On the other hand, many experienced audiophiles consider a good preamp to be essential. I think listeners focus on different aspects of musical reproduction and what one listener hears as "colored" another hears as "musical" and what one calls "accurate" another perceives as "sterile." Harbeth speakers tick all the boxes for some listeners and Martin Logans do it for others. There's no singular path to universally satisfying sound.
I absolutely agree with Photon's statement above.
I fall into the 'gotta have a preamp' camp. A couple years ago, I tried going without a preamp after I bought a DAC with volume control. It was 'okay', but not as pleasing as with a preamp. I also tried a cheap eBay volume control (for about $50) which I didn't care for -
possibly because it employs cheap resistors. [
You're welcome to try it.] Good quality volume controls <I think> are available in the $450 to $600 range.
You asked about an Icon Audio preamp. I read the company's description of it, and saw that it is a 6SN7 design. Both of my preamps are Don Sachs 6SN7 designs. I very much enjoy what they do for my listening experience. I imagine the Icon Audio preamps will do much the same, but I have no personal experience with this model. With two D Sachs Model 2 preamps, I'm extremely biased, so my unabashedly enthusiastic recommendation is to try a Don Sachs preamp if it fits your budget.
Michael
