Optimal Volume and Settings for Mytek Brooklyn

What are you driving with the Mytek? It may have too much output for the amps. 

Using my ICEpower amps, volume ranges from -55 for TV to -40 for music. If I have a pre-amp I run it full range (-0) and get zero distortion. 

If you want MQA you can't change filters. 

I don't care about MQA so I like to use the fast filter. I think it sounds more open on the top end. 

MacBook Pro running Tidal and Roon, to Rotel RC-1590 preamp to McIntosh MC452. This happens at reasonable volumes on the preamp. 

I don’t always get distortion, though. 

Ohh, I know. :)

There is a Mytek bug! :)

Sometimes it doesn’t switch sample rates correctly. It’s not related to volume, but changing sources, especially Internet radio. I used to get it often while switching to a Canadian station that played at 96kHz/16. It would sound OK at low volumes, but when you listened carefully you’d hear it. :)

Fix is to switch back to a lower rate, wait a few seconds, and switch back. If you switch to the sample rate screen you'll see it's off what it should be. That's when it distorts. 

Best,

Erik

I certainly switch between 24 and 16 with MQA. Weird bug if that’s it. Thanks!

MQA isn’t how I experienced this. That seems to work fine. It seems to happen when switching via USB and internet radio. If you are using a pre, most bypass the Mytek volume control entirely, letting it output full range, and using the pre to reduce output for the amps.

It is also possible you are overloading your pre though. If I’m totally wrong as to the source of your problems. The issue was not bits by the way, but sampling rate. 44 to 96 for instance doesn’t always work right. But for some reason it seemed to happen more often with Internet radio.

For instance a Toronto Jazz FM 91 station used to put out 96/16. When I switched ot them sometimes the Brooklyn would still say 44/16. That's when the audio was bad. I'd switch back and forth to CD or something, and it would pick up the correct sampling rate, and display 96/16. Then the distortion was gone. Weird it works at all, but the distortion tends to happen on the high end of horns and sibilance range. 

That's exactly what MQA to non-MQA does on Tidal. MQA shows 96/24 while everything else is 44/16. That said, I still feel like the sound on my system is better when I back off the volume a bit on the Mytek. I have a McIntosh C47 preamp arriving early next week, so we'll see if that makes a difference. I'd be surprised to learn the Rotel flagship preamp couldn't handle the output of the Mytek, though.

I run my Brooklyn at full volume into an Ayre a7xe with zero issues at all. I have yet to have a sample rate bug appear fortunately either.
Mostly just stream Tidal though it for MQA and seems to vary anywhere from 16/44 to 24/48 to 24/88 to 24/96 to 24/192. And appears to switch happily between them with no distortion.

Have you tried to run the Brooklyn at full volume and just back off the volume on the Rotel?

@uberwaltz I’m not playing the Rotel that loud when I get distortion. 

Did you already update your Software to the latest version; then you are allowed to adjust your perfect volume settings on your DAC+ version , from 05 - to 4v. (1.8  is mostly recoomended). Before that you have (sometimes ) to mutch with output up to 4v.