For most preamp use I recommend setting menu setting called "startup volume" to "volume disabled". You need to scroll up to past "100" in the "startup volume" menu.
For some preamps that clip their input buffers a setting of 90-94 can help significantly with those preamps. Its a fairly easy test, if your preamp sounds better on a loud track at 90 than at 100 then you can set the "startup volume" to between 90-94 for better compatibility with that preamp.
Hi Dustin. Is it possible to set custom start up volumes for each input? Or for those inputs that are bypassed, set the Cascade volume at which they are bypassed (for example, have the ability to designate the bypassed volume for Analog XLR 1as being 93). If not, this ability would be immensely helpful.
There is the ability to set analog inputs to unity gain, called "bypass", but there is no way to trim individual inputs. The use of the "bypass" is for home theater applications where an external home theater processor does multichannel volume control for all multichannel sources when enabled.
Thanks, Dustin. Is there a way to set the bypass “gain” on the Cascade? So if a bypass gain setting of 92db sounds better than 98 db, that can be set in the Cascade software?
Thanks, Dustin. Is there a way to set the bypass “gain” on the Cascade? So if a bypass gain setting of 92db sounds better than 98 db, that can be set in the Cascade software?
No, each analog input can only be either volume controlled or bypassed. But I am curious why you would be using the analog inputs if your are also using a preamp.
If the question you are asking is if you can use the internal volume control to have better performance with a preamp that clips on its input buffers, yes you can. Just set the startup volume of the DAC to your desired setting, say 93, and then don't use the volume on the DAC. When the DAC starts up it will be at 93 and stay there. Then use the volume control of your preamp. There is however no way to "lock" a volume setting other than "volume disabled".
Thanks, Dustin. In my specific case, my headfi amp sounds best with the gain lower than the Cascade’s default bypass gain setting. And I don’t want to set the master start up volume for all inputs to 93 (otherwise when listening to the Cascade’s (also serves as my preamp) pro USB/ISL input, I’ll need to lower the volume to a comfortable volume level below 93. If it is an easy feature to add, it would be nice if MSB enabled custom start up or bypassed volume for each input.
