[rgs9200m]

It really depends on the quality of the DAC, the preamp, the interconnects, whether tubes are involved, and taste. Sorry, but there is definitive answer here.
If you have a DAC with a volume control, of course try that first and if you like it, you are done.
 
At one time, I had an Accuphase DP75V CDP and an Mark Levinson No. 32 Preamp (a 2 box monster). 
When I took out the preamp and used the Accuphase's digital volume control, things sounded much better.
 
OTOH, using my Apex Pinnacle as a preamp when listening through speakers has made me a believer again in the value of a great preamp
(the Pinnacle is an awesome preamp, and probably worth it's price as a preamp alone).
 
But practically, unless you are dealing with the specific case of using a power amp for headphones (the HE6 case), the headphone amp is an integrated amp already
with its own volume control of course.

 

[madbull]

I just bought me a HE-6. Gonna drive them with my Stratus. I'll report back soon.

 

[Silent One]

 

[zenpunk]

Quote:

 
PC volume control is most likely the worse of them all.

Why? I don't see how something like JRiver's 64bit volume control could badly affect audio or not be absolutely transparent...

 

[preproman]

Quote:

Why? I don't see how something like JRiver's 64bit volume control could badly affect audio or not be absolutely transparent...

 
Good question.  Need to see at what point information get lost - if any.  Check this out and lets compare it to how J. River does theirs.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYjHKv2_OqQ

 

[khaine1711]

Quote:

Why? I don't see how something like JRiver's 64bit volume control could badly affect audio or not be absolutely transparent...

You forgot that the said 64 Bit is extrapolated from the original 16/24 bit file you feed your Dac.

 

[zenpunk]

I don't think it is extrapolated just padded with extra bit (usually zeros), but somebody more knowledgeable could probably explain it better. I believe the 32bit internal volume control on ESS chip allow close to 40db  attenuation without loss of data for 16bit files and around 25db for 24bit files (that's from memory so could be wrong)

 

[khaine1711]

Quote:

I don't think it is extrapolated just padded with extra bit (usually zeros), but somebody more knowledgeable could probably explain it better. I believe the 32bit internal volume control on ESS chip allow close to 40db  attenuation without loss of data for 16bit files and around 25db for 24bit files (that's from memory so could be wrong)

If it's that simple, I'm pretty sure Moon/Leema/Accuphase/<insert company name here> would just "padded" extra bits/zeroes to their dac and sell them for the price of preamp + dac combined. Even if you pad them extra zeroes, how is that translated into headroom anyway, some zeroes and one and then piano is louder? Short answer is no, in the case of Jriver, you'll lose resolution regardless. ESS has its own resampling/reclocking so it's the same deal as jriver.
 

all audio is first converted to 64bit. This ensures that any processing like digital volume, Replay Gain, or any other DSP (if any is enabled) is done with as much precision as possible. It also puts the data into a format that is efficient for a computer to handle, and makes it so that tracks of varying bitdepths can seamlessly transition.

When outputting data to a soundcard or DAC, the 64bit data is converted back to the format required by hardware

 
 

 

[preproman]

I think the issue really becomes apparent when high res files are being played.  For me, I'll stick with analog v control and a good stepped attenuator.  I'm sure there are some really good digital v controls out there, I'm just not confident in PC and some DACs digital v controls.

 

[rgs9200m]

Quote:

I think the issue really becomes apparent when high res files are being played.  For me, I'll stick with analog v control and a good stepped attenuator.  I'm sure there are some really good digital v controls out there, I'm just not confident in PC and some DACs digital v controls.

On further reflection, I go along with the idea of an good analog attenuator, as the more I think about, over the last 20-30 years,
every system (speakers or headphones) that was truly memorable to me and stands out in my mind for greatness had an analog preamp in the chain.
(edited for grammar)

 

[Armaegis]

Sometime in the near future I will write up some impressions on the toys in front of me powering the HE-6 from their speaker outputs. You might say I have a bit of a desktop audio fetish...
 
Nuforce big stack: DAC-100 as dac, HAP-100 preamp, STA-100 power amp
Nuforce budget stack: HDP as dac, Icon2 power amp, LPS power supply (or just the Icon2 by itself)
Centrance not-a-stack: DacMini PX for everything
 
There's no immediate standout winner, and there's a lot of incestuous input/output crosswiring going on all over the place. It's *almost* possible for me to feed every dac into every amp simultaneously.

 

[tigerkg13]

 "You'll need 4 banana to banana cables to connect the speaker terminal of the adapter to the binding post of the amplifier."
 
 
Khaine 1711, thanks for your kind response.
 
 
I suppose these are just normal speaker cables. I guess I will need something shorter than the normal 6' cables. Does anyone know where I can purchase short speaker cables (like 2') or do I have to custom-make them?
 
Thanks.

 

[khaine1711]

Quote:

 "You'll need 4 banana to banana cables to connect the speaker terminal of the adapter to the binding post of the amplifier."
 
 
Khaine 1711, thanks for your kind response.
 
 
I suppose these are just normal speaker cables. I guess I will need something shorter than the normal 6' cables. Does anyone know where I can purchase short speaker cables (like 2') or do I have to custom-make them?
 
Thanks.

The name of the cable you're looking for is "speaker jumper cable". Available in all configs you can think of (spade-spade, spade-banana, banana-banana). Or just go to the nearest hifi store and ask them to make for you. Most large stores have crimping tools and spools of speaker cables ready to be terminated.
 

 

[gjc11028]

 "You'll need 4 banana to banana cables to connect the speaker terminal of the adapter to the binding post of the amplifier."


Khaine 1711, thanks for your kind response.


I suppose these are just normal speaker cables. I guess I will need something shorter than the normal 6' cables. Does anyone know where I can purchase short speaker cables (like 2') or do I have to custom-make them?

Thanks.

I actually use some longer speaker cables so that I can sit away from the amplifier.

 

[Marise]

Long time lurker here, thinking about pulling the trigger for a pair of 6s. I love my 400s but I'm getting upgradeitis. I have a dh-220 that doesn't get used that often anymore. Is this a decent amp to power the 6s? It's 115 wpc IIRC, from what I've read that's quite a lot, how likely would it be to blow them up with that kind of power, or should I just get the hifiman box?