Hi Petland, you already had your fun from the responses above. Now, this is serious - from what you describe, i think you want a passive volume control instead of a preamp. Why not check out PASSION products specs on(www.tassie.net.au/~cdaly/passion8.htm) I've heard them on demo, I think they are very good; but your poweramp must have a gain more than 30dB. Regards.
My Only Question Is.........
Would someone please tell me the name of the preamplifier(s) on this planet that when inserted into the signal path between any recent Wadia cd player and any amplifier, IMPROVES upon the sound of the forementioned Wadia when compared to running it direct using its digital volume control near its peak. Remeber contestants that the better the preamp the less it imparts to the signal. Keep in mind also that answering this question intelligently would require that you have actually tried this.