clownfish
It's all in the details
I do agree this is generally recognised to be the case. However, I’d really like to know if anyone has experienced any noticeable degradation when using digital volume control from a decent source such as the Bluesound Node into a Qutest or similar level DAC.Using your PC or Node to control the volume is unlikely to yield satisfactory results. Get a nice used integrated from a well-known manufacturer, and be prepared to buy and sell a few before you settle on something.