amplifier with volume control

Like audioman58 I have a dac with an active volume (tube line stage): Monarchy nm24. I run my TT through the second input of my amp: LTA z10. Though marketed as a power amp it has a line stage with a volume control for the second input, so I guess it would count as an integrated. As have other owners of this amp, I’ve found it sounds better without a preamp (because it already has one built in). That said the Townsend passive seems excellent, so there’s many ways to skin the cat. 

Get an integrated amp. Easy. 

I have a Quicksilver Integrated Amplifier. It is a tube amp, it has a volume control, and it sounds great. It is rated at 20 watts. A simple no-controls JDS Labs+ DAC feeds the amp, and the amp feeds Focal Aria 906 speakers, specified 89.5 dB sensitivity. I listen at moderate volume; the control stays around 10:30 o'clock. Well, it is around 12:20 o'clock when the input is from a phono preamp.

I have an old Acurus DIA100, which was marketed as a Direct Input Amplifier. It is the first version. Whether or not it technically is a direct input amp without a pre-amp I do not know. I use it to drive my outdoor speakers and it still sounds great. Back in the day it was the center of my main system and a very flexible input/output device. Maybe you could check one of these out. Hope this helps. 

The presumption that an amp with volume control built in will automatically yield superior sound quality is wrong. It may. It may not. Only comparison to other genres/systems would tell. 

NO one can tell you which configuration would be superior in any combination of gear; pre/no pre, passive/active pre; dedicated DAC direct/integrated DAC direct; dedicated DAC with integrated amp, etc. 

I have tried all these and the winner? It depends on the setup and gear. 
Anyone who tells you differently is simply stating opinion. You simply have to try combinations if your goal is to actually find the best method with the gear on hand. Short of that, just presume and pick; it's what most do. 

I have built a lot of systems using DAC direct, either dedicated DAC to amp with software attenuation, dedicated DAC to integrated amp, or integrated DAC with hardware (built in) attenuation. Again, results vary based on the equipment, cables, etc. used. One can have a favored setup, switch speakers and find that a different setup is preferred. 

It is nowhere near as simple as recommending one setup as superior. The more systems built, the less a simplistic setup recommendation suffices. Unless you build a bunch of rigs, you simply will not know which is best method with your gear, and neither will anyone else.