Posted August 7, 2016 So I just bought myself a FiiO Q1 portable DAC/AMP combo to go with my DT770 Pro 80 Ohms (pls don't hurt me as it wasn't on the suggested LTT list :P). I have it connected via USB but I realized I am able to change the volume of the headphones not just via the FiiO, but also through Windows and Tidal...How is this happening when the mobo's amp is not being utilised...? What's actually increasing the volume on the PC side of things? Also, does it matter what settings I select in Windows in terms of formats? I disabled them and it didn't change anything..when are they utilised? Thanks I don't like 2D games...I just couldn't get into them.. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted August 7, 2016 You are just increasing volume on the software side of things. Just keep those at 100% and change the volume from the DAC physically. Headphones: Spoiler Sony MDR V6 (DT 250 pads), restored 1987 AKG K240M 600ohm (Cosmos pads with dt250 filters), AKG K7XX, Beyerdynamic DT990 pro 250 ohm, Bose Ae2 & Sony MDR v150. All off of a Bravo V2 shuguang tube, Little Dot mkII with GE JAN 5654 tubes, a CEntrance Dacport slim and a UCA222. PC: Spoiler CPU i7 6700k Motherboard Asus Z170s RAM Crucial Ballistix (white) GPU Asus 1070 Strix OC Case Phanteks P400 Storage Samsung 850 pro, Seagate barracuda 1tb PSU Evga G1 650W (regret) Display(s) Samsung S22D300 21.5" 1920x1080 60hz 5ms & ASUS PB277Q 27" 2560x1440 75Hz 1ms Cooling Deepcool Captain 240EX white Keyboard Logitech G810 Mouse Logitech G502 Operating System Windows 10 (switching to linux soon) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted August 7, 2016 Well, that's becuase Windows is still capable of controlling the volume it outputs via the USB. The Windows volume control doesn't care what it controls; it just do. And I guess Tidal is the same way. My recommendation would be to just leave Tidal and Windows at 100% volume and then control the volume via the Q1. You are more than likely not going to use any of those formats, but it doesn't hurt having them turned on. Nova doctrina terribilis sit perdere Audio format guides: Vinyl records | Cassette tapes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted August 7, 2016 Author 4 minutes ago, Volbet said: Well, that's becuase Windows is still capable of controlling the volume it outputs via the USB. The Windows volume control doesn't care what it controls; it just do. And I guess Tidal is the same way. My recommendation would be to just leave Tidal and Windows at 100% volume and then control the volume via the Q1. You are more than likely not going to use any of those formats, but it doesn't hurt having them turned on. But how can Windows increase the volume of a digital signal..? I thought only an amp is capable of that once turned from digital to analogue.... I don't like 2D games...I just couldn't get into them.. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted August 7, 2016 4 minutes ago, AstroBenny said: But how can Windows increase the volume of a digital signal..? I thought only an amp is capable of that once turned from digital to analogue.... It's adjusting the volume before outputting so it's still a digital signal at that point which is not a problem. CPU: i7 5820K 4.0GHz @1.15V | MOBO: Asus X99 Sabertooth | GPU: Gigabyte Windforce GTX 980Ti, LTT Orange | CASE: NZXT H440 Black 2015 | COOLER: Noctua NH-D15S w/ LTT Fans | RAM: 32GB Patriot 3000MHz | STORAGE: 512GB Samsung 950 Pro, 960GB Sandisk Ultra II 3 x 8TB Seagate HDD's | PSU: 750W Seasonic X series, black / orange cablemod cables| Monitors: 3x Asus VX24AH's | AUDIO OUT: Microlab SOLO 8C, Sennheiser HD 650's, Audio engine D1 Amp / DAC | AUDIO IN: Blue Snowball | Keyboard: CM Storm QuickFire TK MX Green | Mouse: Logitech G900 Proteus Spectrum + RSI Extended Mouse Pad | PCPP Link: http://nz.pcpartpicker.com/list/hPjFd6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted August 7, 2016 Author Just now, Str_Mape said: It's adjusting the volume before outputting so it's still a digital signal at that point. How? It's just 1010101110100. How can that be increased volume wise I don't like 2D games...I just couldn't get into them.. