IMO, doing away with the active pre will be beneficial (unless you go for a giga$ active device).
HOWEVER, there are two considerations if you bypass the active pre:
1) the quality of the attenuator /volume pot (whether it's the cd/dvd's or a stand alone)
2) matching the output impedance (of the dvd or stand alone attenuator) with the Lev's input impedance.
If the impedances are NOT matched, you won't be transfering the signal well enough to the amp (much of the signal will be lost) and, typically, you'll notice a loss of energy in the bass/low-mids (since that's were there's more energy). So the system will sound "thin". OTOH, a good matching will give you a lot of detail and a well balanced response.
So if you're interested, don't dismiss the passive option unless you know that the impedance matching is there. Any dealer or manufacturer of attenuators should be able to steer you in the right "matching" direction.
HOWEVER, there are two considerations if you bypass the active pre:
1) the quality of the attenuator /volume pot (whether it's the cd/dvd's or a stand alone)
2) matching the output impedance (of the dvd or stand alone attenuator) with the Lev's input impedance.
If the impedances are NOT matched, you won't be transfering the signal well enough to the amp (much of the signal will be lost) and, typically, you'll notice a loss of energy in the bass/low-mids (since that's were there's more energy). So the system will sound "thin". OTOH, a good matching will give you a lot of detail and a well balanced response.
So if you're interested, don't dismiss the passive option unless you know that the impedance matching is there. Any dealer or manufacturer of attenuators should be able to steer you in the right "matching" direction.