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Post by rekterx on Dec 22, 2018 16:20:35 GMT -5
Ok .... I'm a happy owner of the PT-100 preamp/Dac. And I've ordered an A-100 which I won'y be receiving until after the 1st of the year.
How do I go about using the two together? Do I max out the volume on the A-100, using it as a power amp and control the volume with the preamp? Or do I approach things differently?
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Post by garbulky on Dec 22, 2018 18:37:06 GMT -5
Ok .... I'm a happy owner of the PT-100 preamp/Dac. And I've ordered an A-100 which I won'y be receiving until after the 1st of the year. How do I go about using the two together? Do I max out the volume on the A-100, using it as a power amp and control the volume with the preamp? Or do I approach things differently? Hi Rek! That's what I would do  This would allow you to use a remote control for your volume. Cheers. If you plan on using headphones, I would reccomend exploring engaging the jumpers if your headphones have an appropriately high impedance as it is also a fantastic headphone amplifier. Enjoy! That's a really nice combo you've got |
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Post by rekterx on Dec 22, 2018 22:27:54 GMT -5
Thank you garbulky. And yes on phones ..... I’m pretty sure that Santa is bringing me some hd650s!
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Post by creimes on Dec 23, 2018 0:30:12 GMT -5
I just have one question, why didn't you buy the TA-100 which is the PT-100 and A-100 combined, or ordered the A-150 instead of the A-100 to add to the PT ?? no criticism just questions haha.
Cheers,
Chad
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Post by rekterx on Dec 23, 2018 23:01:47 GMT -5
I just have one question, why didn't you buy the TA-100 which is the PT-100 and A-100 combined, or ordered the A-150 instead of the A-100 to add to the PT ?? no criticism just questions haha. Cheers, Chad Well .... since you’ve asked. I have an A-500 that I am running on two channels until I build the lxmini kit that has been sitting in garage since summer. I also have an Amp Camp Amp that I run off of the pt100 into high efficiency open baffle speakers. I am getting the A100 as mostly a headphone amp. I’ll connect all of the amps to the pt100 with a Rolls 1 to 3 rca stereo switch box. I should rephrase my original question. If I am running the a100 as a headphone amp off of the pt100, should I max the volume on the a100 and then control the sound level with the pt100 ... into headphones? |
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Post by creimes on Dec 24, 2018 1:37:40 GMT -5
I just have one question, why didn't you buy the TA-100 which is the PT-100 and A-100 combined, or ordered the A-150 instead of the A-100 to add to the PT ?? no criticism just questions haha. Cheers, Chad Well .... since you’ve asked. I have an A-500 that I am running on two channels until I build the lxmini kit that has been sitting in garage since summer. I also have an Amp Camp Amp that I run off of the pt100 into high efficiency open baffle speakers. I am getting the A100 as mostly a headphone amp. I’ll connect all of the amps to the pt100 with a Rolls 1 to 3 rca stereo switch box. I should rephrase my original question. If I am running the a100 as a headphone amp off of the pt100, should I max the volume on the a100 and then control the sound level with the pt100 ... into headphones? Gotcha, I was a bit confused there which sometimes doesn't take much haha, if both the PT-100 and A-100 are close enough together where you don't have to move far to the PT-100 to control volume I say keep the A-100 maxed and control volume with the PT, I have done this to speakers off a A-100 but not headphones so you may need to try for yourself in case of any gain issues using headphones and not speakers. Cheers, chad |
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Post by garbulky on Dec 24, 2018 2:49:57 GMT -5
I just have one question, why didn't you buy the TA-100 which is the PT-100 and A-100 combined, or ordered the A-150 instead of the A-100 to add to the PT ?? no criticism just questions haha. Cheers, Chad Well .... since you’ve asked. I have an A-500 that I am running on two channels until I build the lxmini kit that has been sitting in garage since summer. I also have an Amp Camp Amp that I run off of the pt100 into high efficiency open baffle speakers. I am getting the A100 as mostly a headphone amp. I’ll connect all of the amps to the pt100 with a Rolls 1 to 3 rca stereo switch box. I should rephrase my original question. If I am running the a100 as a headphone amp off of the pt100, should I max the volume on the a100 and then control the sound level with the pt100 ... into headphones? I've used your configuration. SO the answer to this is a little bit of both. First - I'm assuming you are getting an HD650. If this is the case, you should insert the jumpers as in