Patrick Dixon Wrote: > Can you give us some more info on your setup? You say SB2 direct to > amp, but you then talk about a preamp volume setting. What actual > volume numbers are you using in each case? > > I've found that with an SB2 directly into an amp, whereas I used to > listen at around 20-25 on the SB2 volume setting, I'm now listening at > 30-35. The 'new' settings give much more control at lower volumes > (which I never use!), at the expense of larger steps at high volumes; > but since they better match the response of the human ear, overall it's > a much better approach. > > IIRC, the volume control steps are now about 1.5db, so 35 is probably > 'about' the same level as 20 on the 'old' linear system. When doing > A/B tests, it quite important to properly match levels or you will find > that the slightly louder one is often prefered (even if they are the > same otherwise). Some audio systems don't seem to 'come alive' until > you reach a certain volume level, so it's just possible that this is > what's happening for you.
I've got a McIntosh tube amp - fed directly from the SB2. The amp feeds my speakers directly, so a pretty simple setup for now. With the old firmware I was running pretty similar values to you - low 20's before and low 30's now. The preamp setting I referred to is the new preamp value in the player settings (for the latest firmware). I've left this at zero and also turned off the gain correction. You might be right regarding the volume. Generally in my tests I've tried to get the volume consistent between the two by ear, so you're right that it might be missing a few db without knowing (I have a meter, but it's not handy unfortunately). I might need to adjust the calibration on the amp unbalanced inputs as well. I'll give the above a shot and let you know - thanks. -- jhwilliams _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
