[jasonb]

When using a DAC/amp with an iPhone, does the iPhone volume need to be at max? Am I losing bits and therefor audio quality if I have the phones volume 2 or 3 notches from full?

I’m finding with sensitive IEMs that with my NX4DSD or FiiO Q11 that even on low gain I’m only able to use a small portion of the beginning of the volume knob. The NX4DSD is completely unusable unless I have the phones volume at least one notch from full. The Q11 is usable with the phones volume at full, but I have a very small range of the volume knob that’s not too loud.

So the question is, is it bad, or not ideal for audio quality to not have the phones volume at full?

 

[ClieOS]

Digital volume is most damaging to SQ when you set it too low. If it is just a notch or two below the max, I'll say you are generally good. It is still far better than hearing damage as an alternative.

 

[jasonb]

Digital volume is most damaging to SQ when you set it too low. If it is just a notch or two below the max, I'll say you are generally good. It is still far better than hearing damage as an alternative.

My issue wouldn’t be hearing damage. It’s just a very narrow section of the volume knob that’s usable which is really just more of an inconvenience than anything. I can control the volume, but it just kind of sucks to only have about 5-10% of the volume adjustment be usable.

I’m really beginning to get curious about what most people are using for DACs and amps for easy to drive IEMs. I swear everything else I own sounds better than the Apple Lightning dongle, but it would be much easier to just use the dongle.

 

[ClieOS]

Typically speaking, your average high sensitivity IEM only needs a few hundreds mV or so voltage at most and likely just 2 digits mV range is enough to be loud enough, but NX4 DSD has a max voltage output in the 8V+ (that's 8000mV!!!) range where Q11 still gives you about 4.5V in low gain. These are really the voltage you want more for harder to drive IEM and headphones instead of easy to drive IEM. That's why you are not getting much use of the volume knob. A good DAC/amp for sensitive IEM should be around 2V range in low gain ideally.

 

[jasonb]

Typically speaking, your average high sensitivity IEM only needs a few hundreds mV or so voltage at most and likely just 2 digits mV range is enough to be loud enough, but NX4 DSD has a max voltage output in the 8V+ (that's 8000mV!!!) range where Q11 still gives you about 4.5V in low gain. These are really the voltage you want more for harder to drive IEM and headphones instead of easy to drive IEM. That's why you are not getting much use of the volume knob. A good DAC/amp for sensitive IEM should be around 2V range in low gain ideally.

So what’s a good DAC/amp for IEMs that’s battery powered?

I’ve been using the Qudelix 5K wired to an iPhone but the way it works when wired is that it draws power from the device it’s plugged into and I was kind of trying to save the battery on my phone.

The Qudelix app claims I’m only using about 2-7mV at my listening level. So I do realize I’m using very litter power.

 

[ClieOS]

So what’s a good DAC/amp for IEMs that’s battery powered?

I’ve been using the Qudelix 5K wired to an iPhone but the way it works when wired is that it draws power from the device it’s plugged into and I was kind of trying to save the battery on my phone.

The Qudelix app claims I’m only using about 2-7mV at my listening level. So I do realize I’m using very litter power.

How about FiiO BTR7? It kinda does almost everything 5K does but you can disable charging via an external switch on the side and it has a more sophisticated USB input.

 

[jasonb]

How about FiiO BTR7? It kinda does almost everything 5K does but you can disable charging via an external switch on the side and it has a more sophisticated USB input.

You can disable charging on the 5K as well, but it still uses USB power to actually power the device. I’m assuming the BTR7 works the same way. I guess essentially I’m trying to get away from dongles and into something that runs on its own battery.

I’d like something with a high end chipset, but doesn’t put out big power in low gain and has a usable volume knob.

 

[ClieOS]

You can disable charging on the 5K as well, but it still uses USB power to actually power the device. I’m assuming the BTR7 works the same way. I guess essentially I’m trying to get away from dongles and into something that runs on its own battery.

I’d like something with a high end chipset, but doesn’t put out big power in low gain and has a usable volume knob.

With most USB receiver chipsets, there usually required a minimum amount of power to be drawn from the USB host to enable the chipset's functionality even if such a device has a built-in battery that is not charging from the USB host. What you are looking is the minimum amount that the USB chipset is drawing from your smartphone to power just the chipset itself, not that the power is used to power other parts of the device.

Anyway, NX7 might be an option as I think its low gain setting is actually a negative gain, though I don't have any first hand experience with it.

 

[jasonb]

With most USB receiver chipsets, there usually required a minimum amount of power to be drawn from the USB host to enable the chipset's functionality even if such a device has a built-in battery that is not charging from the USB host. What you are looking is the minimum amount that the USB chipset is drawing from your smartphone to power just the chipset itself, not that the power is used to power other parts of the device.

Anyway, NX7 might be an option as I think its low gain setting is actually a negative gain, though I don't have any first hand experience with it.

Isn’t the NX7 just an amp? Not a DAC?

 

[ClieOS]

Isn’t the NX7 just an amp? Not a DAC?

Oops, I means G5

 

[jasonb]

Oops, I means G5

Yea the G5 was on my list of considerations. But it’s gotta be waaaay overkill. But it’s an option.

 

[jasonb]

I might just keep using the Qudelix 5K. Screw my phones battery I guess. I never keep a phone for more than 2 years anyway.