[46and2]

I have recently upgraded from a pair of Senn HD 280 Pros to a pair of Ety Er-6i's. I run them from an iPod 30 GB photo > Sik Ram Din > Headsave Mint Vibe. I'm not sure what the gain setting is on the Vibe -- Norm told me when he built it, but I have long since lost that email. I want to say it is around 4. Anyway, with the Ety's, I don't even turn the volume knob an 1/8 th of the way up. My question is, do I need to have a lower gain amp -- am I getting the most out of this amp at such a low volume? The sound quality isn't profoundly better than directly out of the iPod. To give you an idea of how low it is turned down, if I turn the amp as low as it will go, I can still audibly make out most of the details of the music... So barely above that is comfortable listening volume. For some reason, I feel that I should be at about half-way. I have no justification for that, though.

On a side note, I'm very cautious as having an amp this powerful connectoed to IEMs might blow my head off if I accidentally touch the volume knob!

Thanks in advance for any help,

Blake

 

[Brent Hutto]

From what little I know about headphone amps, yes you ought to have the gain reduced if practical. The lower 20% or so of a volume-control pot is not particularly smooth in gradation and not particularly balanced between channels. It's ideal to use more of its range than that, even if you don't use the top 1/2 or 1/3 or whatever.

What I don't know but do suspect is that the linearity and noise performance of the amplifier may be compromised at extremely low volume settings, depending on how exactly the volume control is implemented.

Like you, I don't want anything in or on my ear that would result in damaging sound levels for a minor misadjustment of a knob. That's the most important thing IMO.

 

[nikongod]

you could also get the etymotic er4 p-s converter cable. that will let the amp keep its gain, and let you get mor eknob....

 

[46and2]

I know the op amp is socketed... maybe the gain reisitors are as well. I'll pry it open tonight and report back.