Thank you for the replies. Regrettably, most of what you wrote is over my head, except for your comment about defaults. Default settings I can understand and it's what I've been seeking to find with my numerous queries. So if you can point me to where those Default Settings are listed or found I'm sure I'll be able to work out how to setup the WiiM. I have searched Google endlessly looking for references to default settings for the WiiM Pro Plus, so knowing they are available somewhere is a great relief for me. Thank you again.
really good summary, many thanksLots of good thoughts. Let me try to sum it up one more time.
First of, the gain structure becomes more and more important, the more stages of gain you have in your "system" (where "system" is not restricted to home Hi-Fi system). With a single streamer feeding a single amp it's simply less of an issue than, say, with a microphone, microphone pre-amp, multiple effects processors, a mixing console, a power amplifier and so on.
I'd say, the basic concepts behind a good gain structure are:
The first point should be obvious. Clipping causes distortion. Once it's there, you cannot get rid of it further down the chain.
- Never let any device in the chain go into clipping.
- Don't amplify a signal just to have it attenuated in the next stage for no reason.
- Let your volume control work close to the range where it performs best.
If you write down the second point the other way around, it remains true: Don't attenuate a signal so much that it needs additional amplification in the next stage. This is probably where this idea ...
... stems from. It's not entirely wrong, but maybe still a bit of a misconception. You cannot feed a voltage higher than the input sensitivity into any device without violating rule 1. So, this ...
... is basically just a slightly complicated way to ensure that the amp's input stage is not overloaded . We can probably agree on something like: Keep the signal level high, but not higher than natively supported by the next stage.
Finally, we do need volume control, of course. Some disagree, but I stick to my statement that digital volume control (performed with 32 bit precision for 24 bit digital signals) is vastly superior to most analogue potentiometers. To be on the safe side, both types should not be operated close to their minimum values. In particular, cheap analogue pots have the least negative influence in their max position.
Good hint. Also depends on the volume setting on the phone, of course.
Actually, it isn't. Sticking with the defaults is OK.
WiiM devices just give you a lot more control and potential for optimising than most other stuff sold at this price point.
When I said that the default values are OK, I literally meant it: OK. Not optimal.
There cannot be default settings that are perfect for each environment. WiiM cannot know what kind of source or amplifier you are going to use with your streamer.You can reset your WiiM Pro Plus to factory settings any time from the Device Info page. This will load all default values (and require you to go through the setup process, again).
I suggest you stop worrying too much about it and just set the output voltage to 200 mVrms.
Thank you, and my sincere apologies for my lack of knowledge and understanding. I foolishly assumed that there was a list of default settings available somewhere after reading your earlier post. I am a senior citizen and unfortunately some of this new technology is difficult for me to understand.
I will do my best to set up the WiiM Pro Plus when it arrives. What is simple and understood by many is not necessarily the case for everyone, especially for folks like me who have very little experience with newer audio technology.
Please note that I didn't say "stop asking questions".
There's no such thing as self-explanatory technology, even less so with digital devices.
