DACs that do well without a preamp

Can only speak to the Benchmark 3 HGC. Without my preamp the the sound was lifeless and sterile. Overall the attributes I look for that get me closer to my perception of what the music should sound like where muted without my pre, of course YMMV.

Find a used Antelope Zodiac Gold or Platinum. They are superb

i tried several DACs w analogue volume control.  All sounded better through my preamp.

I guess If you do not have a good preamp, it is a nice way to go.  A good preamp improves the sound to my ears, that I have tried.

I do get it, I ONLY have one digital input...but I love my preamp.

I had to stand up a separate system during a renovation and found that my Hegel HD30 Dac performed beautifully when placed between streaming source and amp without a preamp. I bought it specifically for this possibility, as it has fantastic volume control.

I have a Wadia 321 with the ESS Sabre volume implementation.  It sounds very analytical vs running it through my Rogue with Mullard valves.   But I am a fan of hybrid setups (Tubes & SS). 

The Wadia 321 is a good DAC and can be had for around $1k but it has a sizable footprint.  Has a bunch of inputs (coax,digital,USB).   321di will process DSD.

Wadia gone now but 3rd party support does exist