2. amps-preamps
  3. 1376013686

Please alleviate my fears

I have a Cambridge Audio Azur 840A v2 integrated driving a pair of Usher Dancer Mini 1 speakers. It sounds great, but I have concerns (hopefully unfounded). When the volume is all the way down, the digital readout is 95. This number decreases as the volume increases. I have to turn the volume control all the way from 95 to 50 before I hear anything from the speakers. At that point the music gets substantially louder quickly. When the readout reaches 8 the system is playing pretty close to concert levels (in fact, as loud as I've ever played it). But, it appears that I'm having to turn the amp up 85 to 90% of the way to achieve this volume (way more than my old Yamaha amp). Is this amp approaching it's clipping point (full power)? Is the visual representation showing the actual percentage of power this amp can produce? Or, is there headroom left between the 8 mark and 0? It has never sounded distressed. Thanks in advance for your shared knowledge and insight.
danoroo
martykl
3,578 posts
 
There are a lot of volume pots/readouts that work that way - a long span of inaudible, highly attenuated output and a digital indication of how far down the listening level is from unity gain. It doesn't necessarily mean anything at all regarding available headroom.

Marty
Post removed 
elevick
2,636 posts
 
The numbers mean virtually nothing. From what I was taught, these are a logarithmic function of resistance to full volume. The smaller the negative number, the less the amplifier is "holding back" from its full volume. If it drives your speakers without distorting then just learn to ignore the volume numbers.
danoroo OP
239 posts
 
@ Martykl

Thank you sir. I suspected that was the case. To determine it's limits I guess I'll just turn the amp up until it starts to distort. That will tell me what I want to know.
timrhu
2,779 posts
 
I owned a Cambridge 840, can't recall whether it was v1 or v2, but definitely don't remember having to turn it up like you're doing.
Sounds to me as if you have a volume setting on your pc set too low. I'd check all of those settings.
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