Quality Desktop Volume Control

Porter_

Porter_

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i would appreciate some advice. i'm not an audiophile but i appreciate quality sound and i'd like to improve my gaming experience. i'm looking for an audio setup that will allow me to control volume through a physical knob. my focus is gaming. i play FPS games with the occasional Mafia II style game thrown in. budget is low, $100 - $150.

current setup:
  • on-board Realtek ALC892 8-channel
  • HD280 PRO headphones
  • generic low-end PC 2.1 speakers (creative i trigue 3400)

looking to upgrade to:
  • an improved source (X-fi, Xonar, DAC, etc. ?)
  • keeping my HD280 PRO's, i'm happy with them
  • keeping the PC 2.1 speakers (i use headphones while gaming, speakers are used only for youtube vids etc.)

here's my current setup. soundcard -> low-end 2.1 speakers -> HD280 connected through the volume control pod of the i trigue speakers.

setup1.jpg


i'm concerned that i'm losing audio quality by connecting my headphones through the speaker control pod. i want a solution that allows me to control volume with a physical knob. so, what i'm looking for is something that sits on my desk (with a physical volume control knob) that i can plug my headphones into and that would minimize loss in audio quality. i want to be able to plug my speakers into this device as well.

setup2.jpg


my criteria:
  • physical volume control
  • good quality audio pass through
  • connect headphones and speakers at the same time (ideally speakers would auto-mute when headphones are plugged in)
  • do not care about audio quality passed through to the speakers
  • must allow EQ adjustment (physical or software based)

since my primary purpose is gaming i figure i should stick to a sound card (X-fi, ASUS) instead of a DAC. input is welcome here. the X-fi HD USB caught my eye but i've read there is no EQ adjustment even though damn near every other Creative product allows for it through software. i've also considered the uDAC2, but i have no experience with using a DAC and i'm not even sure it will allow me to connect speakers as well. also it will lack the 'features' of gaming-based sound cards like EAX etc. I wouldn't mind getting the X-fi Titanium with some sort of volume control device like i described above, or maybe the X-fi Titanium HD if i decide to stretch my budget. it's just a matter of finding a volume control device. i've thought of purchasing a stereo receiver off of CL, but i don't want the bulk of having to place that on my desk. maybe a simple headphone amp will work for this?

so i'm looking for an improved audio source and volume control. thanks in advance for any and all advice.
 
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Heh, the pics are great :) Guess I'm in kind of a similar situation, as I want to upgrade from onboard audio, and also use a mix of headphones and 2.1 speakers.

I'm pretty close to grabbing a uDAC2. The one that sells for $130 has stereo RCA outputs (I think the $100 version is just a pure headphone DAC). My plan is to rock the DAC headphone port for headphones (duh), then grab a stereo RCA to 3.5mm cable to send the audio to my 2.1 speakers. But I don't know how the DAC handles having headphones and speakers both hooked up at once, and there is no EQ...

The Titanium HD is the soundcard with the built in dedicated headphone amp, right? I looking at that one too. Not sure I'd want to deal with getting behind my PC to plug / unplug my headphones all the time though. Sounds like a great card, but that still leaves you looking for a volume control...
 
I say your best bet is to upgrade your sound card to something like a Xonar Essence STX.

- This card has a built in headphone amplifier which is perfect for those HD280's.
- You would control the headphone volume via windows volume control (which links to things like a volume button that exists on most multimedia keyboards now-a-days).
- When you want to use your speakers, simply switch the input on the Xonar control panel to the RCA outputs (the card comes with an RCA to mini plug adapter) and max the volume either in Windows or in the Xonar control panel. Then, control the volume for speakers as you already do, with the volume control unit on the iTrigue unit.

Not only does this solve your issue, but you get a huge increase in sound quality (over the onboard card you are using) and can also take advantage of other features that Xonar's come with, like GX mode for gaming.

- Aux
 
I am looking for something like this as well.

OP, is this something that will meet your requirements?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004275EO4

Allows for software EQ control with Creative software.
 
