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Question about Gain, amp power and volume

I guess my question is how do i know if i have too much gain or too much power. I have pretty efficent speakers (Dunlavy sc3, i think around 91db) and a 175w integated (plinius 8200), i can only use my volume to about the 11 o'clock position before it is way too loud, i recently bought a pair of in line attenuators (i think they add 10db of resistance) and they help the problem but not by much. I have run into this problem in the past with certain preamp / power amp combos but as i am using an integrated amp now i was thinking i may have too much power, any thoughts appreciated
mkaes
newbee
4,751 posts
 
Well, FWIW, 11 o'clock is more rotation than most folks can get under normal circumstances using speakers with your speakers sensitivity. Don't forget that your source's gain contributes to the gain from the pre-amp section of your intergrated. Nothing to fret about so long as you have good incremental control of volume (i.e. small steps).
mkaes OP
53 posts
 
newbee - do you think i would have this problem even if i had lower powered amp say around 70 to 100w, also i only use cd, i was under the impression most cd players had about the same output, is this true or am i incorrect, thanks for the input - mike
newbee
4,751 posts
 
Mike, Its not about the power output of your amp, its about the amps input sensitivity. An amp with a high input sensitivity, say .5v will present problems if you have highly sensitive speakers (the higher, the more problems, including hearing residual noise from the pre-amp - tube amps are especially sensitive to that). Amps with lower sensitivity, say 1.5v work better with pre amps and speakers with higher sensitivity. By using the in-line attenuators you have probably reached the same result as using an amp with lower input sensitivity. If you had a speaker with an 86db figure you would get several more clicks on your volume control. Its all about matching preamp output gain, amp input sensitivity, and speaker sensitivity. As to output from CDP's and DAC's they definitly differ, and greatly. I have a Cal Alpha that puts out 2x to 3x more gain than my BAT cdp, and a tuner that falls right in the middle. Some preamps have input gain controls to level the input of all sources, which is a nice, if not audiophile approved, convenience.
sean
6,231 posts
 
Why do you feel that it is important to be able to open up the gain control further than you already are? Installing attenuators in series with the volume control only reduces transparency and detail. The only time such devices should be used is if the volume control ( aka "gain" ) is phenomenally touchy and hard to adjust for the desired listening level. If you find that the volume is constantly jumping from too soft to too loud by barely adjusting the gain, the attenuators might solve this. Otherwise, get them outa there.... Sean
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