Any fiddling of the bits by a digital volume control or an EQ or DSP in MC will no longer have bitperfect playback.
That's what I thought.
The goal is to bypass the Windows audio mixer.
That's my goal too - but I was hoping for an untapped stream via MC13.
The math done by MC for volume control and DSP processing is of high quality. Digital processing of the signal is not a bad thing if the results of that digital processing is beneficial to you even though you lose the true bitperfect output.
Yes - it does sound great and for my usage - the processing is not having a detrimental effect.
What are you sending the signal from the Music Hall DAC to? Is there a reason whey the signal is too loud from the DAC and why you can't control the volume after the DAC? The Music Hall DAC looks like it supports both balanced and unbalanced output. Are you using the balanced or the unbalanced output? Is the device that you are sending the signal to (from the DAC) set to the correct line level (unbalanced is typically -10dB and balanced is typically +4dB)?
From the Music Hall - I go "unbalanced" to my Rega Mira 3 amp and out to my Monitor Audio RS6 floorstanders.
Regarding the loudness - I wanted to know the impact of DSP (Volume Levelling specifically) and how it impacts bit perfect playback via MC.
Of course I have full control over the volume via the Mira remote - but the "loudness" issue arises if I want to listen to a playlist or specific selected tracks via MC13 and stay completely "bit perfect" (aka - without any Volume Levelling inline)
Example - a 2009 mastered track like say - the excellent new Ben Harper - comes thundering out of the speakers whilst the next track from Counting Crows circa 1993 is about 6db lower. So - if bit perfect playback is the goal then no DSP is allowed - and a guy is constantly reaching for the remote to either lower or raise the volume so the playlist has a reasonable volume range.
I guess I will have to accept a non bit perfect stream in order to have MC13 apply it's volume leveling - because the excellent playlist capabilities are too good to past up just to get bit perfect playback.
Thanks!
VP