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Question about volume settings

post #1 of 7
7/28/09 at 12:21pm
Thread Starter 
Does anyone know if it makes a difference how you configure your volume on your PC? What i mean by this is you generally have two volume controls. One for windows, and one for the media player. I can either have the media player output at 100% but then have to set the windows volume to about 50%. OR, i could set the media player volume to 50% and the windows volume to 100%. Both configurations outputing the same total volume, but i was wondering if either situation is more preferable for SQ.

Cheers, and i hope that made sense.
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post #2 of 7
7/28/09 at 12:36pm
I believe the player should be at 100%, at least this is the case of Foobar2000. Or so I was told.

Anyway, it's more about how you'll get sound outside. Using toslink, USB, line-out - I'd say go for 100% setting in your player. It probably will not make a difference, but will not hurt.

If you're feeding your stereo or something similar through headphone jack, that's completly different story and I feel I'm not qualified to answer your question.

OK, I cannot resist to add: avoid headphone jack, unless you have very good soundcard in your PC/notebook...

Anyway, it's a good question and should be answered. Anyone who can help?
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post #3 of 7
7/28/09 at 12:40pm
Hmmm.

I always preferred my windows sliders as low as possible and my media player volume maxed out.

Although I believe that your media player volume control also usually dictates the Wave slider on the windows volume controls. it's only the windows master volume which is separate from the media player volume.

i hope that made sense.
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post #4 of 7
7/28/09 at 1:42pm
I have found that I have to juggle between the input sliders and the output volume to keep things crisp on my D2 in Windows.

If I max everything at 100% I get distortion. By moderating the input sliders to keep peaks below 0db and using the Windows volume control (one and the same as the Asus volume...foobar's is bypassed by KS) I get pleasantries in the headphones and that's all that matters.
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post #5 of 7
7/28/09 at 1:49pm
what are you referring to when you say "input sliders"?
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post #6 of 7
7/28/09 at 2:11pm
In the Asus control panel under the mixer tab there are slider for input levels for right and left channels. Above that is a level meter centered on 0db with +20db and -20db below. By keeping the peaks at or around 0 db it helps keep things under control. If I just max everything out it's too "hot" and I start getting distortion.

By juggling these setting I get what I'm after and I just use the Windows volume to adjust the volume, leaving the amp set at a fixed point.

I'm not sure the audiophile folklore of setting the volume to 100% is really the end of truth.
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post #7 of 7
7/28/09 at 3:25pm
IIRC, it's only the Master volume slider in Windows that should be set to 80% or less to avoid gain or whatever it is that windows tries to do to artificially amplify the output at anything higher. Other than that, you may as well have the line-level signal from your system be as powerful as it can be (other sliders at max) so the volume is nice and high on whatever you're outputting to.
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