PC volume control

[sumacSK]

Hi all,

I was asking this question in my previous thread but nobody answered me so, I'm trying it again.

I'm in process of building GC amp using brians Lm3875 Rev C boards. My question is: Is it possible not to use volume pot in this amp and control volume only on PC? (I will use Emu 0404 soud card as source). I'm thinking about this because I'm not able to get any decent pots here in my country.

Thanks Martin

 

[rampage101]

Yes it is, I was originally doing this, but it can be a real pita. I play games every now and again, and you can't just easily adjust the volume for the game.

 

[DcibeL]

It is possible, but I think the sensitivity of the volume control on the PC would be too high for comfort. As well for sound quality using a cheap pot is probably still better then sending a very small signal over the interconnect

You cannot order the pot you want to your country? I have ordered one of these, and found it to work very well for a volume control.

 

[Vikash]

Yes you can use just your pc soundcard without a pot. Those little green pots are inexpensive and very good also: http://www.madaboutsound.com/prod.asp?pname=POT

 

[sumacSK]

Thank you all for your help. It seems that I'll look for some more pots.
Which kind would you recommend? Anything from 10K to 50K should work, or...??

Thanks Martin

 

[Sangram]

Even though I don't normally use it, a volume control on the speakers will help.

My speaker volume has been set to about half-way for a very long time and I haven't touched it, using the keyboard to control the volume.

Works just fine. At least in that case the speakers are turned down. For my second soundcard (a Delta 66) which is connected to the monitoring speakers, I feed to the amp's direct in and have the soundcard control the volume. Since it allows control to -110 dB, I rarely have a problem controlling the volume at least as far as ganularity goes.

Anyway if you are keen soundcards will drive up to 10K decently, so any value above that should be fine. A cheap keyboard that allows you to adjust the volume will be a good investment too. Using a fixed level on the speaker amps and using the keyboard to make small quick changes on the fly, will give you a wide range of control options.

 

[sagarverma]

i have never used a pot in any of my amp.if there is any in the schematic 4 volume ,i omit it out.yeah its true.
i always use volume control of signal source,be it pc walkie discman etc etc.

 

[joensd]

If you want to go without a pot but avoid too loud a sound in games or whatever you could install a switch to limit volume to a defined level.
If the range doesn´t give you enough headroom just switch.
Example:
cmoy headphone amplifier
That said it is not very comfortable.

greets

 

[Nordic]

Problematic with analog sources like record players and FM stereo receivers.... few have volume control

 

[wintermute]

I've been doing it successfully, but there is a risk, and that is if you ever open a program that overides the volume setting (and some do!!) you could end up deaf or with blown speakers I only use mine in specific testing scenarios, for everyday use, just be aware that maybe one day your pc volume control may get set to 100%

Tony.