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DAC only works when volume turned to max [solved]
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oneself
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 18, 2014 7:41 pm    Post subject: DAC only works when volume turned to max [solved] Reply with quote

Hi,

I'm using a Audioengine D3 DAC with my laptop. It works, but only if I set volume to 100% using the pulseaudio volume control app. Otherwise it is just silent. At max volume, the output is much too loud to listen to. The only way I've managed to use it is through headphones that have their own independent volume control.
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Last edited by oneself on Mon Dec 22, 2014 1:52 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Jaglover
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 18, 2014 11:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, it is the very idea of digital passthrough. It comes from a digital source and goes to the DAC unaltered. Changing volume would be altering the signal, lowering its quality, it would be against the whole idea of digital passthrough.
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oneself
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 19, 2014 1:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bummer, usually DACs have a built-in volume control, but unfortunately, this one does not.
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oneself
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 19, 2014 1:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Strange, I uninstalled pulseaudio and used alsa instead and the volume control works fine.
The problem with alsa is that I can't figure out how to switch audio devices on the fly.
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Ant P.
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 19, 2014 3:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Try setting "flat-volumes = no" in /etc/pulse/daemon.conf, and manually loading module-alsa-sink instead of letting it automatically. Those will prevent PA from trying to be "clever" with hardware mixer controls so it should just work (via alsamixer).
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oneself
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 22, 2014 1:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Awesome, thank you very much.

That worked. Just setting "flat-volumes = no" made the volume configurable.
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