Adam T5V Volume Concern

[wacomme]

I have a pair of Adam T5V on my desk connected with balanced cabling to a Topping L50 amp and SMSL DO1000 dac. The monitors run passthrough to the L50 and I control volume via the dac. I run EQ on my Mac via HLConvolver and Blackhole. For 95% of my listening the volume is good, but if I want to crank the volume when the neighbors are gone I'm lacking volume. Is there something I can do to get more volume from the Adam monitors?

When listening via headphones, and thus using the L50 amp, I have adequate volume.

Michael

 

[antcollinet]

What setting do you have on the gain switch (I can't find the info - does the gain impact the pass-through connections?)

EDIT - never mind it is a power off pass through only.


What about the volume/gain setting on the back of the speakers?


EDIT again - specs say speaker input sensitivity on balanced should be 4dBu = about 1.25V. Your Dac should easily be driving this (assuming they've correctly specified the input sensitivity as the voltage needed for rated power). So back to the volume pot setting.

 

[wacomme]

I have the volume on the back of the monitors set to neutral or middle setting, slightly adjusted so the sound is balanced using REW.

 

[antcollinet]

OK - so you have some 18dB of potentially increased volume by playing with those. My only caution though is that if the sensitivity spec of the speaker is correct then it should be possible to drive them to full power with about 1.25V. Your Dac should be outputting much more than that - so it is possible your "not quite loud enough" is all the speakers can do.

Though they are also specified as 106dB at 1m - which should be pretty loud nearfield. What is your listening position?

In any case, you could try turning up the gain on the back and just listen for any distortion. As long as you don't get any, it should be OK.

 

[wacomme]

Would the Topping L70 amp with its preamp add volume to the monitors vs the passthrough I currently have?

 

[antcollinet]

Would the Topping L70 amp with its preamp add volume to the monitors vs the passthrough I currently have?

The only way to increase the volume is to add gain to the signal before it hits the amp in your speakers. You can do that externally with a preamp - or by turning up the volume on the speaker. The effect will be the same.

However, if the speaker amp is already at maximum, then all you can do is drive it into clipping (distortion).

I haven't checked - but I'd guess the L70 (like the L50) doesn't apply gain to the pass through signals.

 

[abdo123]

I run EQ on my Mac via HLConvolver and Blackhole.

Are you using negative gain to prevent digital clipping? then maybe you should stop doing that and try to use only negative gain EQ in your correction to get whatever headroom you sacrificed back.

 

[wacomme]

The L70 does have a preamp. My EQ software (HLConvolver) reduces the volume (gain?) quite a bit (about 17 dB) - EQ calculated using REW measurements. Thus, I'm thinking the L70 with its preamp would help compensate for the EQ hit.

I'm was thinking of replacing my L50 on my desk with the A30Pro. But now that the L70 is available, with a preamp, I might go that route instead. I'll likely repurpose the L50 as a headphone amp at work.

 

[antcollinet]

The L70 does have a preamp. My EQ software (HLConvolver) reduces the volume (gain?) quite a bit (about 17 dB) - EQ calculated using REW measurements. Thus, I'm thinking the L70 with its preamp would help compensate for the EQ hit.

I'm was thinking of replacing my L50 on my desk with the A30Pro. But now that the L70 is available, with a preamp, I might go that route instead. I'll likely repurpose the L50 as a headphone amp at work.

You seem to be resisting turning up the dials on the speakers. Not sure why, but you should at least test it, since if this doesn't increase the volume without distortion, then neither will any amount of pre-amplification.

It is also much cheaper than an L70 , as would be fixing the -17dB (almost quartering the perceived volume) on the EQ if you can.

If I were you, I'd also be checking analogue levels with a meter if you can borrow one, so you are determining cause of the problem that you can then fix purposefully - rather than by potentially expensive trial and error.

Finally - if you are spending £$400 on the L70 - just to solve the volume issue, might you not be better off putting that money towards bigger and more powerful speakers?

 

[wacomme]

You seem to be resisting turning up the dials on the speakers. Not sure why, but you should at least test it, since if this doesn't increase the volume without distortion, then neither will any amount of pre-amplification.

It is also much cheaper than an L70 , as would be fixing the -17dB (almost quartering the perceived volume) on the EQ if you can.

If I were you, I'd also be checking analogue levels with a meter if you can borrow one, so you are determining cause of the problem that you can then fix purposefully - rather than by potentially expensive trial and error.

Finally - if you are spending £$400 on the L70 - just to solve the volume issue, might you not be better off putting that money towards bigger and more powerful speakers?

You're right. I need to do some experimenting before throwing money and power at the problem. However, I want an amp/dac for work, so repurposing my current amp for work and buying the L70 is an option; I wouldn't mind having a little more headphone volume too, though that, too, is likely due to my EQ settings.

I also do not "need" the additional volume. My ears will thank you. Now, for the living room speakers, bigger and more powerful speakers are a good idea.

 

[Deleted member 60987]

I have a pair of Adam T5V on my desk connected with balanced cabling to a Topping L50 amp and SMSL DO1000 dac. The monitors run passthrough to the L50 and I control volume via the dac. I run EQ on my Mac via HLConvolver and Blackhole. For 95% of my listening the volume is good, but if I want to crank the volume when the neighbors are gone I'm lacking volume. Is there something I can do to get more volume from the Adam monitors?

When listening via headphones, and thus using the L50 amp, I have adequate volume.

Michael

Get T7V. Is it a good idea to push them more than they want to go?

 

[TheZebraKilledDarwin]

The L70 does have a preamp. My EQ software (HLConvolver) reduces the volume (gain?) quite a bit (about 17 dB) - EQ calculated using REW measurements. Thus, I'm thinking the L70 with its preamp would help compensate for the EQ hit.

Is the EQ boosting low frequencies?