Is -25 dB too much headroom adjustment?

Roon Software Discussion
1

I’m new to Roon and I’m trying to get the best sound quality experience. However when using my external DAC and AMP via USB to PC, if all volume is maxed on the PC level, I have no room to adjust the volume on my amp (Bottlehead/Magni 3). Just the slightest adjustment makes it way too loud and I deal with channel imbalance on the Magni.

I guess that means I have to use the DSP headroom adjustment, but I notice that my signal path goes from lossless to enhanced.

I’m also using -25 dB headroom adjustment which might be too high, but I’m not really sure. Any advice on how to get the best sound quality while still using headroom adjustment (or if there’s another way to go about this?)

2

Personally I’d fix things after your DAC. Maybe a better match for your headphones so you have some volume room to work with.

3

Thanks Jeff, I appreciate the advice. I’ve tried with some lowish impedance cans like the Fostex Th-X00 and even higher Independence like HD600s and I’m still having an issue with both sets. I’m realizing that maybe I enjoy listening at very low volumes, but it’s definitely an issue. I would much rather control the volume through the amp but even on low gain it’s not really an option.

4

This is strange behavior. The amp should be able to adjust the volume with a full level signal coming in to it. “Full level” is an industry standard. I would investigate that problem first.