$2000 Dac

I think there is too many different factors implied to create a universal rule for all case...

Myself i gain great S.Q. improvement from my class D active speakers+sub with a tube-preamp and E.Q. Douk T8 pro, perfect for a low cost system...

i conclude from this video where McGowan say  "stay away from low cost pre-amp if you dont have the budget " that my low cost Douk  tube +EQ pre-amp must be very good costing peanuts... ( McGowan is a seller and i imagine he could not recommend cheap Chinese pre-amp like Douk T8 pro )

Just my low cost class D amplification inside the Edifier speakers and my Nos dac SPS  with no volume control cannot give me the control over S.Q. and soundstage i have now ...

Do DACs benefit from preamps? - Paul McGowan, PS Audio

Then i will say after McGowan stay away from bad pre-amp... All low cost one are not bad ... For sure i use it for my low cost system... For a high end system i will use high end pre-amp ( Probably a Berning tube pre-amp ) ...

@lanx0003, This was not the case when I connect micro DAC directly into my amp.  The SS remains wide, tall and deep with pin-point image.  Good luck on your journey with new DAC.  It might have the right synergy with your gears that you are looking for. Keep us posted.  

@tyray Again, thank for your comments as I would have never even considered not using a preamplifier if for not reading your thinking out of the box posts here. I think you are saying that with your rig, without a preamp, the sound produced was better than when your µDac was being used with a preamp?

You misread what I was saying.  I said "remains" in that the SS was not affected with or without the pre Schiit Saga 2 I am using now.  When testing this option, I was using the unit gain control on the back of my Parasound A23.  The rear-panel level (volume) controls on Parasound A23 or A21 are purely analog,

@mahgister,

Almost, everytime I read something here on Audiogon from you, I learn something. As I’ve come to know, my LTA Microzotl MZ3 preamplifier is a Berning tube pre-amp...

  I loved the one i ordered but returned back (with regret) because i needed it for my Akg  K340 as headphone amplifier but it cannot power them with enough authority compared to the headphone out of my Sansui alpha.

i regret to had return the microzotl back because i could have use it for my speakers  as pre-amp and headphone amp for my other headphone... but my budget was tight ...

Berning is a genius in audio...

@mahgister,

Almost, everytime I read something here on Audiogon from you, I learn something. As I’ve come to know, my LTA Microzotl MZ3 preamplifier is a Berning tube pre-amp...