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RE: DAC w/remote volume control installed between...

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petercapo

In Reply to: RE: DAC w/remote volume control installed between... posted by AbeCollins on February 28, 2024 at 09:16:52

Hi Abe,

Looking at one of the Benchmark DAC3s with remote volume control. At present I am using my restored Dynaco PAS that doesn't have a remote volume control.

Why would the sonics suffer in this kind of setup, as you have experienced it?

Thanks.
Peter

Follow Ups:

Signal running through 2 preamps. - oldmkvi 15:09:39 03/01/24 (0)
That alone could degrade the sound.
OTOH,find a balance between them to achieve desired volume and control.
RE: DAC w/remote volume control installed between... - AbeCollins 14:15:53 02/28/24 (1)
The challenge I faced when running a DAC with Volume control into my integrated amp with Volume control was dynamic range. The DAC sounded its best when it was run 'wide open' with the Volume control at Max or the DAC output set to FIXED (which was the same as Max).
Fortunately my integrated amp has its own Volume control so in the end I used it instead of the DAC Volume control. It sounded better that way.
My Experiment :
My DAC had a better more precise Remote control so I wanted to try it in place of the integrated amp Remote. I set the integrated amp Volume control somewhere midway so I had a good amount of Volume control range using the DAC Remote. It worked but the problem I faced with this setup was reduced dynamic range especially at lower volume levels. The music didn't sound quite as lively. Why? Maybe because the DAC wasn't achieving its best dynamic range with its Volume turned down instead of Max. In my setup it just sounded better with the DAC at Max while using the Volume control in the integrated amp.
YMMV depending on your equipment. It might sound fine but it will be worth experimenting with your DAC Volume setting & Preamp section Volume setting. The articles linked below might help explain it to some degree.
Volume Control Technologies
DAC3 Series FAQ

Edits: 02/28/24 02/28/24
- RE: DAC w/remote volume control installed between... - petercapo 10:36:21 02/29/24 (0)
  Thanks, I will check out those links for sure.

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