my opinion the sound quality is better. In both modes you have plenty of volume, but for me the jumpers inserted mode sounds better. If you choose to not insert the jumpers then you can run the Pt-100 to A-100 exactly as you mentioned no probs. If you do insert the jumpers then you may find that you still use the PT-100 to control the volume. But if you max out the A-100 you have little play in the volume control due to the huge power of the system. So the way around this is like this: Insert jumpers Turn A_100 volume to zero. Set the PT-100 to say -10 or -5. Increase the volume on the A-100 till it gets as loud as you would want to listen. You want to get the A-100 volume knob above 9 o clock to avoid channel imbalance. If you find you can't then you reduce the volume on the PT-100 till you can. Then you are done. You will now adjust the volume with the PT-100 and leave the A-100 volume alone. |
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Post by rekterx on Dec 24, 2018 7:21:30 GMT -5
Well .... since you’ve asked. I have an A-500 that I am running on two channels until I build the lxmini kit that has been sitting in garage since summer. I also have an Amp Camp Amp that I run off of the pt100 into high efficiency open baffle speakers. I am getting the A100 as mostly a headphone amp. I’ll connect all of the amps to the pt100 with a Rolls 1 to 3 rca stereo switch box. I should rephrase my original question. If I am running the a100 as a headphone amp off of the pt100, should I max the volume on the a100 and then control the sound level with the pt100 ... into headphones? I've used your configuration. SO the answer to this is a little bit of both. First - I'm assuming you are getting an HD650. If this is the case, you should insert the jumpers as in my opinion the sound quality is better. In both modes you have plenty of volume, but for me the jumpers inserted mode sounds better. If you choose to not insert the jumpers then you can run the Pt-100 to A-100 exactly as you mentioned no probs. If you do insert the jumpers then you may find that you still use the PT-100 to control the volume. But if you max out the A-100 you have little play in the volume control due to the huge power of the system. So the way around this is like this: Insert jumpers Turn A_100 volume to zero. Set the PT-100 to say -10 or -5. Increase the volume on the A-100 till it gets as loud as you would want to listen. You want to get the A-100 volume knob above 9 o clock to avoid channel imbalance. If you find you can't then you reduce the volume on the PT-100 till you can. Then you are done. You will now adjust the volume with the PT-100 and leave the A-100 volume alone. Thank you. That is the kind of answer I was really looking for. All I had to do was ask the "right" question. I'll experiment with jumpers in and out. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year/ Happy Holidays ...... take your pick! |
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Post by jj2106 on Dec 24, 2018 8:33:58 GMT -5
Ok .... I'm a happy owner of the PT-100 preamp/Dac. And I've ordered an A-100 which I won'y be receiving until after the 1st of the year. How do I go about using the two together? Do I max out the volume on the A-100, using it as a power amp and control the volume with the preamp? Or do I approach things differently? Hi Rek! That's what I would do This would allow you to use a remote control for your volume. Cheers. If you plan on using headphones, I would reccomend exploring engaging the jumpers if your headphones have an appropriately high impedance as it is also a fantastic headphone amplifier. Enjoy! That's a really nice combo you've got Hi Garbulky, Are you that sure? The input sensitivity of the A-100 is 600mV, whilst the PT -100 can output several volts. Me thinks there's a risk to be limited to, maybe, 10 o 'clock on the preamp 's volume control. I would definitely seek Keith's advice on that one. J-J |
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Post by rekterx on Dec 24, 2018 9:54:35 GMT -5
jj .... thanks for jumping in.
The suspense builds!
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Post by creimes on Dec 24, 2018 10:01:59 GMT -5
I would never have thought listening to headphones would be such a difficult task hahaha.
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Post by rekterx on Dec 24, 2018 10:43:49 GMT -5
I would never have thought listening to headphones would be such a difficult task hahaha. Yeah ... I guess I could just plug the phones into the PT-100 and be done with it. But where is the fun in that? |
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Post by jj2106 on Dec 24, 2018 11:02:59 GMT -5
When I wrote my answer, I didn't know this setup was for headphones only.
Personally, my A-100 is out of sight, and its volume control is set at 12 o'clock.
My DAC outputs 2.1V max, and I use a passive attenuator in between.
Works like a charm, but this is with loudspeakers.