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JR-Orion said:
The Titanium HD is the soundcard with the built in dedicated headphone amp, right? I looking at that one too. Not sure I'd want to deal with getting behind my PC to plug / unplug my headphones all the time though. Sounds like a great card, but that still leaves you looking for a volume control...
Click to expand...

the Titanium HD does look very nice. i don't think it has a dedicated headphone amp, but i read somewhere ([H]'s review i think) that Creatives states it can drive up to 330ohm headphones...which should cover me for just about any headphone i'm willing to purchase. a couple of the ASUS Xonar cards have dedicated headphone amps.

jeremyshaw said:
uDAC2 disables RCA when TRS is plugged in.
Click to expand...

thanks for this info, makes the uDAC2 more attractive

rive22 said:
You want this bad boy
http://shop2.hifidiy.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=10_24&products_id=99
Click to expand...

this looks nice, and like a good alternative to the uDAC2

AuxNuke said:
I say your best bet is to upgrade your sound card to something like a Xonar Essence STX.

- This card has a built in headphone amplifier which is perfect for those HD280's.
- You would control the headphone volume via windows volume control (which links to things like a volume button that exists on most multimedia keyboards now-a-days).
- When you want to use your speakers, simply switch the input on the Xonar control panel to the RCA outputs (the card comes with an RCA to mini plug adapter) and max the volume either in Windows or in the Xonar control panel. Then, control the volume for speakers as you already do, with the volume control unit on the iTrigue unit.

Not only does this solve your issue, but you get a huge increase in sound quality (over the onboard card you are using) and can also take advantage of other features that Xonar's come with, like GX mode for gaming.

- Aux
Click to expand...

thanks for the feedback AuxNuke, but i'm really looking for something that will allow me to control volume with a physical knob. i have a keyboard with touch-sensitive volume controls but i don't particularly like using them. i do like being able to utilize the Xonar's gaming features though. a nice sound card + some sort of external volume control would be perfect.

pvc said:
I am looking for something like this as well.

OP, is this something that will meet your requirements?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004275EO4

Allows for software EQ control with Creative software.
Click to expand...

yeah i linked to that in my original post. from what i've read on newegg reviews you cannot adjust any EQ settings with this. newegg reviews, if nothing else, are good for exposing little idiosyncrasies like this. otherwise this unit would be exactly what i'm looking for. do you have anything (a link, etc.) stating that you can in fact adjust EQ settings?

thanks for the feedback everyone. keep any and all ideas coming, i'm still trying to nail down the best solution.
 
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Dude, you're WAY overthinking this... There's a bunch of USB volume knobs out there that do nothing but interact directly with Windows' volume mixer (tho many come with software so you can reprogram it to do other things). If you're really so enamored with knobs but also like/want an internal sound card then buy one of those for $30 and take AuxNuke's advice on everything else. Pretty sure Belkin made one of these, I forget who else. Even the Apple stores sold them for a while.

With an X-Fi and many other sound cards you can even set it so speakers are muted automatically when you plug headphones into front case ports... Though if you buy a really good card like an STX or the newest X- Fi you wouldn't really want to use those ports. Not a big deal to switch manually from the desktop tho. Anything else you introduce between the headphones and the analog output of a sound card is gonna have an impact on sound quality... Those cheap source switches are the worst, and the aux/phone input on cheap speakers isn't much better. Any other doodad is usually a waste of time.

Your other option is to skip the sound card altogether and just get a high quality USB DAC with multiple outputs (the vast majority have volume knobs)... Either that or run a digital output from on-board sound (doesn't matter with digital) to a cheap amplifier, and plug the speakers and headphones into it. That'll take more space than a DAC tho and it might be overkill for your headphones + cheap speakers... Might be cheaper than many DACs tho, and more flexible.
 
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Well if you are set on analogue control and you want to keep the budget down, look at a cheap mixer. The Behringer Xenyx 502 or perhaps 302 should do the trick nicely. They are of reasonable quality, I've used an 802 for live recordings before and the result was good.
 
