookie30

Showing 1 response by dookie30

This is turning out to be very interesting ...

I'm currently at a stage where i'm still experimenting.  I've been using a 7.2 receiver for so many years and I want to explore a purely audio setup for now as I appreciate music more than movies.

The upgrade itch hits once in a while and I've been weighing if I'll be getting a pre-amp or a DAC and I'm leaning more into a pre-amp. 
  
Just a follow up question to the DAC ... it seems that DAC technology is constantly improving and there's a big possibility that a very good DAC today may be outdated in the next few years.  Is this the case?