• From: Melbourne, Australia
  • Registered: 2007-05-04
  • Posts: 17

Topic: Babyface Headphone Analog Volume Control?

Hello,

Reading the manual, and checking the block diagrams in particular, it appears that the volume control for the headphone output is in the digital domain, so that attenuating the volume below 0 is actually reducing audio quality by reducing bit depth. Is this true? This means that for full quality one would still need some sort of passive volume attenuator on the headphone output. Less than ideal.

Stephen

  • Registered: 2011-02-15
  • Posts: 44

Re: Babyface Headphone Analog Volume Control?

I am considering purchasing RME Babyface, and was checking the same thing.  Inspecting the Block Diagram carefully from the manual it actually appears that the interface has analog gain control circuits after the DACs for all 4 Analog outputs (1/2 Main Out, 3/4 Phones).  The only difference compared to most other interfaces is that they are controlled digitally with the rotary encoder.  Just like the two Texas PGA 2500 preamps on the inputs, which are also controlled digitally by the same rotary encoder, but obviously attenuate the signal in the analog domain before the ADCs.  I think this truly shows the ingenuity of the engineers at RME.  I see two advantages, one is that this creates a perfect integration between the software control interface, and the hardware, and another is that it avoids any possible noise which could be picked up by analog faders or knobs.
Petre

3 Reply by arctic (edited by arctic 2011-02-15 07:39:58)

  • Registered: 2011-01-25
  • Posts: 85

Re: Babyface Headphone Analog Volume Control?

I think Dr_Steve is right. I believe it's purely digital. On the outs.

  • Knut
  • Knut
  • DAW Mastermind
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2007-04-06
  • Posts: 1,618

Re: Babyface Headphone Analog Volume Control?

It´s digitally controlled. See also: http://www.rme-audio.de/ufxfaq#15

best regards
Knut

5 Reply by arctic (edited by arctic 2011-02-15 10:08:15)

  • Registered: 2011-01-25
  • Posts: 85

Re: Babyface Headphone Analog Volume Control?

I bought one of these to be dead sure I don't at some point get a blast of death through my speakers:
http://www.tcelectronic.com/levelpilot.asp
Do I trust digital? Noooo....
:-O
(I did get a blast of death from my Motu ultralite) I returned it.

  • Registered: 2011-02-15
  • Posts: 44

Re: Babyface Headphone Analog Volume Control?

Yes, it seems all RME products only have a digital attenuator before the DACs.  I got mislead by the diagrams, because what I took for analog gain control on the outs are simply the amps for each channel.