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The psychological factor

Since I got a new amplifier a while ago, I have hesitated putting the volume control on the preamp past 12 o’clock because that was never a good choice with previous amps.  I was afraid I would overload the system.  I now find that factor was depriving me of the best sound I could obtain.
Placing it now at 12 or above, I’m now finally enjoying what the amp is truly capable of.
I wonder if anyone else has experienced anything like that.
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fuzztone's avatar
fuzztone
5,629 posts
 
hesitate?
djones51
4,947 posts
 
You probably should be using the mid or high setting the low setting is used to interface with pro gear on the Benchmark. Did you ask  Benchmark if your preamp would be a good match at the low setting?
rvpiano's avatar
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rvpiano OP
2,666 posts
 
Yes I did.  They said it wouldn’t be a problem.
On the mid setting, the volume.control was unmanageable, especially with the high output cartridge I’m using.
yyzsantabarbara
4,895 posts
 
What preamp are you using?

With my Benchmark HPA4 preamp and AHB2 amp set to low gain setting (the defaults) I really need to move the volume control to the far right to get high volume, just the way I like it.

This combo also sounds great at low volume, which is unusual for me with past gear. Sometimes I listen at low volume late at night even though I have the amazing Meze Empy headphones which I can plug into the HPA4. You hear everything even at low volume, just quieter.
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rvpiano OP
2,666 posts
 
As indicated above, preamp is Conrad-Johnson.
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