Sound level setting?

[Falco]

Hi,

I have an issue with my sound level setting. I use a hirestechnologies Microstreamer as USB dac connected to my RPi 4 with MoOde. The Microstreamer has two audio outputs, one for headphones and one line level direct out. The direct line out is connected to a set Audioengine 2+ active speakers.

However the sound level output is very high, so I only turn on the Audioengine 2+ on very low volume. Problem here is that I also use the same speakers with my computer and the sound level is very different, so when using computer audio (for video calls etc) I always need to turn up the volume. The computer is connected via the build in usb dac of the AE 2+

Manually volume is a small task of course and it's fine, but I wanted to lower the output of MoOde a bit and thought I can do that via Max Volume% in audio settings. Sadly that doesn't seem to work. In the end I used software setting, which works but I do not understand why the Max Alsa sound level setting doesn't do anything?

Anyone an idea why setting Max volume% doesn't do anything in Hardware or Fixed output setting?

You may want to set the volume type in moOde to be software, so you can regulate it, while leaving the speakers' volume level to 0dB, or "unity", whatever it is called on the specific model. You do not want to constantly regulate the volume on active/powered speakers (their internal amps are like POWER AMPS, meant to be controlled by a pre-amp, which can be your computer mixer or, you guessed it, moOde)

What I cannot understand, though, is how the device can have 2 different outputs, one fixed at 0dB and one variable, from the moment that its input signal can be varying in intensity; so that both outputs should have variable volume, one of which being always louder than the other.

Unless of course it has hardware volume control for the headphone out, in which case the volume in moOde should be set to 0dB, and the headphone out used to derive the speakers.

It can also have a software volume control, but then to "visible" in moOde it should be exposed by means of a driver (overlay, in moOde'e terminology IINW)

ETA
According to the brief description I could find on Amazon, it indeed has software attenuation; anyway, I'd try both the outputs to the actives, and play with the volume in moOde, chosing the one that most closely resembles the volume behavior of the laptop.

Hi,

"hardware" does appear, in addition to "software", "fixed", and "null"

I've tried @Nutul suggestion (no unity 0dB option, so speakers set at roughly 50%), however I then start hearing some static when no audio is playing. So that's not a great solution either...

Any others suggestion I could try?

What does it mean "some static", is that kind of a hiss? What output of the dac are you checking? What volume level is set in moOde (should not be 0dB)
You can do this to help us understand where the, supposingly, hiss may come from:
1. disconnect everything from the speakers, and see (well, hear...) if there is any hiss still... (if it is there, the problem is in the speakers themselves)
2. connect the dac to the Pi AND the dac, and again, check for hiss (if it wasn't there in the step above, and it is now, the problem is in the noise floor of the DAC)

P.S.
How do you connect the DAC to your laptop?

Indeed kind of a hiss, I was checking the line level output. I just figured that's easiest as that limits at least one volume control.

I was checking the external dac btw, as the internal dac in the speakers is by usb connected to the usb hub in my screen. In this way the speakers are automatically connected when you plug in a laptop or use desktop computer. On my desk I use 2 laptops (work and private) and two desktop computers.

So the external dac is dedicated to MoOde and would like to keep it that way.