Where should the volume be turned up?

[thutmose3]

I don't really know where this goes, but I'll put it here because it has to do with pc audio. I keep my speakers (Creative Itrigue 3800) as high as I want, the pc volume at very low and the program I'm using's audio levels down. My friend has his pc turned up all of the way. I think that I get the most bang for my buck by putting my speakers up, but who is right? Thanks in advance.

 

[DaveSimmons]

For analog out, there may be less noise if you raise the PC output volume and turn down the speaker's volume.

But, if you turn up the PC's volume too high it can distort.

It's a YMMV situation that will vary between soundcards / motherboards and speakers. If you don't hear any noise or distortion you can set both any way you want.

 

[erickj92]

I keep my pc volume up all the way and my speaker volume down ( i use the volume on the speakers not my pc).... I dont know what is better.

 

[Oyeve]

I have mine on 11.

 

[Slugbait]

Originally posted by: Oyeve
I have mine on 11.

Thank you, Nigel. And for those of you still wondering...no, you can't really dust for vomit.

But I digress...historically the optimal system sound should be around 50-70%, anything higher usually results in lousy signal-to-noise ratio. Use real amplification to adust volume from there, in conjunction with in-game or in-app volume.

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

I have my speakers set at 1/2 the full volume, and then I control the volume via the system's volume--mostly because of the volume dial on the G15.

 

[Roguestar]

Bang for buck by changing the ratio of PC to speaker volume? Haha, I've heard it all, now.

You're likely to get less noise if you send from the PC at a mid range volume then control the speakers to the sound level you desire.

 

[Zepper]

Whichever yields the least distortion.

.bh.

 

[StopSign]

I have my PC volume at around 1/4 because my headphone doesn't have volume control. When I'm not using the headphone I just control volume with the speaker.

 

[thutmose3]

Is there a guide where I can learn about all of this stuff? Thanks in advance.

Edit: I guess my sound is good. Thanks for the advice.

 

[erickj92]

I have never heard of a guide for volume control.... I will post if I find one.

 

[Thoreau]

Originally posted by: Fullmetal Chocobo
I have my speakers set at 1/2 the full volume, and then I control the volume via the system's volume--mostly because of the volume dial on the G15.

Identical setup/method here. I actually have to use the PC side for volume control since I run the audio from my cable box to the PC, then use a learning remote to control the volume via the Audigy external box. (Poor man's home theater.)

 

[Brian48]

I read somewhere (I think it was MaximumPC) that it was best to keep the speaker volume set no more than 80% of MAX and to keep the volume down and in control with software. Don't remember how the author came to this conclusion, but I suspect it was more of a convenience issue than anything else.

Personally, I keep my Klipsch 4.1 set at 60%, which is pretty darn loud, and my volume at about 33% in software. I just raise it whenever I need to with whatever software I happen to be running at the time. For my 2.1 systems, where the speaker controls are a little more easier to reach and manipulate, I usually go the other way.

I haven't really noticed any appreciable difference either way.

 

[Jiggz]

Originally posted by: thutmose3
Is there a guide where I can learn about all of this stuff? Thanks in advance.

Edit: I guess my sound is good. Thanks for the advice.

NO! There's none. Just like any audiophile, it's all relative or subjective. But there is a basic rule: First, you should not saturate or over drive the amplifier. This will cause clipping or distortion in output. Second, Do not over amplify (especially for low signals)This causes signal to noise ratio to be too low making the inherent noise in the circuit dominant or prevalent in the output.

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: thutmose3
Is there a guide where I can learn about all of this stuff? Thanks in advance.

Yeah, there's a guide. Two of them, as a matter of fact. Put your hand up to the side of your head, right above your earlobe. There will be a hole located there. There's another identical hole on the other side of your head. These are what we audiophiles call "our guide for volume control". Thanks for making my night, though.

 

[Oyeve]

I have a 7.1 receiver connected to my PC. I leave the PCs systems volume control at 75% and just use the volume on my receiver to control my sound. I find that the higher the computers volume is the more distortion is head over the receiver. 75% is a good ratio for me. I also keep the receivers bass and treble setting flat and set my sound card to 96hz which disables the recevers bass and treble. I use the EQ from the X-fi card if I want to change the sound quality. I mis the old days (pre DD or DTS) when you can have an external EQ, but the SW seems to do a decent job.

 

[Tiamat]

I usually keep the system volume at 50% and the speaker volume at 20% on my preamp. If my preamp's remote is close to me, i adjust volume with that. Otherwise, i use the system volume control on my keyboard to decrease the volume.

 

[Navid]

The more gain you have in the backend (speakers in this case), the more noise you will have. This is because the backend amplifies the noise from the front end as well as the signal.

Increasing the front end (PC in this case) gain too much will increase the distortion in front end.

So, there is a trade-off.

In practice, just try different settings and pick one that satisfies your ears.


By "bang for your buck" if you mean CPU performance, it makes no difference.
If you mean power consumption, there should be no noticeable difference.

 

[ForumMaster]

i've found that setting the PC volume at around 40% and changing the speaker volume usually causes less distorsion. i am using onboard Nforce2 audio with a $50 creative inspire 2500 speakers but i still think this should hold for most systems.

edit: i actually lower the output volume through the NVmixer, not the master volume.

 

[corkyg]

Maximum at either place can get into distortion. Best performance would be whatever is comfortable with both in the mid-range.

 

[koomey]

It's better to not have either all the way up. This can cause it to overmodulate and become distorted.