Low gain dac!

Hi @gryphongryph,
Solid state, Valvet Audio A4 mono blocks. Pure class A 55watt into 8 ohms/90 w at 4 ohms.

Tube, Line Magnetic 805ia class A SET 48 watts.
Both of these amplifiers would in my opinion easily drive your 8 ohm impedance speakers. Caution, if your listening space is modest the 805 tube will generate heat.

Either will contribute to providing beautiful sound quality given the make up of your Audio system. . I believe that the Gryphon recommendation from George is a good option as well.
P.S.
Luxman 590 AX MK II pure class A. Intergrated but I believe that the preamplifier section can be bypassed.
Charles

@luisma31,
I sincerely appreciate your very kind comments. I’m in complete agreement with you that the importance and influence of the DAC analogue output stage is overlooked. Same applies to a DAC ’s I/V conversion and power supply. Yes the chips play a definite role but too often overemphasized.

@gryphongrtph, I believe that the Sonnet Audio DAC you linked and the Audio Mirror Tubadour (Recommended by mesch) are very viable options. Their 2 volt output would be much preferable to the 4.3 v of your current DAC.

Obviously you’d need to hear them to know for sure but in terms of system gain management, a move in the right direction.
The Tubadour consistently receives high praise. The Sonnet is unfamiliar to me. It sure looks interesting on paper however.
Charles

Hi @gryphongryph,
I do understand George’s concerns to a point. Your power amplifier is high sensitivity (Only requires 0.7 v input, same as my 300b SET). So obviously your DAC has a surplus of output voltage relative to your amplifier’s needs. But you know that.

I completely understand your decision. Once you’ve found a component that really pushes your music loving soul buttons why in the world would you discard it? You are very happy with your audio system sound quality and that’s a big deal. I believe that you’ll find an appropriate DAC that matches better (Gain/voltage) with your excellent Supratek.
Charles

George,
 Sometimes you make no sense. OP has freely acknowledged he has too much system gain. He wants to address it by finding a suitable DAC with less output voltage.  This makes sense and is a reasonable solution. 

You like to frequently tout your tech expertise,  ok fine. Why so blatantly ignore his documenting  his'very' positive listening impressions with the Supratek?  You brush that aside because this result (Good sound, we are discussing audio) doesn't mesh with your version of tech dogma.

OP couldn't make it more clear that his audio system sounds better with the Supratek in the signal path. 
Charles 

OP,
You have made it abundantly clear that the addition of the Supratek improves the sound quality of your Audio system. Other alternatives you have tried were not as satisfying in your opinion. So you’re keeping the high gain Supratek. I understand that rationale. After all you wrote "it sounds bloody fantastic".

At this juncture since the Supratek is staying put, I do believe that acquiring a DAC with a lower output voltage (Probably 1.5 volt or less). I agree it would be nice if more amplifiers and preamplifiers had variable gain adjustment.
Charles

@herman, 
You are correct.   Another common issue is poor  L/R channel balance when the volume control is  severely restricted to the very low positions.
Charles 

OP has made it clear he really enjoys his Supratek preamp. It’s his system and his taste. So seeking a DAC with lower output voltage is perfectly reasonable. I wouldn’t disregard his preferences by condescendingly calling it "tube addiction". The attenuators may or may not be a concern. Many folks have used them effectively and successfully. He will know soon enough if they’re a solution.
Charles

What value db attenuators are you trying?
Charles 

Essentially the attenuators are resistors that will decrease sound pressure levels.  They come in various values i.e. 4, 6,10 db of reduction even higher values are available . @gryphongryp the Supratek seems to provide a lot of positive attributes in your system. No wonder you want to retain it. Just curious if you've tried a passive in your system for comparison?  
Charles 

The Supratek is a high gain preamplifier.  Passive is a viable option for this system. Depends on what sounds best to the OP.
Charles 

@gryphongryp,
I had a similar situation years ago of having excess system gain. Anything above 9 o’clock volume control setting was too loud. I used attenuators that were effective and didn’t cause any noticeable sonic degradation. Harrison Labs and Rothwell were both good choices. Fortunately not a problem with my current audio system. 

@cat_doorman is right, in certain cases with some components there can be potential impedance matching issues. I understand your desire to have reasonable volume control range in order to have the ability for finer gradients of the volume control knob. 6 to 7.5 is unnecessarily too limiting/restricted.
Charles