[limin]

I know there was a thread on setting the Gain on an Ultra desktop for D7000's, but I decided to start a new one seeing as how i'm talking about a different amp and different headphone.

I have a well burned in pair of k701s and a micro DAC 2006, micro amp 2005 running off USB. High gain has significantly more bass impact and better resolution in low freqs. I did a quick AB on Cannonball Adderley's "autumn leaves" and got much more impact on the double bass notes, and got a more realistic decay vs. medium gain.

On Eric B & Rakim's "I ain't no joke", the bass had significantly more extension on high gain that was simply missing from the medium gain setting, in addition to improvements to impact.

Has anyone else experienced this effect (is it supposed to be this way)? For me, the medium gain really does not begin to explore the level of bass impact and extension the k701's are capable of, while on high, they do quite well. If this effect is legitimate, what about high gain causes improved low frequency performance?

 

[3602]

Pretty much it. Lower gains have the circuit passed through caps and resistors... IMO high gain passes through none of these things. I have a Total AirHead, and yes, high gain has better details, resolution, and bass impact.

EDIT: But less fine volume control. Your call.

 

[Anonanimal]

As I don't know the exact topology of the Micro Amp, please feel free to step in and correct me. I'm pretty sure that the different gains are all controlled by separate resistor/cap networks- i.e. it's not that high gain passes through NO resistor/caps, but that it passes through different ones to allow more power to your headphones. IMO what you're probably hearing on your K701 is the perceived effect of more detail, better bass, etc. from the fact that they may be playing a bit louder, even if you think you're matching output levels.

But like I said, this is just my opinion based on my minimal amp circuit knowledge and I could be completely wrong.

 

[aimlink]

I'm not convinced there's a difference with my Ultra Micro and Ultra Desktop amps. Each time I readjust the volume, it seems OK.

I tend to use a lower gain so that I can get the volume knob up. Apparently there are small, though probably significant issues with volume mismatch when the potentiometer is not too far above minimum?

 

[midoo1990]

I use it on high gain at around 7 or 7.30 clock,and when I switch to medium gain,I don't know if it is my mind or what,bit I feel that the bass slam and overall sound is slighlty slighlty thinner.I am not sure at all,it's probably my head,but the volume mismatch that aimlink is talking about sometimes drive me crazy.I like to listen to low volume on high gain and there is channel imbalance,the sound comes from only the right side and the left no sound except when I turn the volume slighlty up.is this common?

 

[3602]

All volume pots have this imbalance issue.

 

[limin]

does gain change the amount of "current" or the amplitude of the current or neither? I suppose with the k701's being low sensitivity and gain changes the amount of current flowing, that woud have some sort of impact right?

 

[Anonanimal]

Gain - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"...Thus, the term gain on its own is ambiguous. For example, "a gain of five" may imply that either the voltage, current or the power is increased by a factor of five, although most often this will mean a voltage gain of five for audio and general purpose amplifiers, especially operational amplifiers, but a power gain for RF amplifiers, and for directional aerials will refer to a signal power change compared with a simple dipole..."