Volume issue

[rareloot]

Some background, and bare with me: when active speakers or a headphone amp receives a signal that's too strong - i.e. too much system volume - it causes a crackling sound and can eventually damage the components regardless of how low the perceived volume. The amp needs to receive a good amount of power compared with the strength of the original signal, so lowering the amp volume is alone not a solution.

I noticed this happening with the default volume settings of Zombasite. Naturally I got rid of the crackling by lowering the volume in the options *a lot* while at the same time increasing amp volume, but I thought I'd mention it here, as it is currently just poor design and the max volume is absurdly high. The issue occurred even though I always keep Windows volume at around 60% only. I can only imagine what would happen if I kept it at 100% like I imagine a lot of people do if they have a desktop computer with active speakers.

[Viliki]

I confirm there's something bizarre at start of the game, when you load a save. And overall sounds or some sounds seem have a volume above standard levels for games.

[rareloot]

Thanks for confirming.

I'll add that even if the sound is not crackling, the amp may heat up (more than usual) if the signal is too strong. This can be bad for equipment longevity.

[Viliki]

Too high sound volume can easily break any speaker or headphones. It breaks the physic elements and after when sound is a bit louder it produces scratches in sound. For Headphones it's more common.

[rareloot]

Doesn't have to be high volume, just too strong a signal to the amp. The amp is there so it can strengthen the signal further, but if the signal is already too strong when it enters the amp, then the amp will struggle regardless of perceived volume levels. That's why you don't want too much system volume in Windows or in games; instead, you want to use the amp volume knob to adjust volume when it needs to be higher.

[Viliki]

Originally Posted by rareloot

Doesn't have to be high volume, just too strong a signal to the amp. The amp is there so it can strengthen the signal further, but if the signal is already too strong when it enters the amp, then the amp will struggle regardless of perceived volume levels. That's why you don't want too much system volume in Windows or in games; instead, you want to use the amp volume knob to adjust volume when it needs to be higher.

Amp or converter? Amp on computer?

[rareloot]

Originally Posted by Viliki

Amp or converter? Amp on computer?

Computer speakers have a built-in amp.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powered_speakers

[Viliki]

Originally Posted by rareloot

Computer speakers have a built-in amp.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powered_speakers

It's for computer integrated Speaker, nobody use such crap and use either headphone either external speaker and eventually amp.

EDIT:
In my experience and many speakers and headphones broken, sure an amp can be overloaded and generate less good sound (I didn't knew it could generate scratches or something like that) but you won't break anything unlike speaker and headphones as I explained. I even had some Senheiser HD xxx broke that way because of computer sound. Such Headphone isn't only high quality but aso very solid and with an impedance generating lower sound volume, despite that it's been broken by computer sound at high volume by accident, not to be unusable anymore but as I explained already.