[shisnitty]

So I got the JDS CD5 and it recommended that I set the player to 75% volume on my laptop, which I assume is itunes. Does this actually do anything or would setting it to 100% volume on itunes work better and then control volume through my amp?

 

[ClieOS]

I think what JDS means is that you should set your volume 75% or over. Setting volume too low on the PC might eat into your bit depth and reduce resolution, so that's what you want to avoid. Higher is generally preferred, 100% should be fine.

 

[proton007]

^^
Yes, digital volume is directly related to the bid depth. Its not only the volume thats changing, the difference between softest and loudest sounds also varies.

 

[altendky]

In some cases, 100% is bad. For example, with a 0db disc my head unit starts clipping when you pass 30 out of 35. Why would they do this? Because most recordings don't reach 0db and many don't get close (at least for much of the recording) so you need to be able to turn the volume up to maintain the desired output level. Also, if you do any eq or effects you need some headroom to avoid clipping.

Of course, this is device, recording, and usage specific so the trade off against the loss of bit depth doesn't have a single answer for all cases.

 

[Paco62]

This could just be my paranoia, but I have always shied away from putting my player volume at 100% when using an amp.  I usually keep it a notch or two below 100% because I always thought that could lead to distortion (completely possilbe that I am way wrong on that theory).  For example, I have used an E7 and currently E17 with an auxilary input from my Android phone to the DAC/AMP (understanding that it is not utilizing the DAC).  I keep my phone volume two notches from 100% and adjust the FiiO accordingly.