Until recently I've been using a Topping E70V outputting to a Moreplay and then into a SS power amplifier. Going it without a remote was no bother for me so decided to just set run the DAC full tilt boogie into the Moreplay. What I mean by that is the E70V can be run in two different modes, DAC mode or PRE mode. DAC mode sets the DAC to constantly output full voltage (2.5V) with no ability to adjust volume. PRE mode allows variable voltage to be outputted and therefore volume control.
When running in DAC mode, the volume knob on Moreplay would never go past the 9 o"clock postion or it would be too loud. I ended up padding the resistors which worked well to gain more range on the volume knob, but not by much. There was no penalty in audio quality.
Another route I tried was to set the DAC in PRE mode and set it to -12bB. Then adjust the Moreplay volume knob to my normal listening volume. If I wanted it louder, I could use the remote increase the level toward 0dB or if I wanted it quieter reduce it toward -24dB. That way I could use the remote. Again, no penalty in audio quality was perceived.
I have since removed the padding resistors from the Moreplay and just finished building a Stereomour II integrated amp to replace the solid state amp.
So now the plan is to just leave the DAC in DAC mode at 2.5V output either going directly into the Stereomour or do the same going into the Moreplay but turn the Steremour volume to maximum while using the Moreplay to control the overall volume.
One thing to be careful with is connecting a DAC directly to a power amp. There are reports of some DAC's losing their volume settings and outputting max into the power amp on startup. Obviously, that's a very unwanted scenario.