You’re not wrong because the integrated volume control in a classical preamp/poweramp or integrated amp configuration, is an integral part of the preamplifier part. When you keep all these preamplifier parts in the chain you keep the possible bottlenecks intacts and the possible virtues of the leedh volume control maybe can’t be heard even if you turn your amplifier volume controle to the max.
So for me the use of leedh volume control goes with a reflection about the signal path in each audio system, to try and decide where are the bottlenecks, maybe if a direct path between dac and power amplifier can be the transparency choice (if dac and power amplifier have a good relationship… impedance, tonal balance, right gain, no need for an other amplification part to add something to listening pleasure but that is damaged by a classical volume control to attenuate this one more amplification part).
For now I use the leedh processing on a U1mini with a Ayon Skylla 2 dac and 813 single end tube power amplifiers with Marten Duke2 speakers in a home office. For me the leedh processing give better results in this configuration than the classical digital volume control of the Lumin, and than the integrated volume control of the Skylla 2 dac. Some years before, I used a Ayon Crossfire integrated amplifier with a motorised ladder volume control and connecting the Skylla2 to the Crossfire by the direct input, bypassing the ladder and using the Skylla volume control, gave far better results in transparency (so take care of the preamplifiers and integrated, the bottleneck is often here behind the pleasure of a colored or limited item). Today the leedh volume control give a bit more relaxed presentation with better tone accuracy, better resolution on fine details, increased naturalness in voices, acoustical instruments that seems less compressed, less planed at one end instead of being gradually attenuated over the entire strip with respect of each levels of dynamics.
Is this a high fidelity volume control at the end? Honestly I don’t know. But all other volume controls are not too, so the deal is always to make a choice between compromise volume controls, and I think the leedh’s one has something special that may give more natural feelings and open windows on the musical work, if the signal path allows it in the audio system.
Next try for me, the U1mini coupled with my Tambaqui dac, luxman M800’s and Egglestonworks Andra’s, with or without my Coincident Statement preamp.