Sorry, I'm confused ....what is all the talk about preamp version? I thought that the A90 back output whether via rca or xlr act like a preamp...ie volume out is controlled by the volume knob as opposed like a fixed line-out, right?
The Pre90 product that has been mentioned a few times here is a product that is not released yet. It will be a dedicated preamp with remote controlled (stepped?) attenuator with in/outs only. Not much else is known at this point
If you are referring to the A90, I believe the pre-amp setting just means it uses the back XLR/RCA outputs for connecting to another device (such as a power amplifier or directly to active speakers). I think
@auronthas got the D90/A90 jumbled up; the volume knob on the A90 is never locked in preamp mode. Digital volume attenuation is locked however when the D90 (dac) is in pre-amp mode.