J-J
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Post by creimes on Dec 24, 2018 11:24:08 GMT -5
I would never have thought listening to headphones would be such a difficult task hahaha. Yeah ... I guess I could just plug the phones into the PT-100 and be done with it. But where is the fun in that? Fun... we are all serious here 90% of 5% of the time  |
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Post by garbulky on Dec 24, 2018 11:25:57 GMT -5
Hi Rek! That's what I would do This would allow you to use a remote control for your volume. Cheers. If you plan on using headphones, I would reccomend exploring engaging the jumpers if your headphones have an appropriately high impedance as it is also a fantastic headphone amplifier. Enjoy! That's a really nice combo you've got Hi Garbulky, Are you that sure? The input sensitivity of the A-100 is 600mV, whilst the PT -100 can output several volts. Me thinks there's a risk to be limited to, maybe, 10 o 'clock on the preamp 's volume control. I would definitely seek Keith's advice on that one. J-J The A_100 is designed to take a line level signal and control it via its volume control. So a line level is 2 V so I don't think there's risk of damage. But in doubt, always check with Keith. At 0.00 volume the PT-100 outputs a level of 2V at 0 db output if I'm not mistaken. So I assume that level should be fine for safety reasons. As for maxing out the amps power that can be done with the PT-100 but that can done with many preamps worth their salt. I would back off if I'm hearing clipping etc. For me, the challenges of using the jumper are 1. Not pushing way too much power to your headphones because it is in direct drive mode! 2. Getting the A-100 potentiometer above the minimum level where there is channel imbalance. 3. Some headphones may exhibit a noticeable noise floor/hiss due to its impedance and efficiency. |
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Post by jj2106 on Dec 25, 2018 5:40:34 GMT -5
Hi Garbulky, Are you that sure? The input sensitivity of the A-100 is 600mV, whilst the PT -100 can output several volts. Me thinks there's a risk to be limited to, maybe, 10 o 'clock on the preamp 's volume control. I would definitely seek Keith's advice on that one. J-J The A_100 is designed to take a line level signal and control it via its volume control. So a line level is 2 V so I don't think there's risk of damage. But in doubt, always check with Keith. At 0.00 volume the PT-100 outputs a level of 2V at 0 db output if I'm not mistaken. So I assume that level should be fine for safety reasons. As for maxing out the amps power that can be done with the PT-100 but that can done with many preamps worth their salt. I would back off if I'm hearing clipping etc. For me, the challenges of using the jumper are 1. Not pushing way too much power to your headphones because it is in direct drive mode! 2. Getting the A-100 potentiometer above the minimum level where there is channel imbalance. 3. Some headphones may exhibit a noticeable noise floor/hiss due to its impedance and efficiency. No concern about safety indeed. But back to the original question, which had to do with how to combine volume control between the PT-100 and the A-100. Cos the A-100 is much more sensitive than the rest of the line (A-150 and above), I would start out with the A-100 pot at 12 o'clock and see how the entire system behaves. In order to obtain maximum flexibility, the key is to make sure that the PT-100 pot may be clocked over 12 o'clock before clipping occurs. This is important because the various sources have vastly different levels. Also, I would leave the 220 Ohms resistors in-line. The A-100 can deliver a peak voltage (the voltage of the supply rails) of sqrt(2*P*R)=sqrt(2*50*8)= 28.28V (in reality at least 30V). The HD650 supports a 500mW continuous power into 300 Ohms, which requires a peak voltage of sqrt(2*0.5*300)= 17.32V only. The 220 Ohms resistors will bring the voltage down to 28.28*300/520 = 16.15V, which is perfect. Remember, too, that the HD650 has an efficiency of 103 dB SPL for a 1V RMS or 1.414V peak input. With 16V peak, you reach more than 113dB. Mind your ears! Merry Xmas to all! J-J |
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Post by rekterx on Jan 4, 2019 19:21:01 GMT -5
I want to thank everyone again for their responses. I traveled for part of the holidays and I just now feel like I'm catching my breath. So I've returned to this thread. I did get the HD650's for Christmas. But the A-100 has been held up, along with a lot of other Emotiva stuff, in customs since I ordered it on 12/20/18. Hopefully it ships out within the next week or so?  ? I've plugged the 650's into the PT-100 and yes ... they sound nice, but I can tell they will be much better with the A-100. jj .... I really appreciate your explanation of things and I will probably keep the resistors in-line. I'll try the 12 o'clock position on the A-100 and then control my volume with the PT-100. I think it should work just great. I'll let you know how it works out ..... if I ever get my A-100! Happy New Year to One and All! |
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Post by jj2106 on Jan 12, 2019 9:13:01 GMT -5
Hi Rekterx,
No news about your A-100 yet?
J -J
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Post by rekterx on Jan 12, 2019 9:55:57 GMT -5
Hi Rekterx, No news about your A-100 yet? J -J I just happened to drop in and I saw that you posted. The original stated shipping date was to have been 1/6. I got an email from the company on 1/4 which explained that their container, which had been held up in customs for some time, was now cleared by customs. But the contact person that Emotiva works with was now not working due to the "government shutdown." They were hopeful that the container would be physically released soon. I've heard nothing more. That's why I dropped into the Lounge. I wanted to see if there might be any further news on delayed shipments. I have to believe that there are MANY people who have not received things ordered in December. This can't be good for business. It's certainly not good for customers. But it's not Emotiva's fault. To their credit they say they will be investigating other ports of entry into the country. Where is the current container? I have no idea. Is it in Memphis? Did it come in by air? Did it come in by sea somewhere? Will the container be released before the shutdown ends? When will the shutdown end? Who knows? I am beginning to think that I will be very lucky to see the A-100 this month. |
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Post by jj2106 on Jan 13, 2019 4:49:19 GMT -5
I wish you patience and good luck.
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This would allow you to use a remote control for your volume. Cheers. 
? I've plugged the 650's into the PT-100 and yes ... they sound nice, but I can tell they will be much better with the A-100.