Digital Volume Control

[admin_exported]

While it is convenient to use software volume controls, I think I have read somewhere that they should be set to max and the volume set by the amp. Any reason or explaination for this.

 

[manicm]

I believe in this is the only way to get a true bit-perfect stream out of an XP or Vista and maybe Mac too, even if using an external DAC to bypass the internal soundcard.

In fact one should set all volume controls to Max in player and soundcard software.

For more details go to Benchmark's website and follow its link to their Wiki entry regarding this issue.

It's also for this reason that when I go the PC route I will buy a cheap netbook with Vista dedicated for hifi duty, otherwise with all this PC tweaking it will not be practical for the audiophile to use the PC for both business and pleasure - one example is that the Wiki entry above even insists you switch off all OS system sounds.

 

[Anonymous]

What you have read is correct. In order to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio (which affects audio quality) you should keep your digital/software levels at max and control the volume in the analogue domain. There are some soundcards with a very useful (post D/A conversion) volume control: Echo Indigo IO (for notebooks) and TC Electronic Desktop 6 among others...

 

[Anonymous]

Each of the 44.1 samples / sec is recorded using a 16 bits scale = some 65k different possible values. Lowering the volume to say 10% means recalculating this to a scale with less steps, so 6.5k max. This range must cover all passages from the soft to loud. So the DAC has less dynamic range to work with, and the poorer analogue signal goes to the amp that increases the volume again to the desired listening level, but especially the original soft parts will have suffered.

P.