What's the optimal volume setting for DACs and Amps?

[MiloTheFirst]

I understand that for Amps normally as one increses the voulme and demands more power distortion will worsen, but I don't know how they are supposed to beheave as the knobs goes the other way and we start reducing volume instead. in fact, most amps don't even indicate at what point in their knob they start amplifying in a direction and attenuating in the other.

For DACs I have read in this forum a couple times that they are suppoused to work at their best at full output capacity.for me, this statement seems counter intuitive to conventional wisdom, normally any machine will shorten its lifespan if continuously operated at full capacity. I am not saying the statement is false, I can not tell either way myself, I would just like to understand the engineering principles behind it in order to accept it as something more than annecdotal advice.

I have become curious on this topic as I am facing the following situation, my system (Tempotec Sonata HD Pro + Topping A50s + HD660s) has a lot of headroom, I listen with the DAC set at 66/100 (in the windows volume interface) where it delivers about 1V (half its max output), and the knob of my amp is normally set pointing at 11 if it were a clock, never needing to be pointing higher than 1 o'clock.

With my current knlowledge I don't know if the system could be working at its best performance by turning up the DAC and down the Amp, the other way around, or any other point in between. any feedback is apreciated

 

[jasonhanjk]

For amps with resistance type volume potentiometer. The best result is at max volume.
Too much resistance in the signal path will increase noise, hence increase in thd+n.

Amps with too much gain perform the worst for thd+n at normal listening level.
Luckily not for your case.

For your A50s, use unity gain and max volume will get the best result.
Change volume using the DAC.

 

[Dunring]

For amps with resistance type volume potentiometer. The best result is at max volume.
Too much resistance in the signal path will increase noise, hence increase in thd+n.

Amps with too much gain perform the worst for thd+n at normal listening level.
Luckily not for your case.

For your A50s, use unity gain and max volume will get the best result.
Change volume using the DAC.

What about channel matching? If an amp is measured best at a certain volume then gets worse at higher volumes, wouldn't setting the amp at the best setting instead be better?

 

[AnalogSteph]

I understand that for Amps normally as one increses the voulme and demands more power distortion will worsen, but I don't know how they are supposed to beheave as the knobs goes the other way and we start reducing volume instead. in fact, most amps don't even indicate at what point in their knob they start amplifying in a direction and attenuating in the other.

For the most part, how hard an amplifier has to work and how much it correspondingly distorts is determined by output level and output loading. The output level corresponds to a certain input level as defined by amplifier gain, and which exact combination of input level and volume pot attenuation produced it is secondary. (Unless you're a Behringer A500...) Log pot curves vary, and 12 o'clock attenuation may be between 16 and 26 dB or thereabouts.

Managing the levels in a multistage setup such that optimum dynamic range is retained is called gain staging in professional circles.

I have become curious on this topic as I am facing the following situation, my system (Tempotec Sonata HD Pro + Topping A50s + HD660s) has a lot of headroom, I listen with the DAC set at 66/100 (in the windows volume interface) where it delivers about 1V (half its max output), and the knob of my amp is normally set pointing at 11 if it were a clock, never needing to be pointing higher than 1 o'clock.

That sounds fairly well dialed in to be honest. You may just not have come across the kind of source material that would have required you to really crank the volume... wait till you get into Mahler symphonies...

What about channel matching? If an amp is measured best at a certain volume then gets worse at higher volumes, wouldn't setting the amp at the best setting instead be better?

I guess so. Usually the really severe issues in volume pots are to be found at the low end though.