[U-3C]

Hello everyone. Total noob here.

I've been wondering about a product I own, the CEntrance DACport Slim.

Originally, CEntrance claimed that to set the device for line-out configuration, the user should set the device in Low Gain and  push the volume to max. Later on, people have complained that the line-out appears too "soft," with certain posts claiming that a better configuration will be to put it on High Gain, max volume:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/771274/centrance-dacport-hd/165#post_12346481

CEntrance later made an announcement that they made a mistake, and that the device should indeed be set to High Gain.

I have barely any understanding in physics, so pardon me if my question appears stupid. Based on some of my readings, line level is a (not standardized?) strong signal used to deliver audio signal between different devices. I have also read that usually when set to line level, the dac/amp is at it's most comfortable position, and that it usually delivers the most transparent, undistorted signal it can make. Basically the closest it can do to bypass the amp if a digital out is not available.

The main reason I have been troubled is that I wonder whether CEntrance simply had a derp moment and measured/remembered their own device wrong, wrote it in the manual wrong, and has been giving out wrong advice for months (CEntrance, as far as I know, only has a few guys, and Michael Goodman, the CEO of CEntrance, is often helping out with customer support, so it's kinda hard to believe it's just some random person that was uninvolved with the design process of the device who is sitting at the phone booth , checking emails during his/her time), or if they simply changed their description on how the device works due to customer pressure and not the actual design of the device.

Can somebody kindly explain to me how line-out works/clarify any misunderstandings I may have? I don't plan to use the device's line out configuration for anything, but I am interested. When I put the device in High Gain mode, there is considerably more noise, which conflicts my understanding of how line out should be the device delivering the most clean, transparent signal it can.

Also, I might be the guy who told them to make the change, as I noticed that they started to give different advice in the discussion section for the device, so I asked them to update their quick start guide. I hope I didn't contribute to false information...






Again, sorry if I sound stupid and have completely misunderstood how things work. If I did, please correct me so I can properly behave!

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TL;DR:

Can someone please explain how line-out works, and if you have time, can you kindly look into the CEntrance DACport Slim and post your opinion on whether or not it should be used as a dac only in line-out configuration? People claim the low gain isn't strong enough for line-out, but high gain introduces a lot of noise.

Thanks for reading.

 

[dprimary]

Consumer line level is based on a nominal level of -10 dBV, the peak level is 18 to 20 dB above that. Most consumer line levels seem to be in a 2-3 volt range. I have measured as high as +15dBV on outputs. Your DAC at high gain and maximum volume falls in that range. If it noisy and or distorted at maximum volume I would back it off about a small amount to minimize the noise and distortion. You will still be in the line level range. Sometimes you run into an input that cannot handle the high level, it perfectly fine to back off the volume. 

 

[U-3C]

  Consumer line level is based on a nominal level of -10 dBV, the peak level is 18 to 20 dB above that. Most consumer line levels seem to be in a 2-3 volt range. I have measured as high as +15dBV on outputs. Your DAC at high gain and maximum volume falls in that range. If it noisy and or distorted at maximum volume I would back it off about a small amount to minimize the noise and distortion. You will still be in the line level range. Sometimes you run into an input that cannot handle the high level, it perfectly fine to back off the volume. 

 
I see.
 
To be honest, the noise floor only increases when I set the device to high gain. Increasing or decreasing the volume doesn't effect the noise at all, nor do I hear any distortion.
 
Thank you for taking the time to answer my question. Cheers!