[koven]

I use +8dB boost w/ Susvara and typically listen around -20dB volume. @llamaluv, what volume settings are working best for you w/ Susvara?

 

[fiiom11pro]

I must be missing something here... How are you switching between high and medium gain modes on the HPA4? For that matter, how are you determining the clock position of the unmarked knob? Did you mean to talk about some other amp?

-20db on medium gain -9db on high. Yes. There's a mark on the knob

 

[phthora]

-20db on medium gain -9db on high. Yes. There's a mark on the knob

I guess there is that hole so you can access the screw to attach the knob, but given that the knob spins infinitely, going by clock position seems silly. Especially considering there's a big blue screen with a number on it to indicate volume. Then again, you did refer to arbitrarily selected decibels of input boost as 'medium gain' and 'high gain,' so maybe you like being silly.

 

[fiiom11pro]

Correct.

 

[fiiom11pro]

I guess there is that hole so you can access the screw to attach the knob, but given that the knob spins infinitely, going by clock position seems silly. Especially considering there's a big blue screen with a number on it to indicate volume. Then again, you did refer to arbitrarily selected decibels of input boost as 'medium gain' and 'high gain,' so maybe you like being silly.

Yes i am being silly. My point is it got more power to boot

 

[fiiom11pro]

the "mark" being my point of reference and the line out boost being medium in the middle and high on the last position. If that makes sense.

 

[fiiom11pro]

I use +8dB boost w/ Susvara and typically listen around -20dB volume. @llamaluv, what volume settings are working best for you w/ Susvara?

Wow. That hp really needs some power huh....

 

[koven]

Wow. That hp really needs some power huh....

Indeed.. I probably listen louder than average as well.

 

[Slim1970]

Indeed.. I probably listen louder than average as well.

It takes some power just to get them to a suitable listening level. So I think your hearing is fine.

 

[koven]

It takes some power just to get them to a suitable listening level. So I think your hearing is fine.

Touché!

 

[phthora]

the "mark" being my point of reference and the line out boost being medium in the middle and high on the last position. If that makes sense.

That makes sense now. I was just a little confused at first. Well, actually, my first reaction was "damn, I could have using this thing in high gain!" followed by five minutes of thumbing through the manual. lol

 

[llamaluv]

I use +8dB boost w/ Susvara and typically listen around -20dB volume. @llamaluv, what volume settings are working best for you w/ Susvara?

Here are my gory details (hopefully not TMI)...

- I use per-track volume leveling in Roon (-14LUFS) so that most all music has about the same subjective loudness level.

- I have the MScaler/DAVE connected to the HPA4 via XLR (such that the 0dB volume setting on the DAVE equals 6 volts nominal output to the amp).

- I'm setting the HPA4 to 0dB and just leaving it there (the HPA4's max volume setting is of course +15dB).

So to adjust volume level, I'm doing it on the DAVE, just to stay consistent with how I adjust volume regardless of what amp I'm using. My max volume using the Susvara ends up being -9dB on the DAVE, which results in a real-world SPL of 70 dBA RMS with peaks up to about 80 dB (I use an SPL meter to check). So yea, plenty of headroom to spare even with the Susvara, particularly at volume levels I listen at.

 

[koven]

Here are my gory details (hopefully not TMI)...

- I use per-track volume leveling in Roon (-14LUFS) so that most all music has about the same subjective loudness level.

- I have the MScaler/DAVE connected to the HPA4 via XLR (such that the 0dB volume setting on the DAVE equals 6 volts nominal output to the amp).

- I'm setting the HPA4 to 0dB and just leaving it there (the HPA4's max volume setting is of course +15dB).

So to adjust volume level, I'm doing it on the DAVE, just to stay consistent with how I adjust volume regardless of what amp I'm using. My max volume using the Susvara ends up being -9dB on the DAVE, which results in a real-world SPL of 70 dBA RMS with peaks up to about 80 dB (I use an SPL meter to check). So yea, plenty of headroom to spare even with the Susvara, particularly at volume levels I listen at.

Interesting! I haven't used volume leveling in Roon, maybe I will try it out. Is there any reason you choose to control volume w/ DAVE instead of HPA4 i.e. DAVE in DAC mode line-out?

Edit: In retrospect I suppose maybe DAVE has a better volume control? But not sure..

 

[llamaluv]

Interesting! I haven't used volume leveling in Roon, maybe I will try it out. Is there any reason you choose to control volume w/ DAVE instead of HPA4 i.e. DAVE in DAC mode line-out?

My understanding is that volume leveling as it's done in Roon has no practical effect on signal quality, and doesn't affect phase the way selective EQ does by definition (I also use EQ a lot of the time anyway, but yea).

I'm using the DAVE's volume control rather than the HPA4's mostly out of convenience. Since I control volume with the DAVE when using other amps as well, this lets me keep it consistent and only keep track of one remote control. My assumption (which admittedly may be borne out of ignorance) is that there ought to be no downsides to doing it this way sound quality-wise, or anyway none that I'd ever be able to detect in a controlled comparison...

 

[Ethereal Sound]

Hey guys, so I've noticed something interesting about the HPA4. Is it just me or is the RCA inputs louder than XLR? and not by a small margin either. I thought that XLR is supposed to have more gain. I thought it was my cables but when I swapped them out for another pair, the same results occurred where the RCA was much louder at the same volume.