I purchased my first PS Audio product last week, the Sprout 100, and it’s perfect for my setup. I originally paired it with my MA Bronze BX2’s that I’ve had for the last 6 or 7 years and it sounded great, but I picked up some KEF LS50 Meta’s yesterday and now I never want to leave my desk! For anyone out there debating whether the LS50’s are a worthwhile upgrade from the MA Bronze for the Sprout 100, the answer is a resounding YES!
100% of my usage is through the DAC at medium to low volumes. I prefer to use the software volume controls because my keyboard has a wheel that I use for control. What I’m not sure of is where to set the volume control on the amp versus the PC. On my previous amp I just set it to 50% but that’s hard to do on the Sprout because I have no idea what 50% is. For now, I’ve just been turning it all the way up and then counting down 50 clicks of the volume control.
Is this the right thing to do, or am I putting too much pressure on the amp?If this is also your use case, what do you feel works best for you?
I suggest not over thinking it. Just set the Sprout’s volume control where it is easy to fine tune the volume with the keyboard wheel. Then experiment turning the Sprout’s volume up and down and see if any particular setting sounds better.
Glad you’re enjoying the Sprout100! You won’t be causing any harm by doing it this way. If this it the way it’s the most convenient, I’d likely do it this way as well.
Thank you Elk and James. I just wasn’t sure about undue wear on the amp with having the volume control set almost to max. I’ll leave it as is and resume enjoying the music
From what I’ve read, for maximum sound quality you should set your PC volume control to 100% and leave it there, only using the Sprout100’s volume control (which is digital, built into the ESS 9016 DAC) to set your listening level. The Sprout’s remote control also works great for this, giving you precise control over listening levels. The only downside is you have no visual indication of where the volume control is set. With the remote set right next to your keyboard, changing the volume should be roughly as convenient as using the wheel on your keyboard.
