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Do amps perform better towards their middle volume level?

post #1 of 8
8/19/09 at 10:00pm
Thread Starter 
Do headphone amps perform best with their volume levels near their midrange (like 10-12 o'clock)?

If so, this would imply the best synergy attained for headphone amps would be with headphones with higher (such as 250-300 Ohms) impedance. Is this true?
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post #2 of 8
8/19/09 at 11:49pm
AFAIK, it really doesn't matter (for solid-state) as long as the amp isn't being driven to its limits (i.e. clipping). I don't know for tubes.
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post #3 of 8
8/20/09 at 12:47pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks.
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post #4 of 8
8/20/09 at 1:01pm
At very low levels, most attenuators have some volume mismatches, but that usually goes away by about 8 o'clock. Anything above that and before clipping should perform similarly
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post #5 of 8
8/20/09 at 2:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sherwood View Post
At very low levels, most attenuators have some volume mismatches, but that usually goes away by about 8 o'clock. Anything above that and before clipping should perform similarly
Take note of the bolded part.
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post #6 of 8
8/20/09 at 2:07pm
Hey thats a nice thought, i never knew this. thanks a lot for sharing the information. I felt that there should be not much of difference in the range. Thanks for the information
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post #7 of 8
8/20/09 at 5:03pm
I wanted to ask a similar question: is it best to have the source volume turned to the max and adjust the amp volume accordingly or is it best to have an equal amount of volume across the source and the amp (for the amp to perhaps shine more)?

I tried experimenting with my Clip and my FiiO e5 amp today and found that adding volume to the amp adds slightly more bass and adding volume to my Clip adds slightly more treble. I think it sounds better now compared to just whacking up my Clip's volume and adjusting the amp volume only, now I adjust both and I seem to get a more balanced sound - but only very slightly. Anyone have similar experiences?
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post #8 of 8
8/20/09 at 5:27pm
If you're using a volume-controlled source into a volume-controlled amp, you're likely "double amping" (unless you have a passive preamp somewhere). It's unavoidable with some portable sources, but undesirable in home equipment.

Every volume attenuator degrades the signal in some way. Most degrade the signal the least when they're wide open, i.e. full volume/0 attenuation.

More complex than that is dealing with your amp's input sensitivity, which might be mismatched to your source's output voltage. Tough to tell.

The general rule is to leave every volume control but 1 at 100%, unless doing so causes something to clip. If you can hear clipping distortion, find it and turn that component's volume down until the distortion is gone. That's just a general rule, though -- feel free to experiment if you already own all the gear.
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