Karmatron wrote:I should have mentioned that the device is an ADI-2 DAC fs.
My PEQ settings:
Base: Fc 20 Hz Gain -12.0 dB Q 1.0
Filter 1: Fc 65 Hz Gain 6.0 dB Q 3.0 Peak
Filter 2: Fc 123 Hz Gain 6.0 dB Q 4.0
Filter 3: Fc 350 Hz Gain -4.0 dB Q 5.0
Filter 4: Fc 620 Hz Gain -4.5 dB Q 4.0
Filter 5: Fc 2.5 kHz Gain 3.0 dB Q 1.3
This performs a room correction, which I measured with REW. The Base setting is being used to attenuate below 30Hz.
Max gain is +6dB, and the steps of Auto ref level shift down accordingly. But that is not enough to prevent an occasional overload.
Ok, so its ADI-2 DAC FS´s line output which is causing this.
Your EQ´s seems to be pretty +-0, they shouldn´t be causing this.
Does this "overloading" happen during playback, namely in that very brief moment when you adjust volume up or down? Between volume scale -points, in which between happens to be one of the ADI´s Ref Level -transition point?
If so, my common sense says that in that case little glitches can well be normal, because in that brief moment ADI must ramp up/down its digital volume attenuation value + switch another analog hardware gain value to its line output. It may be impossible to do that without some occasional little glitches, if audio is coming out simultaneously.
The Solution would be
A) live with it, because its normal
B) use manual Ref Level value on line outputs
C) avoid constant volume up/down -jerking + level meters -gazing during playback (leads to listening neurosis)
Karmatron wrote:As it is now I have to disable Auto ref level, which makes the DAC not really suitable to use as pre-amp.
Why would it do so?
Not using Auto Ref Level does only change that you won´t be able to get ADI´s best available, "optimized" (astronomical high) SNR-figures. Which you wouldn´t hear anyway, in practice.
Its practically pretty insignificant if devices SNR is "only" 100 dB, instead of 115 dB. The end result is model "dead silent" i.e. excellent in both cases.