You should email Wyred. The ST 1000 has a low (or high depending on how you look at it) sensitivity of 2.9V which basically means it needs 2.9V to get to full power. The DAC-2 has a max output of greater than 5V. So there is something going on there. I own the STP SE and a pair of SX 500 powering some large floor standers and I don't go past 35 on my dial.
W4S ST-1000, How Loud Should It Play?
Using a W4S DAC-2 as a pre-amp and Dynaudio S1.4 speakers I recently turned up the volume to almost maximum (65 on a scale of 70 on the DAC-2. Granted, the sound was loud but this is a 570W at 8 Ohm amplifier driving 6 Ohm speakers. I would think that my ears should have been bleeding at this level. Am I missing something?