I'm in the same boat you are. There are 2 active preamps that I will be auditioning that will, as I have been told, be much better than my Wadia 860 direct into an FPB600c. The 2 preamps are absolute hot rods from very small companies. Solid state: 1)reflectionaudio.com Battery powered and best with either cd or phono playback. Tubed 2)homeontheweb.net/presence/ The presence ultimate can even be made switchless and with dual mono powersupplies and main chasis. I will be auditioning both of them shortly, just after I get my 860 upgraded to an 861 status. Check them out. For a preamp it seems as though they are designed very near the limits...
My Only Question Is.........
Would someone please tell me the name of the preamplifier(s) on this planet that when inserted into the signal path between any recent Wadia cd player and any amplifier, IMPROVES upon the sound of the forementioned Wadia when compared to running it direct using its digital volume control near its peak. Remeber contestants that the better the preamp the less it imparts to the signal. Keep in mind also that answering this question intelligently would require that you have actually tried this.