Recommended output volt.for Soulution 511 power amp

[Simon2]

Hi, I am changing a power amp for my dcs rossini apex. I plan to connect the two without a preamp.

What would be your recommended output voltage of dcs?

Best regards,

Simon

[PAR (Pete)]

@Simon2

What would be your recommended output voltage

There are many postings in the archives about use of direct connection to power amps. It may be worth your while searching these.

There is no answer which is applicable for all circumstances. The appropriate line voltage is dependent not only on the input sensitivity of the power amp but loudspeaker sensitivity, room size, preferred genre of music and how loud you like to listen.

Connect your dCS unit to the power amp. I suggest starting with 2V selected ensuring that the volume control is set low. Then slowly increase it. The 2V choice should allow the dCS volume control setting to result in a sound level that is acceptable to you and allows you to still control it . So the result should be a volume control setting that is not so high that no further upward adjustment is realistic ( e.g. close to 0.0dBfs) or so low that the preferred sound level is only reached with the volume control set below -30dBfs. If 2V does not result in the average listening level for you being within this range then try the other line voltage selections until these conditions are met.

[Ermos (Erno)]

@PAR 's advice is the way to go!

Your Soulution 511 has a Input Sensitivity of 1.55 Vrms, according to the online documentation of Soulution, so 2V out from your Rossini Apex is always good. If the input of your Soulution is sufficiently buffered, 6V may well be possible.

[Simon2]

Thank you for the advice.

I will try from 2 Volts and see if the listening level stays -30db ~ 0db of dcs volume !

[Simon2]

I appreciate your supporting advice from Pete’s. I wonder if you use preamp as the dealer strongly advised me to get a preamp.

When I used Rossini→Pass X600.8, adding Pass xp32 clearly opened up the higns and presented more sense of space.

[Ermos (Erno)]

@Simon2

I wonder if you use preamp as the dealer strongly advised me to get a preamp.

I do use a preamp, as I have more inputs than just my Rossini Apex, but anyway have the same experience as you describe by using a preamp. If you can demo it at home I would certainly do the comparison.

[PAR (Pete)]

Like @Ermos I too use a preamp. However this is a personal decision rather then an unbreakable rule. As I said earlier this week in another thread:

@PAR

There is no real answer to this . Although direct connection offers the least compromise ( at least on paper), there is no point if you do not enjoy the result. Equally there is no point in using a preamp if you don’t like what you hear.
.

@AndrewS response is worthwhile:

@AndrewS

preamp will definitely do something to the sound, no preamp will definitely do nothing to the sound. If you prefer the sound of the something you will prefer the sound with the preamp, if not you will probably prefer the sound without.

[Simon2]

I will try when the shop gets 525 demo..

Or, as 511and 525 are released nearly 9 years ago, later I might get newer pre/powe amps. I tried LaiV Genfet monoblocks and I was quite surprised at the sound despite very low price…

[Simon2]

All in all, adding a pre is a personal choice after comparing with/without a pre !