[Uncle00Jesse]

Question for speaker amp users - do you adjust the source volume down at all or leave it at 100% fixed like you would a normal headphone amp? Reason I ask is because at fixed source volume, I’m barely getting any play in the volume knob before it’s insanely loud. I’m talking like 9-10 o’clock. Wondering if it’s typical to play with the source volume on speaker amps so that you have a good volume range (this is my first speaker amp). Thanks!

 

[sennfan83261]

Question for speaker amp users - do you adjust the source volume down at all or leave it at 100% fixed like you would a normal headphone amp? Reason I ask is because at fixed source volume, I’m barely getting any play in the volume knob before it’s insanely loud. I’m talking like 9-10 o’clock. Wondering if it’s typical to play with the source volume on speaker amps so that you have a good volume range (this is my first speaker amp). Thanks!

I use a preamp between my DAC and my power amps (3B-ST and MM7206). These power amps have no volume or gain control, but I can still get volume play up to between 8:30 to 9:00 on my preamp. I go beyond that only on classical music that is mastered with a high dynamic range. With my old Crown D-75A power amp, I do set the gain down a couple of notches so that I get 9-10 o'clock volume knob play on my preamp.

 

[Uncle00Jesse]

Thanks. Am I compromising sq by lowering source volume? To be more specific, I’m running Roon > Squeezebox Touch > A-100 with the jumpers. Kind of a budget setup but will adding the Bifrost 2 whenever they decide to ship the thing. Anyways, if I put the squeezebox on fixed volume, HE6SE is deafening with a very slight turn of the knob. I kind of f’d up my left ear, it hurts now lol. Anyway, if I turn the volume on squeezebox down to like 75-80, I obviously get much more play on the amp and it sounds fine, just want to know I guess scientifically if I’m losing detail/dynamics etc by doing that

 

[Oregonian]

Thanks. Am I compromising sq by lowering source volume? To be more specific, I’m running Roon > Squeezebox Touch > A-100 with the jumpers. Kind of a budget setup but will adding the Bifrost 2 whenever they decide to ship the thing. Anyways, if I put the squeezebox on fixed volume, HE6SE is deafening with a very slight turn of the knob. I kind of f’d up my left ear, it hurts now lol. Anyway, if I turn the volume on squeezebox down to like 75-80, I obviously get much more play on the amp and it sounds fine, just want to know I guess scientifically if I’m losing detail/dynamics etc by doing that

I'm with sennfan - my system has a preamp so I can adjust from there. You're not losing anything by lowering the input volume as far as I know..................

 

[hp4fun]

Its not necessarily a power thing. The HE6SE and most hifiman are fairly neutral headphones, so they will present the flavor of your amp's characteristics too. If you have a warm amp, these will sound warmer. If you have a bright amp, these will sound brighter.

Lets not forget, Hifiman recommends (not requires) just 2 Watts at 50 Ohms. Dont get carried away with the power ratings.

Yeah. For those who play race car games (or the real race car), power, handle, and accelerations are the things you pay big bucks. Simply mentioning power rating does not help (unless you race only in a straight track?).

 

[hp4fun]

Thanks. Am I compromising sq by lowering source volume? To be more specific, I’m running Roon > Squeezebox Touch > A-100 with the jumpers. Kind of a budget setup but will adding the Bifrost 2 whenever they decide to ship the thing. Anyways, if I put the squeezebox on fixed volume, HE6SE is deafening with a very slight turn of the knob. I kind of f’d up my left ear, it hurts now lol. Anyway, if I turn the volume on squeezebox down to like 75-80, I obviously get much more play on the amp and it sounds fine, just want to know I guess scientifically if I’m losing detail/dynamics etc by doing that

Generally no, unless your units' impedances do not match each other. Also it can introduce more ground loop issue or external noise (e.g., noise from preamp being "passed" to the amp).

 

[antdroid]

@Uncle00Jesse You can set a DSP for Headroom Adjustment in Roon directly. It'll upscale to lower the volume, so you wont lose too much in bits.

Adding a preamp or passive preamp would be another option. But turning down digital volume wont be a big deal unless you're using low bitrate music.

 

[Uncle00Jesse]

@antdroid awesome thanks! I’ll try that. Is this akin to lowering the pre-gain with APO/Peace computer EQ but just in roon?
Didn’t even think of using a preamp. I have an old Lyr that I believe can be used as a preamp. How does volume control work in that case? Do you max the amp volume and use the preamp to control, or is it a balance?

 

[antdroid]

@antdroid awesome thanks! I’ll try that. Is this akin to lowering the pre-gain with APO/Peace computer EQ but just in roon?
Didn’t even think of using a preamp. I have an old Lyr that I believe can be used as a preamp. How does volume control work in that case? Do you max the amp volume and use the preamp to control, or is it a balance?

Yes, essentially, but Im not sure if APO does the bitrate upscaling first like Roon does. If you have to reduce a lot though, then you may lose enough "resolution" for it to matter.

 

[DuncanDirkDick]

APO should come later in the audio stack so upscaling is done first

 

[KamijoIsMyHero]

So I finally got around to getting an ADCOM 545 II ...

That bass is live WOW first time I ever felt a hifiman rumble with rolling drums. The details are wild too.

@ksorota thank you 100 times over for the recommendation

 

[hp4fun]

So I finally got around to getting an ADCOM 545 II ...

That bass is live WOW first time I ever felt a hifiman rumble with rolling drums. The details are wild too.

@ksorota thank you 100 times over for the recommendation

Depending on your taste, adding a tube preamp can be wow^2.

 

[KamijoIsMyHero]

Depending on your taste, adding a tube preamp can be wow^2.

I was just thinking about trying the saga+ actually

 

[ksorota]

I was just thinking about trying the saga+ actually

Saga+ 545ii was my favorite combo with HE6se!!

 

[hp4fun]

I was just thinking about trying the saga+ actually

That is exactly my setup

Well, not exactly -- I used Adcom 545 (the first gen). There are discussions about the pros and cons between 545 and 545 II. One advantage of 545 II is the automatic DC bias adjustment. I saw posts about the DC bias being larger than 500mV for 545, which can harm HE6SE a lot. That said, some believe the 545 has a better sound.

Also it depends on the tube you use for the Saga+. I ended up with 5692 but I am sure there are better options.