Topping b200 low gain sounds better, but not loud enough

[NJ coffee roaster]

Recently switched to topping b200s and I find that the low gain sounds better than the high gain at equal listening levels. I don't really know why this is as they both measure with below audible level distortion, but it seems like the high gain setting is reducing the contract between loud and quiet parts of the music, making everything a more similar volume.

I am using a minidsp flex balanced as a dac/preamp and when on low gain I can't really get the volume I am looking for on certain tracks. It is my understanding that raising the gain on the minidsp will increase distortion, if I want to run the b200s on low gain and get the volume I want do I need an external XLR preamp after the minidsp or is there a way to increase its output without decreasing sound quality?

Thanks in advance for the help

 

[DVDdoug]

Recently switched to topping b200s and I find that the low gain sounds better than the high gain at equal listening levels. I don't really know why.

It's probably your imagination, especially if you don't know why...

but it seems like the high gain setting is reducing the contract between loud and quiet parts of the music, making everything a more similar volume.

That's a perception or impression but dynamic compression or limiting don't happen accidently. It requires advanced processing ...Unless you overdrive an amplifier into clipping where the peaks are clipped/limited. And in that case it's heard as distortion rather than a reduction of dynamic contrast.

With electronics, there are only 3 characteristics of "sound quality": Noise, distortion, and frequency response. (With speakers in a room it gets a bit more complicated.) Noise (hum, hiss, or whine in the background) is a possibility, but unlikely with the topping and you'd "know why" there's something wrong. Frequency response and distortion are almost always better than human hearing unless you over-drive an amplifier (or something) into clipping.

Audiophoolery discusses the actual characteristics of "sound quality".

Also see:
Controlled Audio Blind Listening Tests (video)
What is a blind ABX test?

It is my understanding that raising the gain on the minidsp will increase distortion

Yes, that's possible. I don't have a miniDSP but I assume the software will warn you. The "digital maximum" is 0dBFS which is defined by how high you can "count" with a given number of bits. If you try to go higher you'll clip your DAC. The actual audio processing is usually done in floating point which virtually has no upper (or lower) limits but the DAC won't go over 0dB. And many (most?) digital recordings have 0dB normalized/maximized peaks so they can't be boosted digitally. So for example if you boost the bass (digitally) there is usually a "preamp" setting to reduce the overall level so the bass only gets relatively boosted.

 

[NJ coffee roaster]

It's probably your imagination, especially if you don't know why...


That's a perception or impression but dynamic compression or limiting don't happen accidently. It requires advanced processing ...Unless you overdrive an amplifier into clipping where the peaks are clipped/limited. And in that case it's heard as distortion rather than a reduction of dynamic contrast.

With electronics, there are only 3 characteristics of "sound quality": Noise, distortion, and frequency response. (With speakers in a room it gets a bit more complicated.) Noise (hum, hiss, or whine in the background) is a possibility, but unlikely with the topping and you'd "know why" there's something wrong. Frequency response and distortion are almost always better than human hearing unless you over-drive an amplifier (or something) into clipping.

Audiophoolery discusses the actual characteristics of "sound quality".

Also see:
Controlled Audio Blind Listening Tests (video)
What is a blind ABX test?


Yes, that's possible. I don't have a miniDSP but I assume the software will warn you. The "digital maximum" is 0dBFS which is defined by how high you can "count" with a given number of bits. If you try to go higher you'll clip your DAC. The actual audio processing is usually done in floating point which virtually has no upper (or lower) limits but the DAC won't go over 0dB. And many (most?) digital recordings have 0dB normalized/maximized peaks so they can't be boosted digitally. So for example if you boost the bass (digitally) there is usually a "preamp" setting to reduce the overall level so the bass only gets relatively boosted.

I don't think it's my imagination, I was not expecting this difference and it is clearly identifiable for me when switching, including when I leave it one way vs another for several days.



Do you have any potential solutions for raising the output?

 

[Greenman]

How does the minidsp volume work? Is it digital volume control? If so then large attenuation will result in loads of lost bits. Low gain on the amp means full volume out of the dsp which will give max resolution from the dsp.

If the above is the case you need an analogue preamp between the dsp and amp.

 

[staticV3]

Recently switched to topping b200s and I find that the low gain sounds better than the high gain at equal listening levels. I don't really know why this is as they both measure with below audible level distortion, but it seems like the high gain setting is reducing the contract between loud and quiet parts of the music, making everything a more similar volume.

Record some music played back in both gains.

You'll likely see the recordings contain none of this loudness compression that you're hearing, because it doesn't exist.

I am using a minidsp flex balanced as a dac/preamp and when on low gain I can't really get the volume I am looking for on certain tracks. It is my understanding that raising the gain on the minidsp will increase distortion

Distortion will only occur if you're trying to raise the post-DSP digital signal level above 0dBFS.

So long as this doesn't happen, you can eke the full 4.0Vrms out of your Flex with zero distortion:


Output voltage can quickly be checked with even a basic $10 multimeter.

 

[NJ coffee roaster]

How does the minidsp volume work? Is it digital volume control? If so then large attenuation will result in loads of lost bits. Low gain on the amp means full volume out of the dsp which will give max resolution from the dsp.

If the above is the case you need an analogue preamp between the dsp and amp.

Flex balanced has a pretty good amount of output, are there any ASR approved preamps that have more that wont break the bank?