Going direct vs preamp

I am currently playing on an $18000 preamp. There is much more meat on the bone now. The body has returned.

To sum it up I am now playing music opposed to listening for sounds…

I’m going direct sort of. That is after the Direct Steam my signal goes to my BSG Qol then to my Pass Labs Amp. The Qol has a higher output. Awesome combo, awesome sound.

For my center channel I am using a Decware (a $600 device) tube gainstage behind the Directstream.

http://www.decware.com/newsite/zstage.html

I do it strictly for the gain, but it would be interesting to insert it in the mains signal part and see if it improves SQ over DS direct.

PWD (1&2) - with a pre (PassLabs x1)

DS - directly to PassLabs x250

Cabling - MIT Oracle 3.2, 3.1 (balanced)

edorr said For my center channel I am using a Decware (a $600 device) tube gainstage behind the Directstream.

DECWARE all tube gain stage / purist preamp model ZSTAGE

I do it strictly for the gain, but it would be interesting to insert it in the mains signal part and see if it improves SQ over DS direct.


That is a great little unit.

I have often seen it used with littlw 8-12w amps that need a little more push.

This could be a good solution for any DS owner who hesitates to install or does not need a multi-input preamp.