[Monsterzero]

Try a different outlet in an entirely different room. Try different cables too.

 

[VocaloidDude]

I ordered a volume control pre-amp. I think I understand what the problem is. With my headphone amp the power is just fine, and with my old amplifier, the shittier one, the amp100, I didn't have this problem. I can turn up the volume all the way in the desktop and all the way on my headphone amp and there's a very low noise floor, I have to turn up the volume quite high and well past comfortable listening levels to hear the noise floor. So, the reason why the Rega Brio is distorting everything and making the noise floor super high, is because it's over powered. Just a small bump of the volume brings it up to average listening levels. The pre-amp will feed it less power, so I can turn up the volume in Foobar all the way, and turn up the signal from the computer higher when it runs into my amp, which will reduce the noise floor, which isn't a problem for my HDVA600 or amp100.

Let's hope this works in theory. If not I'll have to figure out what to do about the Rega Brio, which is a brilliant amp, but very overpowered for this setup. I'm guessing the pre-amp will fix the problem though.

 

[buke9]

For me I turn the computer volume to max and adjust everything from my amps after that .

 

[VocaloidDude]

For me I turn the computer volume to max and adjust everything from my amps after that .

The Brio gives max listening volume after just a nudge. It needs a pre-amp.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I should add, I do not get the volume distort on my headphone amp, only on the Brio. I'm thinking I'll definitely want to try a pre-amp with volume knob for these things.

If it's all happening only on the speaker amp and not on the headphone amp then why are you suspecting the DAC or the source? That amp is probably broken.

And no, a preamp will not help that problem. What a preamp does is control the volume, either with a passive preamp that just attenuates the input signal, or an active preamp that boosts the signal at the cost of a little bit more noise (that might be offset by not cranking up the amp to the point where it becomes the noise source), so in all likelihood, a preamp can just add even more noise.

 

[VocaloidDude]

If it's all happening only on the speaker amp and not on the headphone amp then why are you suspecting the DAC or the source? That amp is probably broken.

And no, a preamp will not help that problem. What a preamp does is control the volume, either with a passive preamp that just attenuates the input signal, or an active preamp that boosts the signal at the cost of a little bit more noise (that might be offset by not cranking up the amp to the point where it becomes the noise source), so in all likelihood, a preamp can just add even more noise.

I really doubt that amp is broken. If the preamp adds noise, Schiit has a 15 day return policy. I highly doubt that it will though, considering it's distorting the signal going into the speakers because the amp is too strong for these particular speakers. It may be these speakers which distort the signal, and the amp may just be too powerful for the speakers. I'm not sure which is the weak link, the speakers, the signal, or the amp, but I'm guessing it's because the signal isn't that clean, the speakers can't handle the strength of the amplifier, and the amplifier itself is just too strong for my current speakers which fortunately I am replacing soon.

If the signal is less strong going into the amp, but still turned all the way up on the computer, the noise floor should be lowered. The noise floor is only high when the volume on the computer is way down.

 

[VocaloidDude]

I SOLVED THE PROBLEM! It was the input all along. There's different inputs for different functions. Input 1 is for high output magnet cartridges or something, inputs 2-5 are for CD players, streamers, and things of that nature. The sound is crystal clear now and there is no problem whatsoever. The problem has been solved, a fabled victory!