Can't use SB at full volume?

[Mike Anderson]

Some claim that if you don't play the SB at full volume (40), you're losing sound quality. I'd like to know if that's true, because when I run my SB2 at full volume it is too hot for the device receiving the signal (Behringer DEQ2496), and I seem to get clipping, at least as displayed on the Behringer meter (it goes into the red).

Thus I have to turn the SB volume down to 35-37 to avoid clipping. Is it true that I'm losing sound quality by using the SB at volume 35 as compared with 40? It tends to sound better at 40 (at least when there's no clipping) but I can't tell if it's just because it's louder.

BTW, I'm using the SB2 with optical digical output, Slimserver 6.2.2 6245 - Windows XP - EN - cp1252 and firmware version 33.

[max.spicer]

Isn't this what the preamp volume control is for?

Max

Some claim that if you don't play the SB at full volume (40), you're losing sound quality. I'd like to know if that's true, because when I run my SB2 at full volume it is too hot for the device receiving the signal (Behringer DEQ2496), and I seem to get clipping, at least as displayed on the Behringer meter (it goes into the red).

Thus I have to turn the SB volume down to 35-37 to avoid clipping. Is it true that I'm losing sound quality by using the SB at volume 35 as compared with 40? It tends to sound better at 40 (at least when there's no clipping) but I can't tell if it's just because it's louder.

BTW, I'm using the SB2 with optical digical output, Slimserver 6.2.2 6245 - Windows XP - EN - cp1252 and firmware version 33.

[Mike Anderson]

^^^ My signal is going from the SB2 into the Behringer before going to the pre-amp. At 40, the signal is too hot for the Behringer.

[Mark Lanctot]

^^^ My signal is going from the SB2 into the Behringer before going to the pre-amp. At 40, the signal is too hot for the Behringer.

He meant the preamp feature in SlimServer, Player Settings - Audio - Preamp Volume Control. I'm not sure if it's in 6.2.1 but it's in the latest 6.2.2. However, this only applies to analog.

[radish]

What I don't get is how a digital signal can be "too hot". It's just 16 bit PCM right? So the range is fixed. Surely a 16 bit DAC which clips converting 16 bit values to analog is kinda broken?

[crooner]

Perhaps its the analog stages after DA conversion that are "too hot" and clip the signal...

[JJZolx]

Some claim that if you don't play the SB at full volume (40), you're losing sound quality. I'd like to know if that's true, because when I run my SB2 at full volume it is too hot for the device receiving the signal (Behringer DEQ2496), and I seem to get clipping, at least as displayed on the Behringer meter (it goes into the red).

Thus I have to turn the SB volume down to 35-37 to avoid clipping. Is it true that I'm losing sound quality by using the SB at volume 35 as compared with 40? It tends to sound better at 40 (at least when there's no clipping) but I can't tell if it's just because it's louder.

BTW, I'm using the SB2 with optical digical output, Slimserver 6.2.2 6245 - Windows XP - EN - cp1252 and firmware version 33.

This doesn't really make any sense, since (in theory) at '40' you're just passing the unadulterated digital signal. This would be the same as the signal from any other digital source without volume attenution, such as most CD players and transports.

[pfarrell]

JJZolx wrote:
> Mike Anderson Wrote:
>
>>Thus I have to turn the SB volume down to 35-37 to avoid clipping. Is
>>it true that I'm losing sound quality by using the SB at volume 35 as
>>compared with 40? It tends to sound better at 40 (at least when
>>there's no clipping) but I can't tell if it's just because it's
>>louder.
>>
>>BTW, I'm using the SB2 with optical digical output, Slimserver 6.2.2
>>6245 - Windows XP - EN - cp1252 and firmware version 33.
>
> This doesn't really make any sense, since (in theory) at '40' you're
> just passing the unadulterated digital signal. This would be the same
> as the signal from any other digital source without volume attenution,
> such as most CD players and transports.

That is weird for optical output.
The SB's analog output is pretty hot, and can overdrive
some downstream stuff, and the default output of
my Benchmark DAC-1 is too hot for my preamp, but
the Benchmark has attenuation settings to make
joy and happiness.


--
Pat
http://www.pfarrell.com/music/slimse...msoftware.html

[Mike Anderson]

Perhaps its the analog stages after DA conversion that are "too hot" and clip the signal...

As far as I know, the Behringer isn't (at least I hope it isn't) doing any conversion to analog. I'm taking the digital signal in, EQ'ing it, and taking a digital signal out. I bought it specifically because I wanted to keep the signal processing in the digital domain and convert it to analog later.

The "clipping" is the volume meter on the Behringer going into the red. I think it's clipping audibly, but I can't tell if it's the Behringer or something down the line.

But of course, if it doesn't make any difference whether the SB2 is on 35 or 40, then I wouldn't have to worry about where it's clipping -- which is why I asked.

[radish]

Ahh I see - I didn't realise what the device was, I thought it was a DAC. If you're at full input range and you EQ it up, it'll clip. To verify that it's not the SB doing something weird hook up a regular CDP and play the same track, should be exactly the same.