AirLens volume in Roon

How To
1

Okay, this is a small but vexing problem.

With the first version of the DS DAC, I controlled the volume with Roon, and it gave me a range of 1 to 100.

With the AirLens, I can set dip switch 6 to enable volume control… but Roon sees it differently, and uses DSP to control it, giving me a range of negative numbers…

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Their support board wrote:

Unfortunately, the AirLens doesn’t expose hardware volume for Roon to control volume using the method you prefer, i.e., a 0-100 scale.

This is a minor quibble, but I’d prefer the more intuitive UI.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

1 Like
2

I have a headphone system from Matrix Audio that uses a decibel scale rather than absolute numbers. It’s not uncommon in the audiophile world.

3

thanks @Serhan

I’ve seen it as well.

My point was that a UI can display things as the designer chooses, and given that Roon has always (for me) displayed an intuitive 1-100 scale, I was wondering how to turn that back on.

4

Yes, it feels odd because most of us are not used to non-linear controls, but I am afraid it’s in the software of the device rather than Roon!

5

I generally do not use the native app control of our dCS Rossini, but if you look in the lower right you’ll see db for volume control.

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Pressing the volume icon brings up this control wheel.

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6

My question is possibly different – “is it possible at all to control volume through Roon when streaming through an AirLens?”

This is not a question of the UI for volume control, but control generally.

All good when my NUC was plugged into the DAC via USB. Now that I’ve upgraded to the AirLens, I see only a “volume control is fixed” message, even when I select volume control through device.

Can I no longer adjust volume via Roon?

7

Manuals! Who needs 'em? Well, this may be answered below.

Volume Control:
Set to Disable (up position) to disable volume control within Roon. This will force the Fixed Volume setting in the Roon Core setup.
For non-PS Audio DACs, set to Enable to enable DSP Digital volume control within Roon. You may also need to select Device Volume or DSP Volume within the Device Setup of the AirLens inside of Roon to see the volume control within Roon.
NOTE: If Volume Control is set to Enable on a non-PS Audio DAC, Roon will convert DSD to PCM. This is required to modify volume on DSD tracks. To allow DSD or DOP to play, Volume Control must be set to Disabled

Despite changing the above – no change in the volume controls.

1 Like
8

Currently, no. It is not possible to control the DAC volume through the AirLens. An upcoming firmware release will fix that.

2 Likes
9

That’s great to hear, Paul. A good upgrade in functionality.

Interesting to see how this interacts with Roon, JRiver Media Center, mconnect, etc.,…

Cheers.

10

Glad to hear that! With all the gear, power cords, cables (which add a ton to the cost of the gear if you are particular), I really crave a single interface / app for music selection and volume control.

11

Let me add my endorsement to the previous responses–That feature (control of DAC through AirLens) will be very, very useful to me–it’ll save me (literally) lots of steps. Something to look forward to!