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Really noob question about amping...

post #1 of 10
8/18/05 at 12:52pm
Thread Starter 
I have ordered a Go-Vibe III to drive my HD 555s on recommendation of Head-fi. Now I'm thinking about how the amping process will work. I have no experience with headphone-amping so I have to ask. I assume that the sound will improve only, if I give enough juice to the amp. So do I have to set the line-out volume of my soundcard as low as possible and the amp as high as possible (without my ears falling of)? I have to ask because the HD 555s are so easily driven that I have the windows xp volume control set very low already. I presume the other way round (higher line-out volume and lower amp volume) wouldn't work so well, would it?
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post #2 of 10
8/18/05 at 12:56pm
dood, you might wanna put this in the amp forum, i think you'll get more answers there
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post #3 of 10
8/18/05 at 1:05pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Trance-Fusion
dood, you might wanna put this in the amp forum, i think you'll get more answers there
Ups. You're right. I posted to my beloved headphone-forum without thinking. Maybe some mod can move the thread. If not maybe some here knows as well.
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post #4 of 10
8/18/05 at 1:54pm
I think you want to place the line out volume on your soundcard just about as loud as it can go.
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post #5 of 10
8/18/05 at 2:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by acs236
I think you want to place the line out volume on your soundcard just about as loud as it can go.
Yup, set "master volume" to 100%. To be safe, just keep the amp knob at 0 and adjust from there after your 555s are on.
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post #6 of 10
8/18/05 at 2:06pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by acs236
I think you want to place the line out volume on your soundcard just about as loud as it can go.
So this means the amp gets a signal as strong as possible and when I turn the volume knob on the amp then the volume starts at zero although it is fed with strong input?
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post #7 of 10
8/18/05 at 3:54pm
I think "strong" is relative. Most line outs are set at a standard level. The amp has a lot higher impedence than a headphone, so even though it would be loud if you plugged your headphone into it, as far as the amplifier is concerned the signal is just as strong as it should be.
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post #8 of 10
8/18/05 at 4:09pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by acs236
I think "strong" is relative. Most line outs are set at a standard level. The amp has a lot higher impedence than a headphone, so even though it would be loud if you plugged your headphone into it, as far as the amplifier is concerned the signal is just as strong as it should be.
Alright. Thank you. Impedance of the amp - that was the missing link in my thinking. Now I am enlightend. So I don't have to worry about the HD 555 having a too low impedance for amping.
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post #9 of 10
8/18/05 at 4:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by EvilDwarf
Alright. Thank you. Impedance of the amp - that was the missing link in my thinking. Now I am enlightend. So I don't have to worry about the HD 555 having a too low impedance for amping.
You always want your source gain to be max - assuming it doesn't overload your, amp which is unlikely.

If it is not max, then you are amplifying distortion from your source. You minimize this by having your source at max gain.
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post #10 of 10
8/18/05 at 4:46pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by drarthurwells
You always want your source gain to be max - assuming it doesn't overload your, amp which is unlikely.

If it is not max, then you are amplifying distortion from your source. You minimize this by having your source at max gain.
Ok. Thanks. I've you don't ask you'll stay stupid... I was a bit confused about this concept of amping a source like in a chain. As of yet, I was only used to self-amping by a receiver.
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