Best to max out volume pot and attenuate at source?

[sinbonders]

Sorry if this is the wrong place to put this question, but after dealing with troubleshooting my Crack and seeing the difference between 50% volume and 100% volume w.r.t resistance and such, I'm wondering which is best for sound quality...

• Set volume on Crack to maximum and adjust volume from DAC
• Set DAC volume at 100% and adjust at Crack
• Set volume around ~50% on both DAC and Crack and adjust from whichever is most convenient

[Doc B.]

There are theoretical arguments for each possible combination - analog volume controls turned down sound better than digital controls turned down so use the analog control, the analog pot presents its cleanest sound turned all the way up so use the digital volume control, 50/50 avoids overdriving any gain stage. Try all the different possibilities and decide which sounds best to you. This is an art form supported by science rather than science as religion.