Is no preamp really better that a good preamp?

And this.....

09-27-15: Zephyr24069
I 2nd Guido's feedback; filter choices and upsampling choice make all the difference in the world with the K and P players from Esoteric. Also, remember, ever filter combination needs it own break-in cycle so if you've changed filters and not given each 350+ hours of playback, you have not heard the player in that config properly yet. Also, level of XLR cables, power cords, etc...make a hell of a difference just like everything else. The Reimyo player is one hell of a unit....very healthy competition and one I almost bought years ago.
Zephyr24069 (System | Threads | Answers | This Thread)

I'd prefer it if you wouldn't use my posts to fuel what looks to be a healthy argument brewing here as the above post (by me) is being used out of context :-)

All that aside, my comments, and I think Guido's on filter and upsampling for the Esoteric units are not meant for, and have little or nothing to do with a debate regarding preamp/no-preamp.

While it is true that the K-series Esoteric players (up until the X revision) have a volume control on their outputs, and you CAN skip use of a preamp, having heard both the P/D and K series units that offer this capability used both with and without a separate preamp, my opinion is there is no comparason in sound quality, imaging, sense of air, soundstage depth, accuracy and overall musicality when a good preamp is inserted in the chain (regardless of who makes it). In my case, I owned an Esoteric C-03 for quite a few years and now have a C-02. I've gone bare bones with my prior D-03 DAC and used no pre-amp and heard the K units used similarly; while the results are good and very pleasing, inserting the preamp back into the circuit gave me MUCH more in terms of the above criteria every single time.

This whole thread is subjective, I do realize that,...furthermore, it has everything to do with the choice of electronics, type and quality of interconnects,balanced circuitry versus single-ended, quality of power cords, grounding, etc...in use at every step in the chain. All things being equal, it is hinged on what the listener is looking to achieve, the quality of their hearing and ability to perceive differences in various sound presentations.

There is more often than not, no absolute right or wrong, better or worse, etc...that can be stamped on every possible combination in this hobby of ours. This is one of those topics :-)

+1, Zephyr.
Sincere apologies for the unintended offense.
J.

this has all been very enlightening for me. Many thanks to all. I think I've decided to get one and see what it does for (or to) my sound. I'm thinking of a Aesthetic Calypso or a Jeff Rowland Capri 2. Any ideas regarding these two units?

Rustler, with the Calypso I would have the concern I cited in my post dated 9-26-15, that its gain (specified as 29 dB balanced/23 dB unbalanced) may be so high that you may forced to use it with the volume control on the DAC set too low to be optimal. That issue is much less likely to occur with the Capri or Capri S2, which have gain specs of 14 dB.

Aside from that, I don't see any technical issues with either choice.

Good luck. Regards,
-- Al