Club1820;204071 Wrote: > so does this mean you are better off having the volume set to max on the > sb3 and controlling the volume via your preamp? Since the SB/TP digital volume control operates at 24 bit accuracy, and is carefully configured to avoid any loss of digital bits (when the source is 16 bit) until the attenuation is greater than 30dB, the only downside to using it is the reduction in S/N ratio. But since the TP's starting S/N ratio is about 130dB, losing even as much as 30db or 40dB isn't going to be an issue for normal listening. Not sure what the SB's S/N ratio is, but it's probably pretty good.
So, to summarise: 1. If you need to keep a preamp in the signal path, then it may well be best to set the SB/TP volume to max and use the preamp's volume control, as this maximises the S/N ratio from the SB/TP. 2. On the other hand, active circuits as used in preamps sometimes have a "sweet spot" where a specific gain setting provides the lowest noise. Setting your preamp's volume control to this sweet spot and using the SB/TP volume control might be better in some circumstances. 3. And finally, since preamps are the least transparent electronic components in most systems, removing the preamp completely and feeding the SB/TP direct into the power amp (via appropriate passive attenuation if necessary) will probably give the best quality. -- cliveb Transporter -> ATC SCM100A ------------------------------------------------------------------------ cliveb's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=348 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=35528 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
