DAC volume controls

I use a PS Audio DAC senior and use it with it's digital volume control and I love it . As I just listen on phones nowadays the level of detail I get is incredible. Now I know why my millennium born nephew hates it , "too much detail Uncle Jim".

I have Benchmark DAC3 to Benchmark AHB2 power amp.  It sounds wonderful and has digital volume control for digital signals.  Previously I had Benchmark DAC1, that had analog volume control.  DAC3 sounds way better, but it is most likely because of different D/A converter and processing.  Analog volume control over time developed static and I had to lift back of the pot and spray fader lube inside.  I had to do it couple of times.  With digital control it will be quiet forever.

@kijanki I had the DAC3 HGC and the AHB2 with KEF LS50’s. It was great.

I now have the DAC3B (no volume control) and the Benchmark HPA4 headphone amp and preamp. The headphone stuff is incredible with the HPA4 and I used to hate headphones.

I am now temporarily using the amp section of my PeachTree NOVA 150 integrated (a quiet amp) to drive my KEF LS50’s with the HPA4 + DAC3B. I maybe crazy to say this but I think this current combination sounds as good as the DAC3 HGC + AHB2 + KEF LS50 setup I had years ago.

What I think I am hearing is the importance of the source (HPA4) in the chain compared to the role the amp plays in the overall sound. Some people have posted that if the source signal is degraded then you can never fix it. Maybe that is what I am hearing now.

The HPA4 or LA4 are incredible units from Benchmark. I will be getting the AHB2 again in late July 2020 to complete the system but what I have now is shockingly good.

BTW - I was under the impression that the volume control on the HGC DAC's were analog based.

@hornps I have done DAC straight to amps and always preferred a preamp. You should consider doing a 30 day trial on the Benchmark LA4 or HPA4 preamp to see how it will transform your DAC. It is $2500 or $3K. I blows the doors of my old BAT VK-42SE SS preamp. Do not let the low price of the Benchmark gear fool you. The volume control on the Benchmark has 256 steps and I doubt you can find a quieter audio component.

I use an Oppo 105D for CD, and a Benchmark DAC1 (which has a volume control) directly into my amp. I find the combination works better than the Oppo directly into my preamp. I'm so pleased with the upgrade in sound quality with a separate DAC that I'm looking to upgrade the DAC in the near future. I also use the DAC directly into my Stax driver amp and headphones, and directly into my recently-acquired Audeze LCD-XC phones. The improvement in depth and ambiance over the Oppo alone was a revelation. 

Audio Aero DAC w/volume control direct into Music Reference RM9 MKII amp.   Sounds great... even better than when I had an Aesthetix Calypso Signature in the mix.  No regrets selling the preamp, simplifying my system and improving my sound quality.