Impulse said:
Dude, you're WAY overthinking this...
Click to expand...

i'm not over thinking anything. i'm looking for a simple solution, and i figured someone out there would be able to recommend one.

Impulse said:
If you're really so enamored with knobs...
Click to expand...

there's a way to give advice without incredulous condescension. wanting a physical analog volume knob is not a crazy, off-the-wall idea.

Impulse said:
Something like the Griffin PowerMate is what I meant by USB control pod...

http://www.theartofmoore.com/blog/2010/04/product-review-griffin-powermate/
Click to expand...

thanks for this, it's a good suggestion.
 
Sorry, I didn't mean for it to sound as condensing as it came out, my bad. Truth be told, despite the price, I'd probably own something similar to that Griffin knob if I still had my old keyboard where the volume keys didn't stand out (by touch) as much as my new one's (they looked and were sized the same as all the other multimedia keys). It's also a button btw, so you can program press/hold + turn combinations. Lemme know how it works out if you get it, I'd love to know.
 
The one thing that annoys me about my Xonar ST is no external volume control. I do have volume control on my keyboard, but frankly its shit. When the computer first boots it doesn't respond instantly, I'll press the button and there'll be a couple of seconds delay. Its only the first use after turning on the PC when there's a delay, but its still annoying. It also doesn't work all the time, some games seem to block it (Darksiders for example I have to alt tab to get the volume keys working) other games it works but with a delay.
 
Porter_ The Xonar EQ packs a hell of a punch if you're looking for a good software EQ. The built in EQ's in the media players are all pretty much crap it sounds like you've noticed :)

Yeah Tudz I get the same issue with the volume it kinda ticks me a bit, I was thinking it was more of a windows delay though. I think I had the same issue when testing with onboard HD audio once. Maybe if we can find a way to boost the priority of that somehow.

The Xonar Essence will blow generally most people away. It can put a serious smile on your face with good headphones. That being said though, if my headphones where my main listening source then I would get a good external DAC/AMP.
 
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Porter_ said:
i'm not over thinking anything. i'm looking for a simple solution, and i figured someone out there would be able to recommend one.
Click to expand...

While I was kinda kidding in my post about the Dangerous monitor controller...it seems to me you want the functionality of a monitor controller...something along the lines of a Mackie Big Knob. I use a Mackie Big Knob for the basic functions you list, but its not in the $100-150 range (maybe if you get lucky on ebay...). It works great for me. I'm no "audiophile" snob, but I don't hear a drop in sound quality when using it.

There are a few cheaper controllers, but I don't have any experience with them:

Samson C Control or the knock off Behringer MON800. The Behringer brand doesn't have the best reputation, but I have a few Behringer items and have no issue with them. The SMpro M-Patch 2 looks very interesting. It states it is a passive device, so there should be little to no sound quality loss. If I were buying another monitor controller today, I'd probably try the SMPro MPatch myself. I have no issues with my Mackie, but this thing is half the price.

...if all of your audio is being routed through your computer, I think I would also look @ a USB device instead. There are some cheap, inline, volume pots out there, but they're not going to give you a headphone amp. Most of the external volume knobs are going to be built with the idea of being the monitoring portion of a mixer w/o all the mixer crap many people don't want/need now-a-days. We're talking a few inputs, a few outputs and 1-2 headphone jacks. Maybe a bit overkill for what you actually want...but....you are on [H]. I say get that Dangerous monitor controller!
 
Tudz said:
The one thing that annoys me about my Xonar ST is no external volume control. I do have volume control on my keyboard, but frankly its shit. When the computer first boots it doesn't respond instantly, I'll press the button and there'll be a couple of seconds delay. Its only the first use after turning on the PC when there's a delay, but its still annoying. It also doesn't work all the time, some games seem to block it (Darksiders for example I have to alt tab to get the volume keys working) other games it works but with a delay.
Click to expand...

Got the volume thing fixed just by updating to the lastest keyboard driver. I also noticed default priority for keyboard is 6=below normal. You could hard change it to normal 8, but I'm just going to leave it since it works fine now.
 
