Digital gain vs analog gain

You should run the power amp with no attenuation and use your preamp as your volume control - that's what it is designed for.

I don't understand the reference to changing the gain on your iphone in the context of a feed to your preamp unless the Schiit has a built in DAC. If that is the case, you should be running the output from the source at a fixed gain of 0dB.

FWIW. My dCS Bartók DAC is set at .2v output gain, the volume control is set at 0db ( all the way up) Roon is also at 0db. Volume is controlled by volume pot on Backert preamp. This gain staging was recommended by Backert’s Andy Tebbe. I would swear that brought about an improvement having the digital gain ; streamer and DAC all the way up.

To be clear yoyoyaya, I'm using a BlueMe Bluetooth Receiver from my iPhone as a DAC, with its output going into an un-powered Shiit with a volume pot. I've been keeping my old Crown PS200 amp at 100% attenuation and am experimenting with varying the iMusic output levels to the BlueMe and the Shiit pot to control the overall volume of the rig.

This is probably not at the level of most systems discussed here but it sounds very good for my level of interest - with a REL T5i sub and a pair of Wharfedale Lintons.  Just interested in making sure I'm not mucking up overall signal quality by playing too much with the input gain.

If it's analog a rule of thumb is no higher than 50%. Digital is messier if the attenuation is done digitally rather than in the output analog stage but the 0 db point mentioned throughout is also a good rule of thumb.

@ieales : Just because you don't understand something doesn't make it automatically "utter nonsense". Please! 

Maybe the following article can shed more light on the topic although it doesn't explain everything that could be discussed here.🙂There are different results  based on practical listening tests and not everyone has to agree with everything even if it's mathematically correct (like the 24bit signal and digital volume control ).