I have recently pulled the DAC from my main system into the living room and grabbed a headphone amp to make a little listening spot.
Only issue Iām finding is the amp appears to have a bit much grunt for the headphones Iām using and am barely able to touch the volume pot when running them balanced.
Iāve always just left the output from AudirvÄna locked when using it with my main system but was wondering if lowering the output in the app so I can use more of the volume pot on my amp will bring about any unwelcome effects to the sound quality.
If possible, keep the volume on your computer or software at 100 or the highest possible. and then to adjust the volume output of the hardware To get the best experience and quality.
Thank you for the reply. I will read that link when I get some time later this evening.
From what you have said though it sounds like my initial thoughts were the right ones. Doesnāt help that my headphones are pretty sensitive and my DAC doesnāt have any level controls.
Audirvanaās software volume control is a very good one, it applies anti-aliasing, itās well-refined. In my lstening experience, I use it for headphones because my headphone amp (iFi Zen) has an anologic knob, which is unreliable at low volume. So I use Audirvanaās software volume, especially for very quiet listening sessions, and itās flawless to my ears. And itās more convenient since I can toggle it with Audirvana Remote ^^
Some people will disagree, because when it comes to high fidelity, āhighā fiedlity isnāt enough, but for me itās high enough haha
My ifi Zen DAC has excellent, well balanced sound, at all levels. from the really quiet ( though rarely used! ) to the rather loud.
Also, you must have a very long headphone cable if you need a remote to turn the volume up
Well, either youāre very lucky or donāt really listen at very low volume, because when I told them I had this issue, they answered it was a design flaw of analog volume knobs (and I donāt mind since Iām aware Iām regularly listening to a much lower volume than many people haha, sometimes volume 1 on TV speakers is too loud for my taste). Sound gets also distorted after reaching the second half (Iām not using āpower matchā or ātrue bassā), but thatās already pretty loud for my headphones so I donāt mind either. I had my unit replaced for another issue and it behaved exactly the same (L/R unbalance at very low volume, distortion after 50% volume). And yes, itās a pretty long cable (3 metres balanced cable)
So what I do now is to let it sit at 40-45% and use Audirvanaās software volume which really doesnāt harm the quality to my ears
It is strange, I am currently listening to a track at the lowest possible volume on my Zen Dac, and balance is excellent. Also, using power match with true bass at very high levels doesnāt distort, just very loud! Though I donāt use true bass, as my phones are pretty good across all frequencies, I do use power match though, just becauseā¦
Thatās just pr talk from iFi. Channel imbalance is quite common with standard analog stereo pots on very low volumes especially when used with sensitive headphones/iems. Only the really expensive ones (like Alps pots) are more precise. I donāt think the iFi Zen DAC is in the price range to have Alps pots.
It works perfectly fine for me and Iām very happy. The topic here is Audirvanaās software volume, not the ifi Zen DAC.
off topic about Zen DAC v1
Yes I read the manual, thank you
If you look for their official support on the web (I think itās a british forum), you will find what I said (Iām too lazy to look it up again, itās past). I talked to the support directly through private message, I followed their public answers too and I visited their local antenna office. So I donāt have much doubt about what Iām saying as itās been confirmed from these āsourcesā. Bottom line : I donāt have any problem since the product fits its duty perfectly in my listening chain. I use Audirvanaās software volume and the results donāt disappoint me.
If you use Power Match (which is basically a āboostā switch), your lowest volume is way higher than my lowest volume. Also, take in account Iām using the 4.4mm balanced output, and Iām running their updated firmware (the one carrying the GTO filter). Theyāre the only reasons I can think of Or you just got a more capable unit than their factory target and thatās awesome
For distorsion, I donāt know why youāre not experiencing it. Iām using a Sennheiser HD 800 S and itās very clear, at 70% for example (without Power Match or True Bass) it sounds totally flat. Experienced on both units (v1, GTO filter, no true bass and no power match, 4.4mm).
@AndyLubke ā¦ The issue is analog volume control vs digital attenuationā¦ There are many ways to skin the analog volume control in a given deviceās amplifier topologyā¦ a Class-A amp is attenuatedā¦ In some cases the volume pot is a digital encoder controlling an analog volume control circuitā¦ If you know exactly what is being implemented in the Zen DAC, then describe where it is not living-up to the marketing rhetoricā¦
So what you will want to do whenever you listen is begin with the analog volume control lowered to listening volume for safetyās sake (your earsā and the headphonesā), then lower the Audirvana volume and increase the analog to maximum. This should give you the best sound quality - you want, as far as possible, only one volume control in the chain rather than two, so you take the analog out of the chain as much as you can by turning it to max (unless the Zen has a fixed volume setting, which would be ideal, totally removing the analog control circuit from the chain).
I donāt attenuate the Audirvana output (disabled) I send full code to the DAC and the output of my DAC feeds my dual-mono HPA via balanced interconnects (9 inch)ā¦ Never a problem at any levelā¦
EDIT: My HPA is Class-A circuitry so my āvolume controlā is an attenuatorā¦
I canāt use the software volume control because Iām connecting via UPnP/DLNA, and everything sounds lovely to me. However, this isnāt about what we like, itās about someone wanting to use Audirvanaās software volume control, so Iām providing information on how best to do that.
But (he explained patiently) if you look at the original post, we have here an Audirvana user who has a need for it because of his system, the common problem of channel imbalance at low levels in some volume pots, and his desire to listen at low volume. So we can either help him or not. I choose to help.
@Jud
To use the headphones on the NEO will you always need to change to the variable volume control?
My question is because many devices when connecting the headphones already make this change automatically.
Or you just got a more capable unit than their factory target and thatās awesome 