I'll try boosting the priority of the drivers, they're already the newest ones. Priority is current set to "Normal", I can't imagine it'd do too much harm upping it slightly. I'll check tonight whether that allows it to work in Darksiders.
 
using monitors.. I'm also stuck with the windows volume control. I started out with a Griffin Powermate but it was finicky. (worked in some apps but not others or had to have focus to work) I ended up just buying a mce remote off ebay for $12 and it works great. I don't use any of the other buttons. :)
 
thanks everyone for all the suggestions. i purchased an X-fi Titanium and i might pick up the Griffin PowerMate that Impulse suggested at a later date. as of right now i'm still plugging my headphones into the Creative itrigue volume pod. i've tested going from the volume pod to connecting directly to the sound card and i can't discern any difference. maybe the pass-through of the the itrigue speaker system is better than i suspected. one thing is undeniable - the audio quality of the X-fi is head and shoulders above the on-board Realtek ALC892.
 
magnetik said:
I ended up just buying a mce remote off ebay for $12 and it works great. I don't use any of the other buttons. :)
Click to expand...

Huh, I never considered doing something like that. Nice suggestion.

I have an MCE remote lying around, I just need to get a receiver for it....
 
Ok, going to risk a thread zombie here, but would love to get something along the lines of this Griffin PowerMate to control/mute volume via USB, but from what I've read, the drivers are problematic under Win 7 64bit. The Griffin site only lists XP/Vista under drivers supported for it. Anyone here using it successfully under Win 7 64 bit without issues? Amazon also seems to sell two versions of this device (Griffin Technology NA16029 PowerMate and the Griffin 1100-PWRMTS PowerMate). I've also read quite a few users complaining about having to unplug/replug it in order to reset it quite often to get it working again. Sound like a problematic device at best.

Are there any other options out there as to a good stand alone/simple USB volume control knob along these lines? Love the big knob/simple operation. Not looking for anything over-engineered. Just a simple/plain volume controller knob to sit besides the keyboard. No excess buttons or features. Anyone pointers/suggestions? Do I just rip up an old keyboard and cannibalize a volume knob as the best alternative solution to this?
 
Supercharged_Z06 - after looking into the PowerMate i came to the same conclusion as you; it seems very problematic. i have no first-hand experience with it that's just what i read (like you did). i ended up binding a couple keys on my keyboard to Vol+ and Vol- like suggested in this thread and it works fine. not as slick as an actual knob but it works.
 
What I really wish is that a company out there would take something like this Level Pilot:

levelpilot_unpacked.jpg


Only using 3.5mm stereo connectors from the PC and then blend in the functionality of this (along with a pair of mute buttons for both the audio and the mic):

audio_pc_switcher.jpg


And offer it all in a small, sleek, flat black machined aluminum slab with a nice/beefy heavy machined volume knob on top so I could place it to the left of my keyboard.

I'd gladly pay upwards of $100 for such a gizmo...
 
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Supercharged_Z06 said:
Ok, going to risk a thread zombie here, but would love to get something along the lines of this Griffin PowerMate to control/mute volume via USB, but from what I've read, the drivers are problematic under Win 7 64bit. The Griffin site only lists XP/Vista under drivers supported for it. Anyone here using it successfully under Win 7 64 bit without issues? Amazon also seems to sell two versions of this device (Griffin Technology NA16029 PowerMate and the Griffin 1100-PWRMTS PowerMate). I've also read quite a few users complaining about having to unplug/replug it in order to reset it quite often to get it working again. Sound like a problematic device at best.

Are there any other options out there as to a good stand alone/simple USB volume control knob along these lines? Love the big knob/simple operation. Not looking for anything over-engineered. Just a simple/plain volume controller knob to sit besides the keyboard. No excess buttons or features. Anyone pointers/suggestions? Do I just rip up an old keyboard and cannibalize a volume knob as the best alternative solution to this?
Click to expand...

Another option... I use an X-FI USB in this way. It has a volume knob and you can mute it by pressing down on the button. It also has audio inputs.
 
