Do you intend to use any analogue sources?
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Where do I alter volume, and what do I leave alone?
- Thread starter Yorkshire Mouth
- Start date
Do you intend to use any analogue sources?
My setup looks like this ...
Opps! not quite up-to-date: headphone DAC is now feed from the computer. For speaker listening I control the volume using the preamp.
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OP
Yorkshire Mouth
Major Contributor
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- #63
No. It’s not absolutely impossible, but it’s unlikely, and I certainly have no current plans to do so.
Given your suggested setup, the only reason I can think of that prevent you from setting Windows to max volume, the JBLs to their recommended input gain and then using the volume on the EX5 to control listening volume is self noise (AKA hiss) from the tweeters the JBLs.
My experience with the 305p MKII (which I sent back due to hiss) was that the level of self noise was not particularly dependent on input gain. However, this was with an unbalanced Topping x50 stack, rather than the EX5.
OP
Yorkshire Mouth
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- #65
OP
Yorkshire Mouth
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- Thread Starter
- #66
I’m pretty much set that it’s PC/streamer to 100%, and control master volume from the EX5. It’s now really just a question of what to set the monitors at.
As Amir experienced greater distortion with the volume on the monitors low/input device high, I think I’ll probably start off with the monitors on 75%, but then a bit of trial and error.
JBLs documentation suggests starting with the monitor volume at the minimum, but I don't fully understand what they mean by setting the source volume to nominal operating level in step 4 below...
If nominal level means 4V for a balanced source, then that will be max volume on the EX5 which I think is going to be pretty loud, even with the 308p volume set to minimum.
The diagram was created using Microsoft Visio.
I think I remember seeing somewhere that the internal amplifiers in the 308p Mkii gave it's best measurements at around halfway point, that might be worth looking into, in which case you might try to run the volume knob on the back of the 308p Mkii at around halfway if it gives you the volume range you're after.
I've ran mine with 2V input with -10dBV setting on back of speaker and they seemed fine - but I do run -2dBFS to help avoid intersample overs.
OP
Yorkshire Mouth
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- #71
I noticed a whole after starting this thread, at the 308 review thread Amir was asked:
“Do you get the expected input levels before it clips? Should be about +8 dBu (2 Vrms) and +20 dBu, respectively, depending on input sensitivity selection.”
He replied:
“Well, there is that gain control in the back so I don't have absolute levels. I set it to 0 dBu for the 96 dBSPL with the gain setting near what you see in the picture.”
In the picture it’s set to 9/10.
Don’t know if that helps anyone.
“Do you get the expected input levels before it clips? Should be about +8 dBu (2 Vrms) and +20 dBu, respectively, depending on input sensitivity selection.”
He replied:
“Well, there is that gain control in the back so I don't have absolute levels. I set it to 0 dBu for the 96 dBSPL with the gain setting near what you see in the picture.”
In the picture it’s set to 9/10.
Don’t know if that helps anyone.
I noticed that comment way back when he posted it, I think I worked out he was using well below 2V input (I think even below 1V), but can't remember the details. I've used them with a 2V DAC and the -10dBV setting on the back of the speaker and it's fine, albeit I've ran anything from -7dB Negative Preamp (back when I was us a Low Shelf boost EQ combined with roomEQ) to -2dB Negative Preamp when not using the Low Shelf boost and they've been fine. I suppose what you could do to test it hook up a 2V DAC (assuming that's gonna be your input), then sine sweeps at full signal (0dBFS) in REW & measure it with UMIK to see if you get any high distortion, you'd run the speakers at a low volume (on the volume knob on back of speaker) to ensure it's not distortion being created by running at a high SPL. Maybe that way you can see that the distortion is a result of the clipping, mind you thinking about it we're talking about measuring Harmonic Distortion here, so clipping distortion will not be Harmonic Distortion, so that means that test I described is not valid then. Hmm, I suppose you could still do the test I described but listen to the sine sweep to see if you get any obvious clipping. Hmm, I've not pushed speakers like this to try to identify clipping due to too high a voltage input, praps some other members can chime in with a test you could do to determine what the max voltage input can be before it clips?
OP
Yorkshire Mouth
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- #73
Have you tried playing something which distorts, then toggling the input sensitivity switch?
I've never knowingly had audible distortion in the music I play (although bass can sound cleaner in different headphones & headphones vs speakers), but if I really try to increase the volume very high on my 308p Mkii speakers then I don't enjoy the sound and feel I need to turn it down - so that's either somekind of distortion related situation or it's just too loud for my ears.......but either way that's distortion through SPL, not input level distortion.....so no there's no music I play that has input level distortion that I can identify. In my previous post I was just saying if it was possible to find a good test to help work out the point at which you get input level distortion (clipping or distortion due to too high an input voltage) - I was hoping there'd be a few members reading this that would know a good way to test it & therefore we could work out what the max acceptable input level is in volts.
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I have my JBL 305P mkII at 50% gain, the LSR310S sub at 60% gain, and my Gustard H16 preamp/headphone amp at High gain, and I mostly get the max volume I need, but it's close to max volume on high gain on Gustard H16
Just wondering if maxing volume on preamp is better than maxing gain on JBL.
LSR310S has the input from the Gustard H16 with XLR, and it's set with +4 dBu, and 305P is set to -10dBv as per JBL manual.
Just wondering if maxing volume on preamp is better than maxing gain on JBL.
LSR310S has the input from the Gustard H16 with XLR, and it's set with +4 dBu, and 305P is set to -10dBv as per JBL manual.
Theoretically yes - you maximise SNR that way (assuming your preamp is lower noise than the speaker amps - and it should be). However, if you were to do it the other way around and still couldn't hear any noise, then it makes no difference.
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