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Do Audiophiles usually keep the gain of the digital source at around 80%?

My setup is:

A8 Eversolor DAC and streamer

McIntosh C12000 preamp

REL sub 810

Focal Sopra n1 speakers. 

861 Moon amp

I keep my McIntosh preamp usually between 50-60% volume. Any higher would make the sound thin like.

For the Eversolo streamer (which I am enjoying quite a bit for the money), I keep between 75% -85% max gain. With older songs that are recorded at lower volume, I have it at 85%. But with songs that are recorded louders (mostly newer songs) it would cause some/slight clipping at that level so I to have lower the gain to about 75% max gain.  

I saw that there was a max volume throughput option on the Eversolo, but when I try that I can’t really get the system as loud as I want it without clipping and distortion setting in early. 

Is this normal for Audiophiles to keep the gain on the digital signal about 80%?

Wasn’t sure if this should go into digital forums or preamps since both are used here, so I posted here. 

 

dman777
macg19
1,045 posts
 

100%, RCA out (BlackIce Tube DAC)

jas_in_phila1
13 posts
 

Paul McGowen made a similar point (-3dB attenuation at the DAC) in his June 19, 2025 "Ask Paul" video.

Also, Dmann777 introduced the intriguing idea of whether this might be an XLR vs. RCA cable question. A decade ago, Mark O’Brian at Rogue Audio suggested to me that under certain circumstances using RCA outputs rather than XLR might be better. More recently, Galen Gareis of Iconoclast Cables was clear in an Iconoclast forum that IF there was no noise or hum and no more than 3-5’ cable lengths, RCA cables are the way to go based on science. I wonder if the digital clipping being discussed is another reason.

I am not a tech, so I hope others -smarter than I about this- will jump in.

devinplombier
838 posts
 

We already have smiley

steakster
2,018 posts
 
dman777 OP

. . . wouldn’t it be better to use the XLR for the better quality and use the -3db trick?

No.  XLR is not automatically better than RCA.    Many uber-expensive components have RCA only.  The talented engineers designed the circuitry that way on purpose.   (Example)

Each brand has its own design philosophy.  

- - - 

There’s plenty of confusion about:

- Analog: RCA - Single-Ended vs XLR - Fully-balanced.

- Digital:  RCA - S/PDIF (75 ohm) vs XLR - AES/EBU (110 ohm).

The above are discussed thoroughly in the Audiogon archives.

- - -

Bottom line:  Get rid of distortion.  Otherwise, it's not high fidelity.

emergingsoul
1,322 posts
 

Why do people use the term gain mistakenly when they talk about volume settings? Gain is different from volume.

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