many sources don't really provide an adequate means of controlling the artifacts of the interconnect cable and often have substandard means of controlling volume (the Oppo is a good example of the latter).
The correction to the above is. That only a "very few" sources don't provide. (some tube ones).
And they all have to "control" interconnects going to the pre, I don't know any that don't pass their signal without using interconnects, unless you use wireless transmission.
And many have volume controls better than what's in many preamps.
A passive control is **not** a simple bit of wire-
I don't ever think I said it was, but what I have said it's the next best thing to doing direct, which is "like a piece of wire".
Reducing impact is the most common complaint we hear about passive volume control systems.
And this is your most common complaint, there are a multitude of others that say it's the other way around.
Because an "active preamp" cannot increase the dynamic range any more than what source is giving, unless it has an inbuilt "dynamic range enhancer" (DBX and they sound s**t). It can only serve to reduce the dynamic range, because it's not "a piece of wire"
Cheers George
