I’ve just received my cascade, and while still burning in, it already sounds amazing! Also, most exquisite finish and impeccable build quality. Congrats!
Since I will be using the dac together with a nagra hd preamp, I have a couple of questions regarding volume control.
If I got it right from your documentation, there is no amplification section on the preamp, so the volume control is purely “passive” (attenuation only). Is this right?
If so, is the unity gain at the 106 volume level, which is the equivalent level of the volume control is bypassed?
The volume control is a pure passive volume control. If you are using it with an external preamp the best thing is to turn off the volume control completely. If you decide to leave it on just set the volume to 100 and not 106. Any level over 100 adds digital gain for low-level recordings.
To disable the volume control, do this:
Enter the menu with the menu button (far left button with 3 lines)
Scroll down with the volume knob to the “Startup Volume” setting and press the enter button (right arrow).
With the knob, scroll the number (default at 70) up past 100 to the “Preamp off” setting and press enter (right arrow).
Leave the menu with the menu button.
After this the volume will be disabled in the Cascade DAC and the volume number will be gone from the display.
I have the MSB Discrete DAC. My question is: my integrated amp has very high gain (input sensitivity) and thus if I have the volume control set to “off” on my Discrete DAC, I cannot use much of the volume pot on my amp. This is very frustrating because the manual of the amp says that the volume pot is an attenuator and thus the higher up you use it the more of the original signal is used. But even setting the output gain level on the Discrete DAC to “low”, the input sensitivity on the amp is too high and then I can’t use much of the amp’s volume pot. So, what is a safe volume range that I can set the Discrete DAC on (with output set to “low”) so that I can use more of the volume on the amp, without losing signal resolution from the DAC? Otherwise, I must consider replacing the Discrete with a different DAC, like the PS Audio PMG Signature DAC which Paul McGowan guarantees does not have signal attenuation when you reduce the digital volume on that DAC.
What is your integrated amplifier? Maybe there is some possible setting to alleviate the issue. Also, you should control the volume in the device with the best volume control. For example: if you amp uses a potentiometer (even if Alps) I can bet that the control in your dac is better.
Also, you should not prefer digital volume control over a good analog. The digital to volume operates manipulating the bits to lower the amplitude. By doing so, it lowers the SNR (signal to noise ratio).
Simply put: the analog output of the dac has an inherent noise. The difference between this noise and the amplitude of the music signal is the SNR. Maybe one of the most (if not the most) parameter for hifi.
The digital volume control lowers the amplitude of the music, but leaves the noise unchanged (because the noise comes from the analog domain). So you have the risk of this noise interfering with your music. A good analog control lowers both the amplitude of the music signal and of the noise, keeping the SNR. More knowledgeable folks here can correct me, but from all I’ve learned so far, this is the basic idea.
The problem with psaudio dacs was so grave that they recommended buying an external attenuator rather than using the volume control beyond the 50% mark. see here, for example
If we cannot think of any other way, maybe such an attenuator this would be your best option. But I still believe you can lower your msb volume without giving up performance. Should you like to try one
I have similar issues. I attribute them to my sensitive speakers (96db) I currently use attenuation inline to the amps. I am looking to getting the pre amp modified to lower the gain. I use the tubed pre amp to affect my sound preference, and allow Vinyl use. As the issue is also present with the phono pre, I’m assuming my combination of Pre amp, amps, and speaker sensitivity is where I need to focus my attention.
Be sure to enable Low Output setting in the MSB DAC.
MSB DACs fall into two categories for output level adjustment, completely analog ( Sentinel, Cascade, Select, and Reference) and partly digital, partly analog ( Premier and Discrete).
If your preamp is capable of high level analog inputs and your system is designed with a proper gain structure use the volume off mode on all DACs.
If you need a lower output voltage to match better with a preamp take one of the two following paths.
For the Sentinel, Cascade, Select or Reference DACs set the startup volume to be the setting of the attenuation you need for your preamp. The constant impedance passive preamp will optimally reduce the level for any that your preamp requires.
For the Premier and Discrete first set the output level to Low. This provides a 6dB analog cut. If that is insufficient set the startup volume to between 88-100 (each number is 1 dB of attenuation.) Up to 12dB of our special amazing digital volume will not hurt your sound quality appreciably. If you need a volume setting lower than 88 then look into an external passive attenuator. These are used in studios to reduce audio level and go inline with your analog output cables. An example is the Shure A15AS Switchable In-line Attenuator.