The presumption that an amp with volume control built in will automatically yield superior sound quality is wrong. It may. It may not. Only comparison to other genres/systems would tell.
NO one can tell you which configuration would be superior in any combination of gear; pre/no pre, passive/active pre; dedicated DAC direct/integrated DAC direct; dedicated DAC with integrated amp, etc.
I have tried all these and the winner? It depends on the setup and gear.
Anyone who tells you differently is simply stating opinion. You simply have to try combinations if your goal is to actually find the best method with the gear on hand. Short of that, just presume and pick; it's what most do.
I have built a lot of systems using DAC direct, either dedicated DAC to amp with software attenuation, dedicated DAC to integrated amp, or integrated DAC with hardware (built in) attenuation. Again, results vary based on the equipment, cables, etc. used. One can have a favored setup, switch speakers and find that a different setup is preferred.
It is nowhere near as simple as recommending one setup as superior. The more systems built, the less a simplistic setup recommendation suffices. Unless you build a bunch of rigs, you simply will not know which is best method with your gear, and neither will anyone else.
NO one can tell you which configuration would be superior in any combination of gear; pre/no pre, passive/active pre; dedicated DAC direct/integrated DAC direct; dedicated DAC with integrated amp, etc.
I have tried all these and the winner? It depends on the setup and gear.
Anyone who tells you differently is simply stating opinion. You simply have to try combinations if your goal is to actually find the best method with the gear on hand. Short of that, just presume and pick; it's what most do.
I have built a lot of systems using DAC direct, either dedicated DAC to amp with software attenuation, dedicated DAC to integrated amp, or integrated DAC with hardware (built in) attenuation. Again, results vary based on the equipment, cables, etc. used. One can have a favored setup, switch speakers and find that a different setup is preferred.
It is nowhere near as simple as recommending one setup as superior. The more systems built, the less a simplistic setup recommendation suffices. Unless you build a bunch of rigs, you simply will not know which is best method with your gear, and neither will anyone else.