Bottlehead Kits > S.E.X. Kit

Help me understand gain and volume control

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tlm:
I've been considering upgrading my SEX amp to a Stereomour II but just tried an experiment that left me puzzled. I  run a Mac mini to  a DAC with 2.0v output into the sex amp and use the amps volume control. I usually listen with the control at about the 9 o'clock position, turn up to 10 or 12 when I want more oomph but I don't think I gain much after that up to full volume. Today I set up the Audirvana software volume control and ran the sex amp wide open. It SEEMS to have a lot more volume and dynamics and gets louder all the way to the end instead of running out of steam halfway through the volume control. Is it just my imagination that using the software volume gives me more dynamics and volume capability?

2wo:
Probably not your imagination. It's likely Your new setup Simply Outputs more voltage than the probability nominal 2v of your last setup... John

tlm:
Same DAC, same interconnects, the only change is enabling volume control in audirvana and using it instead of the amps volume control.

Paul Joppa:
In that case, there should not be any difference in the maximum output. But the relation between the rotation of the potentiometer and the sound level will be different.

Your description suggests the possibility that you have somehow gotten linear pots instead of "logarithmic" pots. An easy check is to set the pot in the center of its range and check the resistance between the center lug and each end lug of one section. Ideally a log pot will read around 10K and 90k, while a linear pot will read around 50K each way.

tlm:
Thanks Paul! I checked the pot and it is a  log pot. The extra dynamics may be my imagination but I don’t think the volume is. I just noticed that when I set Audirvāna up to control the volume the 24/96 file I am playing goes out to the DAC  at  a higher rate.  Appears that the software upsamples before applying the volume control, could this be the reason for higher volume?  I have been running the volume at about 9:00 and in the software the same level appears to be -35 or so db.  -10 db is  too loud!

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