My old Fireface 400 would output a loud pop on power-on/off. I could have got an ac power sequencer to ensure the monitors powered on last when powering up the studio and off first when powering down, but instead I decided to pick up a passive volume controller which has worked well. Unfortunately the knob is getting scratchy and I need to replace it.

My Fireface UFX doesn't seem to make any pops when I power it on or off (looks like RME improved the design), and I wonder: Do I really need an analogue controller?

Even if I add other monitors to my set-up (to check mixes etc), I can still switch monitors and do a whole lot more from TotalMix with (in theory) no signal degradation. Totalmix can even be controlled using a generic MIDI controller—that's just one single USB cable going to my desk vs potentially 8 thick analogue cables if I'm using two pairs of monitors.

I've read it's better to use an analogue controller to adjust output level because doing it digitally reduces the resolution of the audio signal. Is this still a problem in 2020 with RME interfaces?

I haven't had this happen to me yet with the UFX on Windows 10 but with my old Fireface 400, whenever my PC BSODed, it would output a very loud buzz noise that basically wouldn't stop until I removed power from the Fireface or restarted my PC. Regardless of how reliable the audio interface may be, is it still advisable to have a reliable analogue volume knob just before my monitors as a safety net?

If there are other reasons why I should be using an analogue monitor controller, I'd love to know, thanks!