Quote:
I've recently got a Fiio E07K Andes (DAC/Amp)
I use it with an ipod Shuffle 4G (Only Amp) and with a laptop or a desktop computer (DAC + Amp)
As far as I've read, when a DAC/Amp is connected to a computer the best option in terms of sound quality is setting the computer volume at max.
My questions
1. Is that correct?
2. Where should I set the volume of the ipod when the amp is connected to it?
Many Thanks!
Greetings!
correct? that depends... theoretically, in order to obtain maximum fidelity, your sources (be it ipod or laptop) volume should be at 100%, and control the volume through the amp. the reason for this is very complicated, and i dont know all of it myself, so heres a stripped down, simplistic, incomplete answer to give you the basic idea:
assuming for arguments sake your playing 16 bit audio, if your sources volume was lower than maximum, not all the bits would "get through" to the other side, so youd actually be listening to say 12 bit audio (all numbers are purely for examples sake and not based on any data). HOWEVER, the actual
audible effects of bit degradation is very very arguable. if you pop over to the O2 thread in the amp section, and scroll back abit, youll see we talked about it quite a lot. lets just say that in my very humble opinion, it really doesnt make any difference, but i urge you not to take my word for it. go on youtube and search for a video of ethan winer (sound engineer and a member of head-fi btw) where he "busts" audio related myths and legends. in that video, and im pretty sure he provides a download link, theres a part where he degrades bit depth one bit at a time (oh ho ho the pun!), so you can see for yourself how much of a difference it makes. if you search around the web, im sure youll be able to find a program to do this yourself aswell.
there are ways to overcome these issues btw. you can "upsample" 16 bit audio to 24 bit, thus degrading "fake" bits when lowering digital volume, voltage/volume attenuators, software programs of sorts... tbvh, i wouldnt worry about it, just do whatever feels most comfortable to you.
i wouldnt worry about double amping either btw, but thats another discussion, lets keep the controversy to a minimum shall we
