I have recently purchased a Vibelink amplifier but am finding the volume level a bit strange I am using a Rega turntable via a Cambridge Audio pre amp all fed into an old pair of, for now, Mission 6 Ohm 50 watt speakers. I have noticed that the volume control on the amp has little affect on increasing the volume until it is turned about half way. My questions are, is this normal, and if so what is the cause, and is there a solution. Is it due to the speakers I am using, or perhaps the pre amp? I have also noticed it is the same using a other devices using the line input. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.
Vibelink Volume Control.
- Thread starter JohnPS65
- Start date
Welcome to the forum @JohnPS65!
Potentiometers come in different flavours, the voltage divider they represent in a circuit can be either linear (e.g. a 30° turn has exactly the same effect, no matter if the pot is turned fully up or fully down) or - more likely in audio - logarithmic (where a 30° turn will only make a little difference at the beginning, but a bigger difference towards the end of the pot's travel). And there's not just one logarithmic profile available, to suit different use cases.
The idea is to that our hearings sensitivity isn't linear itself. As a result, you will usually find that a linear potentiometer doesn't give enough precision in the lower volume region. This has nothing to do with your speakers, but the pre-amp almost certainly has a logarithmic volume control, too. So as long as both volume controls are operated in the lower range, there might be very little change in output.
It's nothing to worry about, you just have to decide how to best use your devices. Since you have a pre-amp already, I would simply turn the volume knob on the WiiM Vibelink Amp fully clockwise and only use the pre-amp's volume control. Having a pot set to maximum takes it out of the circuit as much as possible. If there are any detrimental effects caused by the pot, they are minimised when fully turned on.
Potentiometers come in different flavours, the voltage divider they represent in a circuit can be either linear (e.g. a 30° turn has exactly the same effect, no matter if the pot is turned fully up or fully down) or - more likely in audio - logarithmic (where a 30° turn will only make a little difference at the beginning, but a bigger difference towards the end of the pot's travel). And there's not just one logarithmic profile available, to suit different use cases.
The idea is to that our hearings sensitivity isn't linear itself. As a result, you will usually find that a linear potentiometer doesn't give enough precision in the lower volume region. This has nothing to do with your speakers, but the pre-amp almost certainly has a logarithmic volume control, too. So as long as both volume controls are operated in the lower range, there might be very little change in output.
It's nothing to worry about, you just have to decide how to best use your devices. Since you have a pre-amp already, I would simply turn the volume knob on the WiiM Vibelink Amp fully clockwise and only use the pre-amp's volume control. Having a pot set to maximum takes it out of the circuit as much as possible. If there are any detrimental effects caused by the pot, they are minimised when fully turned on.
Great answer, thank you. My pre-amp does not have a volume control so I'm stuck with the current configuration for now, but am planning on buying an ultra streamer and new speakers in the near future, so I'll reconfigure everything at that stage. Thank you for your help 
slartibartfast
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A preamp with no volume control? Isn't that just a buffer?Great answer, thank you. My pre-amp does not have a volume control so I'm stuck with the current configuration for now, but am planning on buying an ultra streamer and new speakers in the near future, so I'll reconfigure everything at that stage. Thank you for your help
slartibartfast
Major Contributor
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- Apr 18, 2024
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OK I didn't realise it was a phono pre-amp
