I’ve been bypassing the pre-amp section of my integrated amp (Peachtree Nova 500) and using either software volume control or (more typically) my DAC/streamer’s (Matrix Element X) volume control. Yesterday evening, while listening to a very familiar album (Revolver) I noticed that the stereo image seemed to be drifting (the lead vocals for example might shift from right to center or vice versa). It’s as if the software (or the DAC’s) volume control isn’t maintaining a steady grip on the right v. left channel gain. After re-engaging the Peachtree’s pre-amp section, sure enough, the stereo image stabilizes.
Anybody else experience this problem? Possible remedies? From a user interface perspective, I prefer the Matrix volume control (because it displays on the device’s front-panel in .5 dB increments).