Tube DACs

@allanblissett volume control inside a dac is often done digitally,  and if done right causes no loss of resolution. 

AFAIC tubes should be in every possible gain or buffer stage. 🙂

There are many great solid state preamps. Nothing wrong, at all, with using one. I still prefer high end tubed preamps. When I have compared similar prices ss and tubed preamps I have preferred the tubed… they have a more natural and musical presentation. There are probably exceptions.

Controlling amps directly from DACs is not a thing yet. Many people have tried it and most have abandoned it. You end up with great details and a sterile sound. I suspect over the next twenty years this will slowly change as digital dominates the market and analog becomes less main stream.

But for now, unless you want to put out a lot of money, a lot of research time and probably buy you DAC (non-tube) and amp from the same manufacturer, it is better to assume you need a high quality DAC and Preamp.

All components have a sound. Tube DACs were not designed to eliminate the preamp any more than a tube phono pre is. Yes tubes into tubes could get too tubey but if they are well designed they will probably work fine. No generalizations are possible.

I have a Black Ice tube DAC (new purchase, very happy) playing through a Raven integrated tube amp. Sounds really good, starting to rival my analogue front end.

It has a gain control, which doubles as a volume control for headphones. It is not designed to be connected directly to a power amp as far as I know.

I went with a Tube DAC with the intention of tube rolling, which I did immediately. Huge change after adding some NOS Mullard’s. Done for now.

No reason not to use a Tube DAC with a SS amp. Or the converse...my phono stage is SS. IMO the Cart/TT does the sound shaping and I wanted a clean, quiet transfer from the PS.

"Tube DACs were not designed to eliminate the preamp any more than a tube phono pre is."

The above succinctly states what all responses are telling me, and thanks for it. There are those who run streamer/dac/pre combo units straight to amp. But none of these products are tubed so far as I'm aware . . . ?