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Audioengine A5 volume control problem?

post #1 of 9
10/1/09 at 12:26am
Thread Starter 
Noticed some weirdness with the Audioengine A5s connected via VDAC to my wife's computer.

I wonder if other A5 owners could try this simple experiment to let me know if the problem is with my A5s or if it's just the way they are.

Turn the volume all the way down and the increase it very slowly. As I do so, the right speaker becomes audible well before the left does. There is a distinct point at which all of a sudden the left speaker "catches-up". All of this takes place well before 9:00 on the volume dial.

If I adjust the volume within foobar2000 instead, it works fine, and plays from both speakers at the low volumes which would cause the hardware volume control to seemingly "disable" the left speaker.

Just wondering if I've got a bum pair of speakers, or if this is standard behavior for the A5s.
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post #2 of 9
10/1/09 at 1:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by vjarnot View Post
Noticed some weirdness with the Audioengine A5s connected via VDAC to my wife's computer.

I wonder if other A5 owners could try this simple experiment to let me know if the problem is with my A5s or if it's just the way they are.

Turn the volume all the way down and the increase it very slowly. As I do so, the right speaker becomes audible well before the left does. There is a distinct point at which all of a sudden the left speaker "catches-up". All of this takes place well before 9:00 on the volume dial.

If I adjust the volume within foobar2000 instead, it works fine, and plays from both speakers at the low volumes which would cause the hardware volume control to seemingly "disable" the left speaker.

Just wondering if I've got a bum pair of speakers, or if this is standard behavior for the A5s.
Hardware volume pots sometimes don't track Left-Right that well at the very lowest point of travel, especially if the incoming signal is very low. I'm guessing when you alter the volume in Foobar but hear no problems, the hardware pot on the A5's is turned past the trouble area?

I'd contact Audioengine about it, see what they say. The A5s are supposed to be pretty well built, so it may be a defect.
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post #3 of 9
10/1/09 at 1:49am
Same issue with my a5, I just lower the computer output slightly so i can avoid the problem zone on the pot. I have owned two sets of a5s, both had this issue.
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post #4 of 9
10/1/09 at 3:59am
Ok I kind of notice the same thing with my a2 but it normalizes at about 8:30. I have the volume set really low in foobar.

If I turn the volume all the way up in foobar it takes longer for the levels to normalize on the a2 and I think I have to turn the volume knob to about 9:30.
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post #5 of 9
10/1/09 at 4:51am
I just tried turning the A5 volume up very slowly from the minimum and heard the same level from each side. My A5s track equally as far as I can tell.

Bill
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post #6 of 9
10/1/09 at 9:58am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by fallsroad View Post
I'm guessing when you alter the volume in Foobar but hear no problems, the hardware pot on the A5's is turned past the trouble area?
Yep, that's exactly right.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tpc41 View Post
Same issue with my a5, I just lower the computer output slightly so i can avoid the problem zone on the pot. I have owned two sets of a5s, both had this issue.
Glad to hear it's not just me.

Quote:
Originally Posted by FasterThanEver View Post
I just tried turning the A5 volume up very slowly from the minimum and heard the same level from each side. My A5s track equally as far as I can tell.
Interesting. Do you have the volume on the computer maxed-out?
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post #7 of 9
10/1/09 at 2:10pm
> Do you have the volume on the computer maxed-out?

Yes. (There are players whose volume control at max bosts the level causing limiting but my player seems to be OK.) Three reasons for max volume in the PC:

1. I prefer bit-perfect output and no loss of precision. There are ways to use digital volume control that don't lose precision but the simplest path is to pass the bits unchanged.

2. The A5s auto-sensing / auto turn-on works better when the input signal is large.

3. The auto turn-off noise is much quieter when the A5 volume control is quite low.

I use my A5s at my home office desk for near-field listening. It is very handy to reach out 3' and adjust the volume control on the left A5.

I don't use a preamp at all with this setup so I can't set the A5s' volume control at 11 o'clock with my strategy.

Bill
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post #8 of 9
10/1/09 at 8:50pm
Thread Starter 
Yeah, all the reasons listed above are why I want to leave the computer mixer at max volume. However, with the A5's volume weirdness, it makes it hard to listen at low levels...
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post #9 of 9
10/7/09 at 12:37am
From what I've experienced and read, it's typical behavior. Other issues noticed include popping noise with the 10min standby state, and that even with the speaker know all the way down, sound will still come out if the application volume control is above 50%. Occasionally my passive right speaker won't produce sound, which points to that channel in the left speaker amp cutting out...idk.
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