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  3. 155469-122106

Volume level chain

Hi all,

Hope everyone is staying safe!

So here is my shelter in place question:

Are there best practices regarding volume level settings at each component?
Should volume be adjusted on one component and fixed at a certain level on the rest?


Given the following setups, does it matter which component is used for overall volume control?

Office setup:

    Laptop > Integrated > Speakers

    I leave the laptop volume at around 80% and adjust volume on the integrated.

Living room setup:

    Laptop > Temporary DAC (Fostex HPA8)  > Preamp > Amp > Speakers

    I leave the laptop volume at around 80%, preamp ~ 75% and adjust volume on the DAC.

I wasn't sure but figured it would be safe(?) to keep any fixed volume components at 80% or below.

Thanks!

  
hleeid

Showing 2 responses by mijostyn

mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,210 posts
 
1+ pragmas, digital volumes that are dithered are significantly better but still I leave all my digital equipment at 90% plus. Digital metering is a big plus in this regard. You can see where you are. In the analog world you just want to match volumes so you do not get a big surprise when you switch sources. Most modern preamps are hard to overload so I would try to keep them as high as possible matching volume to the lowest output source at it max volume. 
For people who do not have digital metering there is a device called the Audiophillio that is a USB to SPDIF converter that controls digital volume with loss of bits. Very cool device. 
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,210 posts
 
Excuse me, without loss of bits.
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