Playback volume extremely high

Connection with external Audio Devices USB DAC
1

Hello,

I just installed the trial version of Audirvana and as soon as i started playing a track, the volume was ear-piercing high. When i use itunes or vlc, i keep my speakers’ manual gain in the middle (lets say 50%) and my computer volume around 8 out of 100 (my speakers are active so i don’t have an amplifier). I tried lowering the software volume control and if i reach -40dB it’s listenable, but i can’t go any lower than that. Plus, i know it’s not supposed to work like this. I’m on Windows 10 and my setup is the following: pc>dac>speakers or pc>dac>amplifier>headphones

What is really weird is that if i set everything to normal: Audirvana at 0dB, computer 8/100, speaker gain in the middle and i use my headphones with their amplifier (at a “normal” volume), there’s no volume problem, everything sounds normal.

How can i set everything so that audirvana is at 0db, my speakers as usual and my overall volume adjusted by my computer?

ps: my dac has no volume control

Audirvana 3.5.43

SIGNAL PROCESSING:

Polarity Inversion:
	Globally: OFF
	Per track: ON
Effects plugins NOT ACTIVE

UPSAMPLING:
SoX not in use
SoX filter parameters
Bandwidth at 0dB = 99.5
Filter max length = 30000
Anti-aliasing = 100
Phase = 66

AUDIO VOLUME:
Max allowed volume: 100
Replay Gain: by album
SW volume control: ON

LIBRARY SETTINGS:
Sync list: 1 folders
AUTO: D:\Music
Library database path: C:\Users\thspa\AppData\Local\Audirvana\AudirvanaPlus\AudirvanaPlusDatabaseV2.sqlite

ACTIVE STREAMING SERVICES

=================== AUDIO DEVICE ========================

Max. memory for audio buffers: 4458MB

Local Audio Engine:WASAPI

Preferred device:
Speakers (Gungnir Gen 5)
Model UID:Speakers (Gungnir Gen 5)
UID:\?\SWD#MMDEVAPI#{0.0.0.00000000}.{f81b6acd-53c4-4e3b-99aa-fd2769331bde}#{e6327cad-dcec-4949-ae8a-991e976a79d2}

Active Sample Rate: 48kHz

Bridge settings:
Sample rate limitation: none
Sample rate switching latency: none
Limit bitdepth to 24bit: OFF
Mute during sample rate change: OFF

Selected device:
Local audio device
Speakers (Gungnir Gen 5) Manufacturer:
Model UID:Speakers (Gungnir Gen 5) UID:\?\SWD#MMDEVAPI#{0.0.0.00000000}.{f81b6acd-53c4-4e3b-99aa-fd2769331bde}#{e6327cad-dcec-4949-ae8a-991e976a79d2}

6 available sample rates up to 192000Hz
44100
48000
88200
96000
176400
192000
Volume Control
Physical: No
Virtual: No
MQA capability
Auto-detect MQA devices: Yes
Not a MQA device, user set to not MQA
DSD capability: Unhandled
Device audio channels
Preferred stereo channels L:0 R:1
Channel bitmap: Ox3, layout:
Channel 0 mapped to 0
Channel 1 mapped to 1

Audio channels in use
Number of channels: 2
Use as stereo device only: No
Simple stereo device: No

1 output streams:
Number of active channels: 2, in 1 stream(s)
Channel #0 :Stream 0 channel 0
Channel #1 :Stream 0 channel 1
2 ch Integer PCM 16bit little endian 44.1kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 24bit little endian 44.1kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 16bit little endian 48kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 24bit little endian 48kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 16bit little endian 88.2kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 24bit little endian 88.2kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 16bit little endian 96kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 24bit little endian 96kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 16bit little endian 176.4kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 24bit little endian 176.4kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 16bit little endian 192kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 24bit little endian 192kHz

