How Many People Use The A6 Variable Volume VS Fixed?

A6 vs A8 must be about the sound quality it’s all about the music isn’t ?

 

Wat?!?!?
You have no volume control over digital output; and the stream is copied as-is; you cannot have a low gain on a digital input...
Or do you mean something different...?

 

Bump.

 

Agreed, however the A8 does have different features not found on the A6.

• I2S output on the HDMI port
• Unbalanced and balanced analogue inputs, so it can be used as an analogue preamp.
• R2R attenuator in the analogue domain for the analogue outputs.
• Parametric EQ.
• Dual LPS and SMPS power.
• HDMI ARC input

Quite a difference IMHO. However, I'm suspecting that seeing the engine is still the same, any "issues" that you might be having with the A6 will be similar on the A8 unless they are straightened out in the firmware.

 

I compare with digital TV signal. It is possible that the signal from the TV is too low, as the difference in gain is like night and day.

 

There is no gain for digital inputs.
Optical is usually slightly lower than coax, but definitely lower than analog, FWIW.

 

There is a volume adjustment on the A6 also with the digital output, it ranges from 1 to 15. I had the same with my Auralic Aries that is a digital only streamer. Same for the Aries Mini that I still have. I guess it's a software control lowering bit depths. I always keep it disabled.

 

Good for you, I'd have done the same.
It's weird though, how could you possibly need/want to lower the level of the interconnects in the digital domain remains obscure to me...

 

No idea. Maybe for people who sit in another room and can't operate pre/integrated volume? I don't see any other purpose.

With the Aries, it evens automatically enables DSD to PCM resampling as DSD doesn't support volume control. I didn't check if the A6 has the same behavior.

 

IMO, if you do not use the DAC, and the only purpose for it to be in the chain is to act as DDC, or digital audio router, then the volume is to be controlled in the next component.
Otherwise the stream is not bit-perfect (and we might begin to see questions like: why doesn't my DAC recognise the stream as MQA? and the like...).
But anyway, I am not here to teach how to do the right thing to anybody. Learn-by-mistake should be an opportunity given to all.

 

hem....I don't use the software volume .....was just saying that it is active in the digital stream of the A6 and not only that

 

Bump for more votes.

 

Fixed volume on A6 controlled through integrated amp and DAC

 

Fixed volume on A6 controlled through my PS Audio Stellar Strata. I like controlling everything through the intergraded.

Hope you’re doing well @Bonzo !!

 

Fixed volume on A6, controlled through my Marantz 7015.

 

I tried both with to different amps. 1-Quad 909, 2- Radford ST 25 tubes.
With both amps I needed to go up until 35/30 dbs attenuation to get a decent sound level. Using pre amps Quad 99 and Mark Levinson 28 with fixed volume….another world ! Sounded much better, much “full”, stronger. Really a very good sound.
So, am I doing something wrong with connections or is this normal ?

 

Fixed volume A6 into Musical Fidelity M6si via XLR

 

I would like to use the A6's digital volume control into some active speakers, but currently this doesn't work for me the way it is set up.

I understand that digital volume control by definition alters the signal and that some will find this heresy, but if this is done well and properly implemented it can effectively be transparent to the user on a device like the A6 that has so much dynamic range, and its effect will be much smaller than the interaction between the speakers and the room. I also totally understand that some users will want to maintain the integrity of the digital output (such as when using an external DAC with its own volume control) and would want to lock the A6's digital outputs to 100%, but having both options would be great.

 

Why doesn't it work for you?
How do you connect the actives?
You should connect to them via analog outputs, either single-ended RCA or balanced XLR. The volume on the actives be at 0dB, so that you can use the volume control of the A6.

 

Hi @Nutul

This is described in my thread here: Volume control of digital outputs | Zidoo forum

I have active speakers connected via the A6's coax digital output and would like to be able to use the A6's volume control with them. My speakers analogue inputs work perfectly with the A6, but I am already using them to connect to my AV amp, so want to use their digital inputs for stereo from the A6. As noted above, I understand the inherent compromises involved using digital volume control (and regard them as relatively minor), but it was a feature that my Squeezebox Touch had and it worked great. Just like with the analogue volume control you could implement a check box in the menu to fix it at 100% to retain signal integrity and not use the function at all, but for some of us it would be a really useful feature.