Preamp has too much gain

Mark Levinson superb 326S preamp allow you to adjust the gain of the inputs from 0, 6, 12, and 18db. So, depending on your amp and speakers you can match the gain that brings out the best of your source. Your room acoustics will also play into it. With my McIntosh amp, the 12 db. gain settings sounded the best. Now I have a Mark Levinson amp and the 0db setting is very enjoyable, imaging is stable and in place and solid, bass is tighter, brass and such as the correct bite. Vocals sound so real you can see the artist face in front of you. the other settings sound good, will give you more upfront bass and such but you lose that coherency of the overall sound. Things just sound right at 0db, I like 12db if I want to have a bigger fatter sound with more upfront bass. The 326S at 0Db gain setting is just sweet, classy sounding, sounds like a gateway to the recording. Also, the way the ML volume control is designed it adjust to the gain setting so the old ways of thinking that a preamp gain should be low enough to where you turn the volume control almost all the way up, ML is way past that old way of how volume controls were designed back in the day. The best preamp I've owned tube or SS in 40 years. 

SPL Phonitor 2 Pre/HP also allow gain adjustments and is transparent zero coloration, you hear the actual source material. It is studio equipment. 

OP: 

Can you give us a little more detail?

Is the amp too loud or do you have too much noise?

If the amp is too loud a passive attenuator would work.  Having said that, there are many examples of preamps with too much gain, and therefore too much noise.

Which is you?

Erik

I had a preamp with a Goldpoint stepped volume pot with too much gain and installed Takman resistors on the pot and fixed the problem.

In-between the pre and power amplifier, insert another passive preamp ( without power), that let you adjust anytime in the future.