You could always choose to roll with the sterile/clinical crowd and forego a PreAmp altogether
Apparently, its the way forward, so I hear. I suppose that crowd has a point if budget is of concern given the influx of new 32Bit DAC/PRE's on the market.
I myself remain skeptical that this is the path forward given past experience but I do seem drawn to the idea every now and again, for reasons unknown but most likely cost related even if I don't realize it yet.
Anyway, not that any of this reply answers the OP's question but at least worth a moment of forethought if nothing else. I'll probably take a short detour and try the DAC Direct route again just to make sure I'm not going insane and to confirm my past experience/attempts. If I come to same conclusion again, that a PreAmp is a must have, I will lay down my hard earned on a new Pass Labs XP22 and take it to my grave