[coletrain104]

So, I have my headphones running out of my Schiit Modi and Vali, but on my new laptop, I am still able to change the volume by changing the volume setting on the laptop itself. To my knowledge, this shouldn't be possible. Does anyone know how I can solve this and rely solely on the Vali for amping? thanks
 
P.S. If it helps, my computer is a Lenovo Y50 Touch.

 

[Solrighal]

What playback software are you using?

 

[coletrain104]

iTunes. Changing the volume on the laptop itself doesn't change the volume slider on iTunes. So basically I have 3 entirely separate ways to change the volume. I'm concerned that I may be double-amping, but I still don't understand it. amplifier works on analog signals, so if the computer amp is active, but it is successfully sending the digital signal to the DAC, it must be amplifying digitally somehow???

 

[PurpleAngel]

  So, I have my headphones running out of my Schiit Modi and Vali, but on my new laptop, I am still able to change the volume by changing the volume setting on the laptop itself. To my knowledge, this shouldn't be possible. Does anyone know how I can solve this and rely solely on the Vali for amping? thanks
 
P.S. If it helps, my computer is a Lenovo Y50 Touch.

 
It's fairly normal for some type of volume control on the computer, when using an external DAC.
Best thing to do is turn the Vali amplifier way down or even off, then turn up the volume controls (to between 75% and 100%) on the PC.
Then slowly up the volume control on the Vali, to whatever volume level you like.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  iTunes. Changing the volume on the laptop itself doesn't change the volume slider on iTunes. So basically I have 3 entirely separate ways to change the volume. I'm concerned that I may be double-amping, but I still don't understand it. amplifier works on analog signals, so if the computer amp is active, but it is successfully sending the digital signal to the DAC, it must be amplifying digitally somehow???

 
Any boosting done with the digital audio signal before it goes thru the DAC is not considered amplifying.
Doubling amping would be daisy chaining two (analog) amplifiers.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  So, I have my headphones running out of my Schiit Modi and Vali, but on my new laptop, I am still able to change the volume by changing the volume setting on the laptop itself. To my knowledge, this shouldn't be possible. Does anyone know how I can solve this and rely solely on the Vali for amping? thanks
 
P.S. If it helps, my computer is a Lenovo Y50 Touch.

 
Using an external DAC doesn't disable Windows volume control. Set it to 100% - which isn't "full power" but is "what the recording/file is set at." Lowering the setting on Windows will give you less bit depth, so for example a typical 16-bit file can dip well below the minimum playback levels ever designed for CDPs, which was 14bits. If it's too loud that the amp's volume control is unusable, the problem isn't that Windows is at 100%, but that the file you are listening to has too much gain (or the amp has too much gain and the headphones are very efficient, on top of the first problem).

 

[coletrain104]

Thank both of you for your replies. I knew how to make it work, but I was wondering if I was doing something wrong, and now I know I'm not. Happy Listening