Jamie, Yes, The touch can in effect negate the need for a preamp but whether this is the best quality option is debatable, and an almost philosophical consideration. If you believe that the best component is no component, then this will possibly work. In your situation I think you are best avoiding faffing around with attenuators, worrying about gain structures of the sb touch and your chosen power amp etc, and that you should look for a good quality integrated amp with a proper volume knob and inputs for other devices should you want them.
I have reservations about using the sb touch as its own preamp - I'm not convinced that the line out is happy driving a power amp with a low impedance input, and using a lot of digital volume reduction is going to compromise the resolution of the output. You don't say whether you are looking at solid state amplification or valves, but in the latter case I would recommend the Rogue Audio Chronus integrated amp ... an utterly superb product that is as fuss free as a valve amp could possibly be, and it should match the Tannoys well sonically too. It even has a pretty decent MM Phonograph stage too, and is excellently constructed so would be a great s/h buy if you can find one within your budget. Regards, Alex -- AlexM ------------------------------------------------------------------------ AlexM's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=40609 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=93776 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles