Turn up which volume ?
Oct 31, 2002 at 6:17 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 9

TimS

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When I connect my amp to a soundcard (Audigy at the moment), which volume am I supposed to turn up ? On the PC side I got master volume and wave audio volume, and I of course got the volume knob on the amp. Which settings should be fixed, and which control should I use to really adjust the volume ? Is there any combination of settings that would improve sound or minimize noise/hiss ?

Thanks,
Tim
 
Oct 31, 2002 at 6:27 PM Post #2 of 9
Just found out that when I i.e. turn the volume on my Audigy up 100% and then turn the amps volume down, all bass sounds completely broken. Like noise, totally distorted. Guess none of the amps should be running at full volume otherwise I get distortion/clipping etc. somewhere in the chain...
 
Oct 31, 2002 at 6:43 PM Post #3 of 9
Theoretically full volume with both master and wave controller is best: you get maximum signal/noise ratio for the signals which the amp has to deal with. But if you have any sound controllers on your soundcard increased, especially the bass control, the sound is easily distorted due to digital oversaturation. If that's not the case, the output stage of the soundcard's amp is too weak and must be taken into consideration insofar as the master volume has to be decreased until the sound is clean.
 
Nov 1, 2002 at 12:04 AM Post #4 of 9
Tim
I've been run my Corda HA-1 connected to a Philips soundcard that surely is not any better than your Audigy and have not had problems having it at full volume, which is ideal. I don't think the amp is responsible for the problem here. You may want to try some experiements with your soundcard--upgrade drivers, try a different slot, etc.
 
Nov 1, 2002 at 12:32 AM Post #5 of 9
JaZZ:
If I turn up the soundcard to 100% and then use the amp to control the volume I get an absolutely distorted sound, it's unbearable. I think the Audigy just can't handle the full volume.I'm currently having Master/Wave at 50% and that sound fine.

kelly:
Sure! It's not the amps fault! The soundcard just outputs distorted garbage when set to very high output levels. Appearently it's better to leave the volume gain to the amp.

I currently have my Audigy to 50% volume, and my Corda amp somehwere between 25% and 75%. Gives a good distortion and hiss free listening level. Guess I'll stick to that.

greets,
Tim
 
Nov 2, 2002 at 7:01 AM Post #7 of 9
I have my Audigy turned to the max volume in the "play control" mixer and my sound running out the digital audio optical out on the front of my PC to my receiver, then the 'tape out' runs to my amp.
If you have to plug the amp into the soundcard directly, I would suggest using the 'line out' on the card, then adjust the volume on the amp itself.
 
Nov 2, 2002 at 10:15 AM Post #8 of 9
It's possible that the Audigy's digital zero is somewhere at 50 or 70%, not 100. Try to find this out by reading the user manual. It would nevertheless be favorable to set the controls to the maximum undistorted level.
 
Nov 2, 2002 at 11:16 AM Post #9 of 9
The ideal is to run everything at moderate levels, usually close to 50%. I wouldn't crank either above 75% if at all possible. If you need to go above that, it might be time for some new components, card, amp, speakers, phones etc. Or learn to listen at more moderate levels.
 

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