Charlie:

All very true. I was just making a point with the SACD / DVD-A - but if you happen to be playing a 16 bit CD and use the same volume control setting (likely), you end up with a (bada-bing) 12 bit recoding.

It's also true that some "digital" volume controls are really "digitally controlled ladder attenuators". In these, the various resistors in the attenuator are switched digitally. This is technically an analog volume control.

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The Soundhound Theater