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Author Topic: Equalizer Settings  (Read 4202 times)

Schooner

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Equalizer Settings
« on: November 22, 2013, 10:18:06 pm »

When I activate the equalizer in DSP studio, does it affect music even if I have volume mode as "volume disabled" or do I have to use internal volume or another setting?  What about other audio settings -- do they affect music with volume disabled?  It's my understanding that "volume" disabled provides the highest-quality source.  

I am pulling music from my PC to my receiver using DLNA, though I plan to upgrade to a NAS and dedicated HTPC.  My music is in FLAC files.  For test files, I am using an album I downloaded from HD Tracks -- so, I know it's clean with no errors from ripping.  My receiver has a decent Burr-Brown DAC built in.  

By the way, it seems there is a little clipping near the high end.  I'm not completely sure yet, but it sounds kind of like occasional clicks.  Not sure how to fix that.  It's my understanding I need to reduce volume levels to eliminate clipping.  How do I reduce volume levels to my stereo with volume disabled?  I analyzed the music but don't know what to do with the settings.

Sorry for the newbie questions.
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crisnee

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Re: Equalizer Settings
« Reply #1 on: November 23, 2013, 12:13:21 am »

Hi,

The equalizer and other DSP effects should work no matter what your choice of volume is.

Clipping does not sound like clicks, so clipping is not the problem that you're experiencing.

The clicking could be caused by settings regarding your output. Dac settings for instance.

-Chris
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mwillems

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Re: Equalizer Settings
« Reply #2 on: November 23, 2013, 09:33:00 am »

By the way, it seems there is a little clipping near the high end.  I'm not completely sure yet, but it sounds kind of like occasional clicks.  Not sure how to fix that.  It's my understanding I need to reduce volume levels to eliminate clipping.  How do I reduce volume levels to my stereo with volume disabled?  I analyzed the music but don't know what to do with the settings.

Sorry for the newbie questions.

The equalizer still works if volume is disabled.  If you have volume disabled in MC and maximized in the windows mixer, you can't use any DSP/effects that boost levels without potentially causing clipping.  The vast majority of tracks are mastered so that their peak is at or near digital fullscale, if you run your sound at fullscale and then add boost you will almost certainly get clipping.

So you have two options:  

1) Only use equalizer/DSP that attenuate, rather than boost or
2) Set your volume lower (i.e. using internal volume).

JRiver's internal volume control is a high quality 64-bit digital volume control; the main advantage of disabling volume is that it potentially maximizes the SNR of your DAC, but that doesn't mean much if you can't do the equalization you need, or if you get clipping.  The modern Burr Brown DACs have such high SNRs that "losing" five or ten dB of effective SNR due to a volume adjustment in JRiver is extremely unlikely to produce an audible effect.  

You are theoretically losing some audio information when you digitally attenuate five or ten dB, but it would be information 80 or more dB below the peak, which is very unlikely to be audible in almost all listening settings.  See this thread for more info about ways to potentially avoid that and/or why it may not be a real issue: http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=84970.msg580851#msg580851
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Schooner

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Re: Equalizer Settings
« Reply #3 on: November 23, 2013, 11:06:45 am »

Thanks.  Useful info from both of you.  Glad to know the equalizer works independent of the volume setting.  I'll look into reducing output a bit.

I checked online and think the clicking may be other than JRiver and my PC.  More likely, it is wiring or the receiver itself.  My receiver is an Onkyo TX-NR616.  It's loaded with features but notoriously buggy.  I'm pretty sure it's less than a year old and maybe I can get it checked out under warranty.  I played some music from CDs and from Spotify, and they all sounded the same.  It's just not as clean as I recall it was before.
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Mike48

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Re: Equalizer Settings
« Reply #4 on: November 23, 2013, 01:01:58 pm »

My impression was that equalization works only on a direct connection, not through DLNA/UPnP.  Was I wrong about that?
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mwillems

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Re: Equalizer Settings
« Reply #5 on: November 23, 2013, 04:49:48 pm »

My impression was that equalization works only on a direct connection, not through DLNA/UPnP.  Was I wrong about that?

You're right, I missed the part where he said he was using DLNA.  Most of JRiver's DSP modules don't work over DLNA to my knowledge (volume levelling and downmixing work, but not much else).  So OP's problem isn't likely DSP based clipping.  
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