Yes that’s the sort of figure I expected for room - listening below 30 you’d only hear nothing or only the highest peaks in the music! Even listening at35dB avearge is just5-10dB above background, OK if music is pretty much constant level all the way through, but if you listened to music with a good dynamic range you’d completely lose the quiet passages.
With 88dB/W at 1m speakers, the average power level you’d be using would be around 0.03W, with highest peaks likely to be well under 1W. If that’s the level you want, and never playing much louder, it begs the question of whether the power amp you’re using is appropriate…
Out of curiosity, why do you want it at such a low level, and what made you pick your target? That to me is really just makes the music a backgound noise, such as might be used to mask other background noiss, rather than a level to listen to the music.
Overall if only listening at those levels any effect on sound quality of adding attenuators, or of different powers amps, or even different sources, is unlikely to be heard.
IB - You are right - it is on those occasions when I just would like background music. And yes, I had begun to suspect whether the Unitilite was too powerful for my modest needs. But I am where I am and from your, and other helpful responses, notably Xanthe, I realise that I can either live with the higher volume, as I have done for 8 years or accept a loss in quality which would result from seeking to restrict the volume by a relatively crude means. On balance, I think that I’ll have a go at the latter and see how it goes. Many thanks indeed
The best solution to achieve approximately 20db reduction in sound by introducing a resistive element or network into the speaker cable is this:
Insert a 5.6Ω non-inductive resistor (at least 50W handling capacity) in series between the amp and the speaker and a 0.68Ω series resistor in parallel with the speaker connections.
This network will give much less reduction in audio quality than just using a single 50Ω resistor as the effective source impedance becomes 0.68Ω instead of the value of the series resistor. The load on the amp becomes 6.48Ω (mostly resistive) which is an easy load for a Unitilite.
This is still a significantly compromised configuration, just a LOT less compromised than using a single series resistor.
To me the obvious answer is this:- reduce the max volume level in the app Audio Settings, to say 30. That would give you greater control over the volume up to that max level. The slider will only control up to the max level set, ie 0 - 30 but over its complete travel.
May need some experimentation to get the volume you want
I do not know a lot of electronics, but I guess this is a design error at Naim and many other brands. I think it is strange that you can’t use the entire volume knob. I do not think I have ever played louder than 11 on the volume, yet the knob goes to 16-17.
On my active system, I use all of it, but thats another story.
I know it uses a different volume control, but with the 272 the result of that is simply to limit the maximum volume setting attainable, it doesn’t insert additional steps in the volume level progression (they’re very roughly about every 1db separation anyway).
I don’t know how functioning of the Unitilite’s volume control is changed by the Maximum Volume setting.
I think it’s different from the way max volume works on new Unitis (or to be specific on my Atom). This caused me some confusion as a former 272 owner, when I put an Atom in my study. I’m not sure about the Unitilite, though.