[shysteve40]

Hi, Steve here, Have a quick question I just got the Focal Utopia 2022 headphones. What are the best gain settings on my Sony headphone amplifier high or low gain? Please Respond soon thanks so much.

 

[cwoo]

Start at the lowest gain setting, see how much play you have in the volume knob and how the amp responds to that setting along with the headphones. Try increasing the gain and repeating. You shouldn't hear the noise floor creeping into the headphone if the gain is reasonable nor should you hear clipping or general distortion. Rinse and repeat.

Also, listen for the changes in the sound for the better and for the worse. You'll find a gain setting that pairs nicely, doesn't have a high noise floor, and gives you reasonable dynamics.

Always set your volume knob back to zero after each change of the gain knob/switch initially to ensure you don't overdrive your headphones when you make the change.

I don't know what Sony headphone amplifier you have, nor do I own any Sony amplifiers, but the method above should work well for any amplifier.