Added Ultra to system, midrange distorted

[HoosierHiFi]

The analogue line output voltage (2 V or whatever) has not influence on the digital USB output.

The volume limit setting (found in Audio Settings) should be your preferred tool to avoid digital clipping. The main function of pre-gain is just to reach equal loudness between different sources.

Regarding your GEQ setting:
View attachment 10876

Wouldn't it make sense to pull down all sliders by, say, 7 dB?
View attachment 10877

The max. gain to worry about would be reduced to just 2.9 dB and the difference in loudness between EQ on and off should also be reduced.

Good points no need for me to mention the line out details. Also thanks for the eq slider suggestion I will give it a try. There are so many options. I’m also testing turning off the ultras eq and just using the 5 band eq on the rme dac. Thanks to you and others for helping me better understand the impact of using different levels of eq adjustments on the digital signal. And sorry I didn’t mean to hijack this thread!