I suggest you invest in an SPL meter.
Oh, I have a UMIK-1, a UMIK-2, an old Behringer, and both REW and TrueRTA. Just looking for where to set the playing field. 
Oh, and a Tek scope if I want to go crazy measuring sine wave signal amplitudes from the amp outputs.
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I think the best way to ensure the outputs are the same are with a test tone and a SPL.
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The scope is also great! Better than the SPL, but a PITA sometimes to setup.
If you have an iPhone or Ipad you can download an SPL app from the app store . NIOSH SLM or SPL pro are two that I have and work well .There are plenty to choose from . I donāt know if there is an android equivalent .
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Thanks Paul. I have the NIOSH app but I donāt use it for super critical stuff. Iām quite used to using either REW or TrueRTA. I can set up my mic on a tripod and make sure the measurements are done from exactly the same location each time.
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Great ideaā¦thx!!!
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im sure this has been coveredā¦butā¦what is recommended volume setting for MK2?
Thank you
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Unlike the DS Mk I, thereās no magic number below 100 thatās better than 100.
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Well put
Thanks for your time and involvement in this community!
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For the MK2 output I thought it best to adjust it to the sweet spot on our Pre. For instance if during normal listening you prefer a BHK Pre between 25 and 50, then adjust the output of the MK2 to give you a decent amount of range. I think at one point I was keeping the MK2 at 84 or 85.
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Ted, unless something is wrong I need to report this is not the case. TrueRTA, REW, and even the NIOSH app on my iPhone all report the same 1 KHz test tone played through the MkI and the MkII produce the same dBC value when the DACs are each set to the same volume. 1.98 Antero in use.
Boy, thatās strange. The Mk I simply canāt get to the standard levels. All Mk II units are checked for standard output levels before they are shipped. Iāve look at them on a scope a number of times. What volume setting are you testing? Iād suggest something like 90 or 80 for if you are using a full level input.
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92 on both. XLR out on both.
I just double checked my output levels and they are nominally 4VRMS at 100 (actually 3.71VRMS) and at 2.34VRMS at 92, which is down 4dB as it should be. The Mk I simply canāt get there Iāll check with PS Audio to see what they get with the currently shipping units.
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Iāll carefully check over my signal chain to make sure nothing is amiss. My preamp does not have the ability to adjust input levels, so it canāt be there. Iāll keep looking.
I received my MK2 very recently, and I did hear the pop and tick event experienced by others. After investigation, I noticed that the ticks and pops only occurred while streaming. The situation did not happen when playing music from CD or NAS. Moreover, when I switched to a different amplifier the tick and pop situation disappeared. The MK2 is truly an innovative product and a superb bargain!!
We also think the 3.7??v is perfect for most preamps. It was for our Audio Research. 4v was OK however the slightly lower voltage sounds perfect.
Well, I sure canāt say what happened this morning, but I did it again and sure enough the MkII runs higher. With the MkI at 92 I have to set the MkII at 88 to get the same volume. So for some reason, 4 ticks here and not 6. Donāt know why, but I can only attribute this morningās mystery to maybe variations in traffic noise at the wrong time.
The difference between what the Mk II is and what it should be is about 0.8 dB or about 2 ticks.
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