Let me join only on the topic on "
Master Volume" and "
Individual Volume and Balance" in
crossover+multi-channel + multi-amplifier system.
Nowadays, almost all of the
Hi-Fi power amps do not feature volume/gain/balance controllers, and I always feel a little bit uncomfortable about that. As discussed here, it would always give us possibilities of accidental damage to our speaker units, and give the issue of "where to control master volume?, and, where to control L-R balance?"
I fully agree with RichB's policy of; "
I do not trust using a PC as a preamp". Just for example, I hate and should never to touch the gain control of input channels of my software crossover EKIO
while listening to music; I only adjust the input gains after muting all the output channels, or the DAC's and/or amp's volume/gain being set in sound-off position, like all of you are always doing so...
I believe the software (or hardware) digital crossover should be processed
in high gain (of course just under clipping level) in order to minimize the bit-loss in digital processing. The
Master Volume (and L-R balance also?), therefore, should be controlled after the crossover process, preferably by multichannel-DAC's "
Master and Individual Volume" controller(s); this should be also nice to protect your speakers. This would be nice as well to avoid/minimize any possible "phase complication" given by L-R unbalance within our software crossover.
Since currently available several nice
Hi-Fi integrated amps, however, have advanced and sophisticated, sometimes fully digital, volume and balance controllers which would have no or almost negligible deterioration to the total sound, I believe
we should not exclude the possibilities of using high quality Hi-Fi integrated amps in multi-amplifier system.
And I also think that the digital crossover, and any of other digital processing, within PC should be as simple as possible, and as minimum as possible, in terms of the "total sound quality".
In my current project of "
Multi-Channel, Multi-Amplifier Audio System Using Software Crossover and Multichannel-DAC", I carefully integrate the above considerations in total system design, including the possible utilization of
Hi-Fi integrated amps.
If you may have interests, please visit;
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...oftware-crossover-and-multichannel-dac.12489/