Who is using their DAC as a preamp?

However if someone felt that their solid state amp was a little to harsh they might want to mellow it out with a preamplifier.

Yes this is what they’re good for, a tube pre "maybe" to mellow, and many solid state ones that can add some "etching" (focusing).

A passive is about as close to neutral you can get so long as impedance matched.

And direct (no preamp) is the ultimate in transparency, like a straight wire, but if you don’t like it, you don’t like the sound of your source. And need one or the other active preamps to colour it.

BTW "impedance matching", goes for actives "almost’ as much as passives do.

Cheers George

George, if you look further down on the Douk page of the device, in the specification section, it states that the Alps 27 pot is 50K ohms. I have not taken mine apart, which would be easy, but I am telling you, it sounds quite invisible.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Douk-Audio-High-Precision-Passive-Preamp-Volume-Controller-HiFi-Pre-Amplifiers/253818627052?hash=item3b18c4e3ec:m:mFApKB2238-vYIZZSg26Ehg&frcectupt=true

This one actually shows a 50kohm motorized pot not 100kohm, but a 10kohm would still be the best to match up with a lot more amps and sources.
But this one is motorized but no remote or power input or receiver, I have no idea what these guys are into, and I don't think they do either.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/FV3-passive-preamp-HIFI-volume-controller-ALPS-RK168-FOR-amplifier-NEW-VERSION-/143178261198?_trksid=p2385738.m4383.l4275.c10

Cheers George

Disagree George, the DAC volume control is just as likely to influence the sound as the standalone preamp.  Practically guaranteed at the current juncture.

Disagree George

It’s your right to, but fact is digital domain volume controls in dac and cdp’s are the most transparent way of controlling the volume. But like with anything there are proviso’s.

To make sure they don’t go into "bit stipping" (resolution reduction from 16bit to 14bit to12bit the lower they go ) they should be use at or above 75% of full level.
Wadia and Mark Levinson and Bricasti ect ect in their flagship dac/cdp’s models, know this and is why they give a user option of pre-setting the analog output buffer gain/level reduction or increase, to then enable the digital domain volume control to be used at or above 75% of full.
EG: Wadia’s way of doing this. https://ibb.co/VQpdGHz. Mark Levinson was similar and Bricasti was a different way, from memory via the back panel.

Cheers George

I am using my TEAC NT-505 DAC as a pre-amp in front of two CARY 805AE mono amps. I am very happy with it. It replaced a Modwright SWL 9.0 tube pre-amp, which is no slouch pre-amp. I moved the Modwright to my other system which is all SS. A better fit to soften the SS sound with a but of tube sound. But the TEAC does great as a pre-amp. And you can configure it to by-pass the preamp/volume option to use it as a straight DAC with another pre-amp if you choose.