you can connect directly, but there are some issues:
1) if you are not careful, you could blow tweeters or speakers if the digital volume is at max.
2) digital volume, even the best ones impact sound quality if you use too much. -10 dB is a good stopping point. If you are using only digital volume, you will need at least -20 dB.
IME, you are much better off to get a decent transformer passive linestage and use this for volume control rather than an active preamp or only digital volume. Here are some good candidates:
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=89744.0
If you read all of the posts in the link, you will see that there are other interesting benefits of the TVC that apply to ANY system.
Steve N.
Empirical Audio
1) if you are not careful, you could blow tweeters or speakers if the digital volume is at max.
2) digital volume, even the best ones impact sound quality if you use too much. -10 dB is a good stopping point. If you are using only digital volume, you will need at least -20 dB.
IME, you are much better off to get a decent transformer passive linestage and use this for volume control rather than an active preamp or only digital volume. Here are some good candidates:
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=89744.0
If you read all of the posts in the link, you will see that there are other interesting benefits of the TVC that apply to ANY system.
Steve N.
Empirical Audio