Sound without the Preamp ?

What you are saying Carl, sounds right to me, but depends on how the DAC achieves the volume control. For example in the early Theta DS Pres, they used some OP47s in the first analogue stage after the DAC. The OP47s drove both the fixed line out and a preamp stage. The preamp stage had switches, balance pots, a volume pot and then a further line stage using BUF03s. To my ears the sound was seriously degraded between the fixed out and the pre out. In certain cases, using the fixed out into another preamp or even into a passive was superior. The gains from having the pre section in the DAC were minimal to non-existant depending on whether you used a superior preamp to Theta's preamp stage. How do Resolution do it?

toMbhcid: In many combinations with a passive preamp what you have heard as to loss of "musical" properties matches my experience. If your CD player or DAC was designed to drive a power amp with an itegrated volume control that's one thing. If the design assumed an active line stage the combo of CD player or DAC, interconnects and power amp(s) may work or not. I tried several combinations before I found one that I liked overall better than a high quality line stage. I now use no preamp and a "shunt to ground" volume control from audiotweakers.com on the balanced inputs of my Melos monoblocks. That set up sounds better than the passsive preamps that I have tried.

I have had similar experiences with lack of drive from passives, but passives can work very well with tube power amps due to the high input impedence of the typical tube amp.

Has anyone used the "Ultimate Attenuator". What are its advantages/disadvantages?

After "getting into Et's post", I had to try my Sony XA7 (a well regarded CD player or transport) direct into my McCormack amp using the XA7s variable output. Volume control is on the remote. Music quality was so relentlessly detailed and edged that within half an hour it felt like my ears were bleeding; but the tremendous detail was initially captivating. Befroe you guys roast me for this though, I will admit that the probably poor to mediocre variable volume control of the Sony is likely to blame for the poor quality music. It was a big relief to go back to my DAC and SF Line 2 tubed pre-amp. I suspect that good CD players designed to go direct to amp have a very high quality volume control system, eg Carl's CD-50. Any comments about "variable outs"? Craig.