wht does a preamp do?

Friend

The preamplifier (a well engineered one)is a dedicated unit that will capture the finest nuances of a performance and transfer the same to the amplifier. It is unfair to expect a cd player alone to be able to accomplish that mission. Open your Wadia, and open your preamplifier and compare. The player has atleast 1/3rd of the box dedicated to drawer and laser assembly, another 1/3rd for power supply and almost another 1/3rd for digital processing. Notice I said almost! Well, whatever is left is allowed for a tiny output section.

Now look at the preamp. 1/3rd dedicated for power supply, and the rest dedicated to preamplification.

Studio1

What preamp did you buy?? I have a wadia 850 and I feel that the wadia is much better directly to the amp. imo

I have a wadia 861. Got a MBL preamp. The differnce is very dramatic. I got the preamp for vinyl, but the CD difference is more than I ever thought possible. Highly recommend getting a preamp

Rum

What amp are you using?

As with any variable output CDP, analog or digital, close attention has to be paid with other gear. Both resistive analog attenuators (or pots) and digital volume controls don't sound best till 80%. By adding a preamp in the chain you have normalized the attenuation and matched impedance better.

Others might find that the added complexity of a gain stage (or more) detracts from the sound.

Often, simple solutions are complex to apply and vice versa.