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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
steakster
2,022 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
1,323 posts
 

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

emergingsoul
1,323 posts
 

I keep The setting at 75% from the digital source because I don’t want to blow my head apart in case the signal is too loud when I turn on the system.

oddiofyl's avatar
oddiofyl
4,202 posts
 

Most of my DACs have had a fixed analog out.    The few that did were set to fixed or vol was at 0 dB

I'll always use a preamp so I am likely to buy a DAC with no preamp function.  I have had a few with volume,  the NAD M51 DAC had one , it was actually pretty good.  

joeycastillo
91 posts
 

The answer for me, it depends on the system synergy and the Voltage drive of the pre-amp to power-amp. Using my LTA preamp, when connected to the XA-25 driving the Falcon Gold Badge, it's normally at 50%, but when I have the X150.5 with a voltage driver pre, that sets the volume to 40%. 

BUT I have never noticed the sound getting "thin" as the volume setting is increased. To me it EVERYTHING gets louder until my ears cannot take it anymore.

As expected, if the recording is bad (for all the wrong reasons) YMMV.

but a good recording, be it streaming or Vinyl, the settings above is my DeFacto standard,

sometimes, I would pop it up another 20 to 30 DB to just my blood pressure up :)

 

 

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