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[Grave]

.

 

[Deleted member 65]

Here's what I do:

DAC @ 0dB (Max), Computer SW (Roon) @ Fixed volume i.e. Max. Volume controlled by my integrated amp.

Edit: Headroom Management (prevent clipping) in Roon: Not enabled.

 

[RayDunzl]

You should use replaygain in order to avoid clipping.

Clipping where?

*looks at ReplayGain...

"Audio is generally recorded such that the loudest sounds don't clip, but the use of ReplayGain can cause clipping if the average volume of a song is below the target level."

 

[Grave]

Clipping where?

*looks at ReplayGain...

"Audio is generally recorded such that the loudest sounds don't clip, but the use of ReplayGain can cause clipping if the average volume of a song is below the target level."

Is not audio generally recorded such that the loudest sounds do clip? (horrific recording quality)

I assume that the "prevent clipping according to peak" setting prevents replaygain from making the audio too loud.

 

[Deleted member 65]

Clipping where?

*looks at ReplayGain...

"Audio is generally recorded such that the loudest sounds don't clip, but the use of ReplayGain can cause clipping if the average volume of a song is below the target level."

May refer to Intersample Peaks, but what do I know ...

 

[Deleted member 65]

 

[Grave]

Aren't those settings doing nothing because it is disabled?

I see replaygain values of up to -12 dB (yikes) in my music library, so that might be a good value to use.

I turn up the deep bass of my Sennheisers by 7 dB, but the equalizer also turns down the overall volume by 7 dB in order to prevent clipping.

 

[Deleted member 65]

Aren't those settings doing nothing because it is disabled?

I see replaygain values of up to -12 dB (yikes) in my music library, so that might be a good value to use.

I turn up the deep bass of my Sennheisers by 7 dB, but the equalizer also turns down the overall volume by 7 dB in order to prevent clipping.

Yes they are since they are disabled! Most of my DAC's are able to handle ~+2 dB's Intersample Peaks therefore not needed.

 

[bennetng]

In case of RG and clipping, I wrote something about it, please read the whole thread until the end.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ble-intersample-clipping-test.2231/post-60801
https://forum.cockos.com/showpost.php?p=2001665&postcount=30

Some important differences between RG and volume control are:
[1] RG is performed within the playback software and independent of audio device driver and APIs like ASIO and WASAPI.
[2] RG supports floating point operation and won't clip or compress values beyond maximum level (+/- 1.0). Regardless of the DAC chip itself is 24-bit or 32-bit, it is not working in floating point. Regardless of the effect is audible or not, values beyond +/-1.0 will be clipped by direct fixed-point conversion if not attenuated.
[3] RG stores metadata in per file and per album and the metadata are user-editable, which means users can customize the volume of each file and each album to their preferences and don't need to adjust the volume level manually each time during playback.

@Grave
I remember you quite respect NwAvGuy and JDS Labs, see what they said:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...review-of-jds-labs-usb-ol-dac.2244/post-61171

See page 4:
https://www.jdslabs.com/pdf/instructions-el-dac.pdf

For maximum signal fdelity, set the DAC to 24-bit audio and adjust digital volume slightly below 100% at your computer. Only control volume from your amplifer.

You can also see the IMD+N vs level tests in Amir's tests, it is not uncommon to see increased distortion when the level is above for example -5dB in many products.

Overloads caused by digital reasons should be avoided by using RG and/or digital volume control. Analog volume controls cannot deal with them. When the data are converted to analog, using analog volume control or not IMO is a matter of taste.

 

[Grave]

So as long as you are using replaygain or digital volume control to turn down the volume then you should be good.