Streamer with variable digital output

Maybe the Bluesound is the only one . That's why it is featured  with the GaN1 on the Peachtree site.

I’m curious.  The digital volume control on the Node is likely crap and drops bits when using its analog outs, but if you’re using it strictly in the digital domain going direct into something like the Gan1 does this become a non issue?  If so this seems like it could be a really elegant and effective solution for a budget/compact system. 

I’m quite confused. The BS Node does indeed have a physical volume slider in digital domain that you can tap to adjust. Additionally, you can use the volume buttons on any iOS device (AirPlay mode only) or Android device to control the volume of the selected player when the BluOS Controller App is running in the background.

It sounds to me as if the Peachtree is a DAC/Power amp combo. The weakness of not using a pre mp with a volume control is that you are then at the mercy of the volume regulator of the DAC, which apparently this unit doesn’t provide, or the volume regulator of the source, and as the OP implied in his first post, most sources don’t consider volume regulation to be one of their issues. The Node ,because it wants to be the Swiss Army Knife of Streaming offers one, but as other posters have indicated it probably isn’t going to be great shakes.

I would get a traditional integrated amp with a proper volume control and just use the Peachtree as a DAC

. I briefly tried pairing a Node with a Mytek Manhattan DAC when I had to change a tube inthe preamp and awaited the replacement. The Mytek also offered a digital volume control and both that and the volume control of the Node sounded so bad that I wound up putting an unused AVR inthe system as a preamp until the Tube arrived

As far as I am aware, all Bluesound products can control the volume in the digital domain.     

That is the main reason I upgraded to an Aurender.  I wanted to avoid but truncation,  no volume , nothing to worry about.