Audirvana volume control questions

The volume adjustment slider bar in Audirvana 3.5 is certainly convenient.

Is there any negative impact to sound quality if using the volume adjustment slider?

If so, is there a way to not have the volume bar displayed on the screen?

In the options there is a selection to either use the keyboard volume controls or not. Regardless of how I set this option I cannot seem to control the output volume using the keyboard. I must still use the volume adjustment slider bar on the screen. Is it possible to adjust the playback volume using the keyboard?

Thanks,
Steve

Of course. With few exceptions, digital volume control leads to resolution degradation.

How can I turn it off?

Hello @dsjackso1, i think the best way to advise about whether or not the software volume control is better activated or not is to try by your self. You can run a test by deactivate it in the Audio Volume section in the Audio settings for your DAC in Audirvana and turn your volume in your DAC to the max you want to be and then reactivate it to listen to the difference.

Hello Damien,

I’ve tried that and no matter on or off the volume can still be controlled by Audirvana’s bar. Is there a way to deactivate the audirvana’s volume control?

Hello @Another_Audiophile, When you deactivate the volume control the bar you see is in fact the volume of your computer. This feature is a default feature from Audirvana since some DAC doesn’t allow software volume control.

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Hello @Antoine So I guess in terms of SQ it would be better to keep it in max and control the volume from my amplifier?

In fact it’s the opposite. It’s better to keep the maximum volume you want of your DAC and then enable Software Volume control since it wont exceed what you putted on your DAC. You must be aware that the software volume control is generally better than the one on your DAC.

That’s interesting because my DAC it is just a DAC without volume control.

That depends on the volume control implementation in a specific DAC.

It’s safe to say that software volume control usually introduces sound quality degradation. Whether you’ll be able to notice a difference is another matter.

If your DAC has volume control it’s best left to the DAC to control the volume, as a general rule. If it doesn’t, run it at full volume for best sound quality. Unless you’re after convenience, then it makes sense to use software volume control.

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I have always heard you keep digital line voltage at 0db, so the software screws with the original information as little a possible. Then, you want no volume controls on your DAC. The you run some form of transformer volume control. Is this not the best way?

One thing that I am not understanding is the changes of the processing with toggling the software volume control on max sound much warmer and darker. With it off, it sounds more detailed but thinner and a little harsh with a little break up on top. I kind of thought these would sound the same, but they are very different. What exactly is going on?

By the way what happened to the Milot code, software based volume control, which was promised to be added later on ?

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