little review of the Griffen USB Powermate Volume Control
Dec 4, 2017 16:37:50 GMT -5
pknaz likes this
Post by copperpipe on Dec 4, 2017 16:37:50 GMT -5
If you have a computer, and want to control output sound volume with a physical volume knob: you can use something like Emotiva's Control Freak, or the TC Electronics Level Pilot. These devices sit in between the line-out of the computer's sound card / DAC, and the input of the amplifier. They are analog devices, and while the benefit is that they should not alter the signal beyond volume changes, the downside is that they invariably collect dust, get dirty, and start to crackle when you move the knobs around. At least, that's what my Level Pilot is doing. This is downright sacrilegious for the budding audiophoole like myself, and I felt compelled to find a better option.
Thanks to pknaz, who brought my attention to this little usb device; it is a Griffen USB Powermate. It has the same function, adjust the volume of your computer speakers, but it works digitally instead. No crackle anymore, but it is digital so apparently it reduces detail of the audio as the sound level decreases. The DAC I'm using is a Big Ego from Emotiva, so in my case this won't happen due to the Ego's use of a digitally controlled analog volume doo-dad which does not reduce the detail; but I doubt I'd notice either way.
This powermate is the same size as my Level Pilot, but easier to manage on my desk. The wire is a little usb cable instead of the actual analog cables being routed in and out, like they are on the Level Pilot and Control Freak. The powermate sits firmly on the desk, and is stable while you adjust the volume. It is fairly light, so it will move with firm pressure, but it's not going to skip about on your desk just because you look at it funny; some devices have bulky cables that are stiff, and moving the laptop (if that's what you use) can send plugged in devices off the edge of your desk, but this powermate is nice and stable.
The blue LED is bright enough to sear the back of your head if you stare too long; I feel they could have reduced that intensity by a factor of 10 and still have a suitable blue ring (especially if this is used on a laptop with a limited battery life); but the upside I guess is that does nicely match the Emotiva style, blue led, silver "industrial" look etc. The white usb cable is kinda ugly, I mean it's that same shade of "womanly white" (probably not a politically correct term) that apple uses everywhere, I'd prefer a black cable; but the cable does not detach from the device, so it will remain white.
It has 5 separate "events" which you can map:
- turn left
- turn right
- push knob down
- turn left with knob depressed
- turn right with knob depressed
For myself, I use the left and right to (surprisingly) turn the volume up and down; the "push down" event is mapped to "toggle mute". The left and right turns are infinite, there are no physical boundaries while turning. Same with the push down, it's just a push down and the knob returns to the previous height, it does not toggle in and out like an old skool power knob.
(It's worth noting that these 5 events can be mapped to anything, really, it's not specifically for volume though that would probably be the primary purpose. You can route the events to dim/brighten your screen, move windows from left to right, change virtual workspaces etc etc. Sky's the limit.)
The device is built for apple, and is supposed to work in windows as well; I'm assuming you can download drivers, but I never looked. I use linux, and installation and configuration is a breeze. Just plug it in, and follow the few simple steps on this page:
taintedguacamole.blogspot.com/2015/04/how-to-make-griffin-powermate-usb.html
All that remained was to unplug the Level Pilot and introduce it to the garbage can; last step was to switch the "line in" on my amps from the "line out" on the Big Ego to the headphone jack instead.
Huzzah! Crackle-free volume control. The second one is already on it's way.
Thanks to pknaz, who brought my attention to this little usb device; it is a Griffen USB Powermate. It has the same function, adjust the volume of your computer speakers, but it works digitally instead. No crackle anymore, but it is digital so apparently it reduces detail of the audio as the sound level decreases. The DAC I'm using is a Big Ego from Emotiva, so in my case this won't happen due to the Ego's use of a digitally controlled analog volume doo-dad which does not reduce the detail; but I doubt I'd notice either way.
This powermate is the same size as my Level Pilot, but easier to manage on my desk. The wire is a little usb cable instead of the actual analog cables being routed in and out, like they are on the Level Pilot and Control Freak. The powermate sits firmly on the desk, and is stable while you adjust the volume. It is fairly light, so it will move with firm pressure, but it's not going to skip about on your desk just because you look at it funny; some devices have bulky cables that are stiff, and moving the laptop (if that's what you use) can send plugged in devices off the edge of your desk, but this powermate is nice and stable.
The blue LED is bright enough to sear the back of your head if you stare too long; I feel they could have reduced that intensity by a factor of 10 and still have a suitable blue ring (especially if this is used on a laptop with a limited battery life); but the upside I guess is that does nicely match the Emotiva style, blue led, silver "industrial" look etc. The white usb cable is kinda ugly, I mean it's that same shade of "womanly white" (probably not a politically correct term) that apple uses everywhere, I'd prefer a black cable; but the cable does not detach from the device, so it will remain white.
It has 5 separate "events" which you can map:
- turn left
- turn right
- push knob down
- turn left with knob depressed
- turn right with knob depressed
For myself, I use the left and right to (surprisingly) turn the volume up and down; the "push down" event is mapped to "toggle mute". The left and right turns are infinite, there are no physical boundaries while turning. Same with the push down, it's just a push down and the knob returns to the previous height, it does not toggle in and out like an old skool power knob.
(It's worth noting that these 5 events can be mapped to anything, really, it's not specifically for volume though that would probably be the primary purpose. You can route the events to dim/brighten your screen, move windows from left to right, change virtual workspaces etc etc. Sky's the limit.)
The device is built for apple, and is supposed to work in windows as well; I'm assuming you can download drivers, but I never looked. I use linux, and installation and configuration is a breeze. Just plug it in, and follow the few simple steps on this page:
taintedguacamole.blogspot.com/2015/04/how-to-make-griffin-powermate-usb.html
All that remained was to unplug the Level Pilot and introduce it to the garbage can; last step was to switch the "line in" on my amps from the "line out" on the Big Ego to the headphone jack instead.
Huzzah! Crackle-free volume control. The second one is already on it's way.
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