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted August 7, 2016 2 minutes ago, AstroBenny said: How? It's just 1010101110100. How can that be increased volume wise It's the power being givin to the DAC/AMP. Think of it kinda like giving extra power to a light bulb. It will get brighter, giving it less will make it more dim. Headphones: Spoiler Sony MDR V6 (DT 250 pads), restored 1987 AKG K240M 600ohm (Cosmos pads with dt250 filters), AKG K7XX, Beyerdynamic DT990 pro 250 ohm, Bose Ae2 & Sony MDR v150. All off of a Bravo V2 shuguang tube, Little Dot mkII with GE JAN 5654 tubes, a CEntrance Dacport slim and a UCA222. PC: Spoiler CPU i7 6700k Motherboard Asus Z170s RAM Crucial Ballistix (white) GPU Asus 1070 Strix OC Case Phanteks P400 Storage Samsung 850 pro, Seagate barracuda 1tb PSU Evga G1 650W (regret) Display(s) Samsung S22D300 21.5" 1920x1080 60hz 5ms & ASUS PB277Q 27" 2560x1440 75Hz 1ms Cooling Deepcool Captain 240EX white Keyboard Logitech G810 Mouse Logitech G502 Operating System Windows 10 (switching to linux soon) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted August 7, 2016 2 minutes ago, AstroBenny said: How? It's just 1010101110100. How can that be increased volume wise Think of your DAC as speakers before your speakers. Windows is controlling the volume sent to your DAC, and your DAC is controlling the volume sent to your speakers/headphones. Spoiler I7 4790K @4.5 Ghz 1.294V VALIDATION, MSI Z97 Gaming 7, 24GB DDR3 1600, Asus Strix 1070 8GB OC@ 2.2Ghz, Corsair graphite series 760T (Black), Cooler master V850, NH-D15 w/LNA ,1TB Samsung 850 Evo, 480GB Sandisk Ultra II SSD, 3TB Seagate Barracuda x 3, 1 TB WD Passport (Backup drive), 2 TB WD Passport (Backup Drive 2), Windows 10 Pro x64 (uhg), Logitech G900 Chaos (Main), Steelseries Rival (FADE) (Courtesy of Edzel Yago, Thanks Ed), Steelsieres Rival 300 Hyperbeast Special Edition, Coolermaster Quickfire TKL (MX Blue), Razer Blackwidow Tournament edition (Greens). Audio: Sennheiser HD598 SE, Edifier S1000DB, AudioEngine D1 DAC; Yamaha MG06X Mixer & AudioTechnica AT2020. Phones; Daily drivers: Nexus 6P 64GB/iPhone 6 (Music), Apple Watch, Apple AirPods. Laptop: 2015 Macbook Pro 13, 8GB of RAM, 2.7Ghz i5, 240GB Apple SSD. Spoiler Plex Server: i7 3770, Gigabyte Board, 16GB DDR3 1600, Asus Strix GTX 1050ti 4GB, 120GB SSD Boot Drive, 8 x 3TB Seagate Barracuda, Rosewill RSV-R4000 With 2 Rosewill Hot Swap 4x Backplane Bays, 1050 Watt Corsair HX Series PSU,Hyper T2, Windows 10 Pro I also do Youtube, check me out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted August 7, 2016 Author So there's a voltage change going to the FiiO when changing Windows Volume? I don't like 2D games...I just couldn't get into them.. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted August 7, 2016 1 minute ago, Pauleh said: It's the power being givin to the DAC/AMP. That would be an analogue signal - So not really correct, at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted August 7, 2016 8 minutes ago, AstroBenny said: How? It's just 1010101110100. How can that be increased volume wise Becuase those binary numbers help the DAC determin how much voltage it has to output to the amp. When you lower the volume in WIndows it fiddles around with the audio stream and thereby lowers the volume. This is also why there is a hugh debate on analog vs. digital volume controle, since digital volume control can theoretically introduce noise into the audio signal. But only flying rodents will be able to pick that noise up, so I wouldn't worry about it. Nova doctrina terribilis sit perdere Audio format guides: Vinyl records | Cassette tapes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted August 7, 2016 Windows can remix your signal to the AMP/DAC, and as part of that it has the capability to adjust the volume. You can even mix 7.1 audio to 2-channel through windows before output if you really wanted to. Think of Windows as a very advanced equalizer, or pre-amp if you want to compare to an analogue setup. It's not a pass-through as I suspect you think it is, if it was it would pass the digital file off to the DAC for processing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted August 8, 2016 Windows changes the level of the digital signal to some fraction of 1. A digital signal is just an amplitude of a certain frequency. Audio Reference • Cutting the Crap • 7.1 Headphones? • Audio Interference Troubleshooting GuideREVIEWS • HiFiMan HE-560 • Beyerdynamic T1 2. Generation • Schiit Bifrost 4490 • Schiit Valhalla 2RECOMMENDATIONS • The Audio Board's Recommended Gear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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