Hello, each time I start the PWD MKii, the default volume for the coax input (should be the same on other inputs) is set @ 50%. Is there something to do in order the volume starts @ 100% since the power on ?
Best regards
The 50% volume is a safety feature for those people using it direct to a power amp. Most of us never turn off the dac. Many put it in standby.
Hello David and thanks for the answer.
I never turn off the DAC with the switch at the back, always with the button on the front (ready mode if I understand that). The issue is that the dac is powered through a P5 and cut the power of the DAC when it is shut down…
Don’t turn off your P5 - it draws almost nothing at idle, and will sound better if left on. The only thing I switch off is my power amp using the HC zone on my P10 since it is tube. Everything else stays on.
As David said, leave it on. Most Solid State equipment works better and lasts longer if not power cycled. The in-rush current at power on and thermal cycling are some of the most stressful things for all electronics. Most solid state equipment consumes little enough current at idle that the cost of powering it continuously is almost insignificant. Of course, this does not hold true for class A amps due to the power consumed and heat generated, so those are often better shut down if they are going to sit idle for a long time.
As cheap as I am, most of my equipment remains powered up all the time. The exception to this is my Krell KSA-150 (150W/ch class A) which draws about 1KW from the power line at all times. I leave it on as a space heater during the winter… 
During the summer here in Texas it rarely gets turned on.
J.P.
If dinosaurs were kind enough to die for me to create fossil fuels, I have a duty to use as much as I can out of respect for their sacrifice.
Actually, I am a tweener. I dislike wasting anything I can avoid using. I leave the DAC and other low powered SS devices on as they consume little, but leave everything else off. I particularly dislike leaving computers on.
The downside is that SS equipment warms up relatively slowly (my tube equipment takes very little time). J.P. is also absolutely correct that leaving it on is actually better for SS equipment.
I leave my P5 on with the outlets powering my PWD and PWT active. I generally leave my Olive on as it consumes only 7 watts and computers in particularly like being left on. This avoids the volume power down issue and boot time for the server.
Cognitive dissonance at its best.
JP you make me look like an environmentalist with my amp!
“If dinosaurs were kind enough to die for me to create fossil fuels, I have a duty to use as much as I can out of respect for their sacrifice”
Remarkably similar to Homer Simpson’s view that eating animals is acceptable since they are made of meat.
I am a bit of an environmentalist and leaving my equipment on is a bit of a conflict. No big issue for the front end stuff as it obviously consumes little power. I have two power amps that I also leave on and both are class D amps: a PSA Trio C-100 and a PS Audio GCC-500. The 500 idles at about 40 watts and does bother me a bit. The C-100 idles more like 15 watts, much like my computers.
J.P.
My “we owe the dinos” is my excuse for having a car that gets 6 MPG on a racetrack or otherwise driven aggressively.
Apparently my brain operates a bit like Homer’s.
David said:
Remarkably similar to Homer Simpson's view that eating animals is acceptable since they are made of meat.
Thanks for the best giggle i've had all day!
=))
“If God didn’t want us to eat animals, why did he make them out of meat?”
- Homer
Put this way, it appears Homer is endorsing cannibalism.
Homer - “I Enjoy All The Meats Of Our Cultural Stew”
Is there any recommandations for volume : should I leave it @ 50% or put it @ 100% ?
Best regards
100% if you are running it into a pre-amp.
The PWD’s digital volume control works by stripping bits off of the bottom. Eventually, at low enough volume levels, one starts to lose audible information.
Agreed - but also don’t be afraid to set it anywhere between 50 and 100 that leaves your preamp at a comfortable higher level. It’s instructive to remember most preamps prefer to be 70 and above for best sound on music played at the right level. Volume controls are like the brakes of a car, not the gas pedal - the less you use them, the better she runs (sounds).
Excellent point.
When listening to my 300B headphone amp, I run the volume into the amp at 75. I like to run the amp a bit on the hotter side, primarily to break in the tubes. (300B’s, for example, are good for 20,000 hours).
In my setup the PWD is the only source feeding a PS Audio Trio C-100 ‘control amp’. Not that it has any meaning, but I set my PWD in the following manner: I start with the volume low on the pre and set the PWD to 100. I then play music and set the volume on the preamp to the higest that I would normally listen to. After that I use the level control on the PWD to set the volume for listening - it typically runs in the 65-85 range.
I do it this way for several reasons:
1. 99.99% of my playback is through the Bridge, so I do all selection and playback control from the iPad. One remote to control the listening session.
2. This setup also gives some safety factor in that full output onthe PWD is within the operational limits of the amp and speakers (and my ears).
3. In my setup this leaves the volume control on the preamp (actually the front end of the integrated) at about two thirds, pretty close to the 70% that Paul suggested above.
I realize that this may not work if you play from multiple sources, but it works well for me with a single source. Hopefully when the PerfectWave Amp comes out its gain will be reasonably well matched with the PWD AND my speakers so that 100 on the PWD is loud but not too threatening to my speakers or ears.
J.P.
I’m using the PWDAC to feed my Marantz Av8805/8077 pre/pro combo.
Why does the vol slide back from 100 to 50 after using the touch screen to set it up?
I appreciate any guidance, thanks. 