Short explanation:
An analogue volume control delivers better sound quality than digital volume controls. In case of a small channel imbalance at very low volume settings, please adjust the iDSD micro power mode and iEMatch settings so that the volume control is at 12 o’clock for normal listening levels, which avoids using very low settings. See below for more detail.
Detailed explanation:
The iDSD micro uses an analogue volume control, specifically a dual-track potentiometer. Being analogue differentiates it from the digital volume control built into DAC chips as it ensures ‘bit-perfect’ signal integrity.
Digital volume controls alter the original music information (digital data), and often loose effective resolution (bits) even at moderate attenuation; analogue volume controls are free from this defect.
One minor downside of using dual-track analogue volume controls is that there is sometimes a slight mechanical mistracking between the two channels. This can cause minor channel imbalance at 9 o’clock or lower volume settings, making one channel louder. The iDSD micro should not be used with the volume set so low, as this not only may subject it to this imbalance, but will also not deliver the best sound quality, due to excessive noise and distortion caused by excessive gain.
Form this, the iDSD micro includes both power modes and iEMatch adjustments that make sure any headphone can be correctly matched for optimum volume control setting and sound quality.
Please see the manual for these settings, and set the iDSD micro so that normal listening levels are at the volume control around the 12 o’clock position. This ensures not just correct tracking, but also the lowest noise and best sound quality.
