Dac with volume control


I know this has been asked before, but im still trolling for ideas. My current system is itunes (applelossless) to an airport express straight into my b&k st202 amp and infinity Qe speakers. This amp/speaker combo works wonderfully and i have yet to hear anything i like more including some very expensive setups. I had a traditional setup before with a rotel front end that sounded great but wanted the simplicity, small size and ease of use of the computer based setup. I am looking for a dac with a volume to run between the airport and my amp. must accept toslink. Current ideas are Creek obh-14, monarchy 18b and birdland lite. budeget is preferably under $300. comments and suggestions welcome.
sailor720
Haha, Jeff. A good solid LOL this morning!

True you could stretch a little and go for a Monarchy 24 which is a fine piece IMO.
I've owned the Monarchy Model 33 and the Birdland Odeon Lite. Both were good. The Birdland was maybe a bit smoother sounding, but it was also a bit soft sounding for my taste. The Monarchy had a bit more dynamics and drive and sounded very good overall.

Of course, this information is from audio memory of events that occurred 4 years ago. But, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Oh, and I've never seen either sell for $300. The Monarchy 18 may be a good choice on a very tight budget.

Enjoy,

TIC