What the best computer volume setting to use with external active speakers?

Bing75

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Hi all,

I should hopefully be getting some active speakers and a sub in the next week of so to connect to my MacBook pro, and I wanted to know what the best control settings would be.

Speakers will be connected via bluetooth.

Music will be mainly played through a browser (soundcloud, youTube etc), iTunes and Spotify.

Where should the Mac volume control be?
Some people say to about 90% and then adjust the volume on the speakers as needed
Some are saying set the speakers to 90% and use the volume on the Mac to make adjustments


Any other advice would be great.

thanks
 
Depends on what type of volume control is being used and where.

I have a healthy disregard for digital (particularly software) Volume controls and add in an analogue volume control if I can, preferably passive.

In your case why not try it both ways, speaker volume high adjust mac and vice versa, also try mac main and app volumes too. Any difference will show at low volumes where any digital or software volume will be reducing the bits to make the change and possibly resembling. Experiment and see what your ears tell you.

Out of interest, what speakers and sub do you have?
 
I'm not sure how to cross reference posts. But I've just put a post up about a product called SoundSource. It allows lot's of tweaking to be done on your mac before the sound gets to your active speakers - inc. Parametric EQ's. My set up is :-

MacBook Pro -> USB -> Buchardt Hub -> Wireless -> A500's.

I've just discovered 'Muse' and I do like my Rock, so a little boost really gets my speakers leaping !
 
Doesn‘t the A500’s come with a hub that has Room EQ and DSP built into it, I’d be tempted to use that rather than at the PC end.
 
It does and that works great. But I like a touch more treble and as much as they can go down to 22hz, I prefer is a little lighter in the bottom end. All of which I can do. I think my ear had got used to an active with a different sound signature and sometimes it's hard to change what your ear is used to. This little app allows me to move between the two.
 

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