Local devices found : 2
Device #0: Haut-parleurs (Realtek® Audio) Manufacturer: Model UID: Haut-parleurs (Realtek® Audio) UID: \?\SWD#MMDEVAPI#{0.0.0.00000000}.{129b227a-5188-454c-9935-430229e554c4}#{e6327cad-dcec-4949-ae8a-991e976a79d2}
Device #1: Speakers (Gungnir Gen 5) Manufacturer: Model UID: Speakers (Gungnir Gen 5) UID: \?\SWD#MMDEVAPI#{0.0.0.00000000}.{f81b6acd-53c4-4e3b-99aa-fd2769331bde}#{e6327cad-dcec-4949-ae8a-991e976a79d2}

UPnP devices found : 0

2

Hello @Captain_Goatbeard,

Before enabling Software volume control, you need to put your device at the maximum audio volume you want to use and then enable software volume control, is this what you have done?

3

By device you mean my computer? I would like to be able to control the overall volume with my computer volume. So if you mean my computer, then no, it wasn’t at 100%. It was on 8%, as with all other programs. I tried gaining down my speakers (so that they won’t explode), set my computer volume at 100% and Audirvana at 0dB but nothing really changed. The volume was normal only because the speakers were gained down. To set them as usual, i would have to set audirvana at -32dB. I also noticed that when i’m on Audirvana, my computer sound controller doesn’t change anything. From 1 to 100% it’s the same and at 0% nothing comes out.
I hope this is clear enough

4

i just noticed something interesting. i opened premiere pro to edit a video and i have the same problem. the volume is too loud (not as much as in audirvana, but still) and my computer volume doesn’t change anything. i’m starting to believe this is an asio/wasapi problem. unfortunately i don’t really know what these are and how they work, but i’ll try to solve this, at least for premiere. this is probably because of my new dac, the previous one didn’t have this problem. but it’s certainly a software problem, not hardware

5

Another update…
I fixed premiere pro by changing the audio hardware device class from ASIO to MME. I also downloaded foobar2000 and jriver to test the sound and i don’t have any problems. As for audirvana, i tried changing the DAC settings from WASAPI to ASIO and vice versa, but nothing changes. I can’t figure out why and it sure bothers me, i really like audirvana and don’t want to use jriver or foobar :joy:

6

If you disable Software volume control and you try to change the volume from your computer, do you still have the issue?

8

Unfortunately yes. However, if sound comes out of my computer’s speakers (without the dac and the monitors) it works fine, the volume is at a normal level. But even this way, i cannot adjust it with my computer’s sound lever. So there’s no way for me to control outgoing sound, unless i reduce it from the software volume control.

In case you need the reference, my dac is a Schiit Gungnir Gen 5

9

If you are using WASAPI and you try to change the volume or mute the sound in Audirvana, it’s not reflected in Windows 10?

10

If i’m using my dac and wasapi, i can adjust or mute the volume via the software volume control. From the windows volume bar i can only mute, but not adjust the volume (the bar moves upo and down but the sound remains unchanged.
Kind of the same if i use my computer’s speakers directly (without the dac and the monitors), the volume is more or less ok even with the software volume control at 0dB (not too loud) but it’s not possible to adjust the volume

I guess we’re starting to narrow down the problem!

11

I think you are mixing things a bit, when you don’t have volume control enabled in Audirvana output settings, the setting you change in Audirvana (if available) is the direct volume of the output. Do you you still have software volume control enabled in Audirvana?

13

I have WASAPI enabled, software volume control disabled and if i try to adjust the volume output by the computer, it is extremely loud and it even if i turn it up or down, the actual sound volume coming out of the speakers remains unchanged (the only impact that the windows volume has is that if i set it to 0, nothing is heard, but from 1 to 100 the actual volume stays the same, which is as said before way too loud). The only way to avoid my speakers getting burnt (and try to experiment with your instrucitons) is by lowering my speakers’ gain, but normally it should stay intact

14

Have you tried to reproduce this issue while you have selected the speaker of your computer?