If you're not married to your current sound solution, the USB X-Fi is probably a cleaner alternative as far as signal goes... The problem with the type of gizmo that Supercharged is describing is that the more you split an analog signal and the more elements you introduce along it's path, the worse it's gonna sound (unless it's re-amplified etc.). Something like the Griffin thing is nice from an esthetic perspective, but it's no more analog than two buttons bound to volume on a keyboard, the only difference might be how many steps along the digital volume UI meter each skips with each successive adjustment (ie one button depress vs the smallest turn of the knob that will register a change).
 
Well, after waffling a few days about what to buy to use as a volume knob, I finally broke down and ordered a 3Dconnexion SpaceNavigator.
41Q38ZATQQL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

I figure I can set it up to be to be a rather "smart" volume knob so that I can control not only volume but also other things like mute, track skip, etc. Driver support for it looks great as well. It's total overkill as a volume knob, but it'll look nice and will also serve double duty as a true 3d controller in other apps, so it not completely wasted as just a volume knob. :D
 
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Definitely overkill at $80, but a decent external sound card or DAC with it's own volume knobs would cost as much (or more), so it's not too bad if you really like your current internal sound card. Let us know how it works out!

Edit: I'm particularly interested in how fine of an adjustment in volume it allows and whether it can be tweaked... Ideally a very slight turn would allow as fine an adjustment as shift+up/down at the Windows volume level. Also, this has nothing to do with volume adjustment per se but is the turning notched (like a mouse wheel) or free spinning (like many receiver volume knobs)? Just curious...
 
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What about a software solution using a Auto Hotkey script to control your volume using say... Windows key + up/down arrows.
 
Solstice said:
What about a software solution using a Auto Hotkey script to control your volume using say... Windows key + up/down arrows.
Click to expand...

Would work as to function, but wholly lacking in the form dept. There's something viscerally satisfying about grasping a large metal machined knob and physically cranking it to achieve the desired end result instantly. One quick, smooth, one handed motion to get exactly where you want to go with the volume when you hit that certain song and need it loud... instead of involving both hands to tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap on the keyboard to get there. Even though I've got a space navigator incoming, I still think I am going to end up cannibalizing an old keyboard with a volume knob and frankensteining it onto a custom mount of some sort involving an old stereo amp knob... I feel it in my bones. :)
 
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TESLA said:
It looks like you found a solution, but for those of you who may be still looking:
http://www.smproaudio.com/index.php/en/products/monitor-controllers/nanopatch

It is meant for studio monitors, but it does have mini-jack I/O as well.

(Available on Amazon as well for ~$60.)
Click to expand...

Nice find! (The screws on the faceplate really ruin the look though... some flush mounted hex nuts the same color or bolts from the underside and a smooth finish up top would have gone a long way to making the unit look a lot better/sexier...)

The SpaceNavigator was a complete bust. I thought it could turn freely. Well, it doesn't... also the software drivers for it are a mess and don't seem very reliable. I found them to be quite buggy - would get the device's firmware into a funky state where it wouldn't let my PC get past POST unless I unplugged it from a USB port first - seemed to be blocking the keyboard. Had to got through a special reset sequence to get it out of it's funky state and only found that after searching forums for a tip. There's a set of beta drivers that worked a bit better, but still not up to what I expected in a retail device that's been out for quite a while. The blue LED's are nice but overly bright on it... while they can be turned off, it would have been nice if they had a dimming capability or a setting to only turn on only when the device was activated/in use. At best, I'd rate it as a toy controller. It's action/movement isn't all that impressive, and as a volume controller, it pretty much completely sucked. The 3d navigation was just ok - but I was expecting a lot more from it. Just not worth keeping so I sent it back for a refund.

Decided to go with a FiiO E7/E9 combo to solve my volume knob desire. (Along with a pair of new Audio-Technica ATHM50S cans.) Merry Christmas to me! :D Was using a pair of Grado 60's up till now. Should be a nice upgrade.
 
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It seems the discrete headphone/speaker plugs and volume knobs on many DACs/amps are as much part of the selling point as the fact that they're a sound card alternative.
 
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