didbox;281361 Wrote: > > By "Keep the SB3 volume at fixed", do you mean that I have to > desactivate the digital volmue control of the SB3 or just set it to a > specific value and keep it fixed at that value? >
Setting the SB3 to max volume is essentially the same thing as having the volume fixed, so I don't see any reason to use the fixed setting. Even though I have a preamp in the chain I use the SB3's volume control for convenience, but for critical listening I set the SB3 to max and adjust at the preamp. > > Please, just to understand, could you explain why you advise to keep > the SB3 volume at fixed? > Most people keep it high because they do not want to lose any bits of resolution. Supposedly the volume algorithm, which includes padding to 24 bits to give headroom, is transparent down to a certain level (below 60/100 IIRC). Only at max volume, and with no replay gain I assume, will the original 16 bit signal be passed through the SB3. This allows e.g. a DTS signal to be passed through to a receiver that decodes those, or a DAC that decodes HDCD. Since the volume process is mostly/fully transparent, there's probably no audible difference between 90/100 and max, but there is more to the story. The SB3 has a fixed level of noise, and using the digital volume control decreases the signal but not the noise level. Therefore you have less SNR, and the more attenuation you apply the lower it goes. OTOH if the volume on the SB3 is maxed, and you instead use an analog volume control in preamp or external attenuator form (not sure how the lavry works), the volume and the noise will be attenuated together, and you maintain the SB3's SNR. -- Skunk http://www.last.fm/user/TheSkunk/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Skunk's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=2685 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=44989 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
