Hi there Philip !
Those around here for some longer will confirm the "quality" of the digital volume control. And worse : It is the very best around since it operates lossless (meaning : after attenuation the original data ca be reproduced from the attenuated file). Nobody does or has that.
Notice that with gueranteed no losses (of information/resolution) you need to play 16/44.1 material onto a 24 bit DAC (which you have) and can attenuate 48dB then.
I myself don't use any preamp or other means of analogue attenuation (which, I say, would kill sound).
Your DAC looks very suitable to me, with its most important 24/192 input and no further filtering (as the specs tell), allowing for Quad Arc Prediction (as people in here tend to denote the software filtering - introduced per 0.9y-4).
(But notice that in short time I'll be producing a 24/384 NOS/Filterless DAC myself -> just in case you're still in decision mode - and in combination with XXHE it should be the best in the world 
).If you are up to getting a PC ... please consider a desktop or anything which is not a laptop. Laptops will work, but a desktop (or larger) is a 100 times more convenient and with problems MUCH more easier at solving them ! (and the less experienced you are the more important this becomes).
Don't hesitate to ask any other question, and take it you will get there. With or without help.
And oh,
Peter
