Digital Preamp with USB-input but without a DAC?

Your speakers have a DAC??

Because you need a DAC to convert a signal to analog for your preamp to use.  Preamp goes downstream of the DAC. 

I don't think your speakers have a DAC.  Maybe they have a usb port or possibly an ethernet port for updates, assuming they have onboard firmware.

Jerry

You need a DAC to decipher USB 1's and 0's (it is digital data). I would think any input with USB has a DAC inside to process the data. 

Too late to edit my post.  I see you have a pair of small desktop all-in-one speakers.  I have a pair of those on my desk.  they are designed to be driven by a computer and use the computer for volume control.  Indeed they have a smal DAC and amp inside them.  But no, all you can add in front of them is volume control.  I use them on my desk, mostly for phone calls, video, and occasional music. but even the fairly nice ones I have are pretty inferior to a real system.

Jerry

My speakers are 3,000 $ active speakers from Buchart and my input is an Innuos streamer, so this is a decent setup - and I like it. And yes, they do have a DAC built in.

However, I realised that my Platin Hub that connects the streamer and the speakers via WiSA has been factory preset in such a way that I could not regulate the volume control when the connection was via USB. I could only volume control via optical and RCA. Now I been able to reset the Platin Hub in such a way that it can be used for volume control when connected via USB. 

So problem solved. Thanks for the input that after all helped me to find a solution. 

@yyzsantabarbara 

aren’t there streamers, or more correctly perhaps Network Players, sans DACs, that usb inputs, take the digital input from an external storage device such as a flash drive, and then send that unconverted stream to an external DAC?

Nice.

Problem solved.

@mahler123 I would agree with you. I totally forgot about the new Schitt CD player that does exactly what you described. It does not have an internal DAC.