iFire WAY TOO LOUD! (Combined)

beagleyguy

Hi,

I have a 400Mhz Apple Powermac G4 (sawtooth) with a pair of Apple Pro Speakers. In order to use the speakers' mini powered-audio connection, I had to use a Griffin iFire amplifier/adapter.

The Problem is: even at the lowest volume, the speakers are much too loud. Does anyone have info or a fix for this?

oryxbiker

you talking about the lowest volume on your mac's ourput, or the iFire? i haven't ever heard of the iFire before. but if they are to loud, somewhere along the line the signal is getting amplified to much.

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SaVe A tReE, eAt A bEaVeR

brock

Yeah, I know what you mean -- I have tha same set-up on an iMac 500 and I usually have to turn the source volume down if I want it quieter, be it iTunes or Audion or whatever...

My friend with an eMac doesn't have this prob, and my PowerBook is fine too...

gordguide

You don't say what OS you're using, so I won't give detailed information.

Check your sound control panel or sound system preferences and reduce the volume there. You can also use the keyboard keys (above the numeric keyboard) as well as volume controls in most applications. Generally you can adjust alert sounds and other sounds separately.

To kill the startup chime if you have OSX, hit the mute key once, then restart. It should remain muted after that.

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"Being an artist doesn't take much, just everything you got. Which means, of course, that as the process is giving you life, it is also bringing you closer to death. But it's no big deal. They are one and the same and cannot be avoided or denied. So when I totally embrace this process, this life/death, and abandon myself to it, I transcend all this gibberish and hang out with the gods. It seems to me that that is worth the price of admission." —Hubert Selby, Jr.

TroutMaskReplica

the chime will only remain muted until one turns up the volume again. i think the only way to kill the chime once and for all is with a hack.

why would apple tie the startup chime volume to the system volume? it's stupid ...

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Lars

What's stupid, is how many people complain about the startup chime. Like seriously. Oh, no, a loud "dong!" for the 2 quick seconds you hear it... *roll eyes.*

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Apple Certified Technician ACMT|ACHDS 10.3-thru-10.5|10.6+
Mac mini (Early 2009) 2.0GHz|4GB|500GB|NVIDIA Geforce 9400M|AP|BT|Mac OS X 10.6.4
Sound System Audio Engine A2 2.0.
iPhone: 3GS 16GB

beagleyguy

Ok, I'm running OS X 10.2.8

Any Suggestions?

Thanks

Lars

If even at the lowest volume, it's too loud for you, you're basically SOL.

__________________
Apple Certified Technician ACMT|ACHDS 10.3-thru-10.5|10.6+
Mac mini (Early 2009) 2.0GHz|4GB|500GB|NVIDIA Geforce 9400M|AP|BT|Mac OS X 10.6.4
Sound System Audio Engine A2 2.0.
iPhone: 3GS 16GB

brock

Hey beagleguy, if you end up selling them, lemme know...

gordguide

Lars, have you ever:
Hooked up the audio out of your Mac to a good hifi system;
Tried to troubleshoot an issue late into the night (multiple restarts) when people are trying to sleep;
Worked in a public area?

The startup chime is a royal pain in the ass. I despise it thoroughly. It had a purpose 15 years ago but now is just noise pollution.

iFire/Apple Pro Speakers:

In OSX:

System Preferences: Sound
Alert volume: set slider to desired level, in my case it's off (all the way left)
Output volume: set slider at desired level; this is the one that affects music from itunes, for example. It's the one that should be adjusted to fix your Apple Pro Speakers/iFire problem. You might want to check "show volume control in menu bar" but it's not necessary since using it in preferences gives you a feedback note to check if it's to your liking.

Others (without this iFire problem) should set it at maximum and use another volume control to adjust sound level (like on your hifi or powered speakers). Reducing the level here will reduce the number of bits used for digital resolution, so you want all 16 bits available if possible. Similarly, reducing the level in you audio application lowers resolution. Wherever possible, use the volume control on your speakers or whatever is connected to play music (like a hifi system).

Pro Audio apps use 24 or 32 bit resolution; they can afford to throw away some data when adjusting levels without affecting the integrity of the file. Anything used only for playback probably won't have the luxury.

" ... the chime will only remain muted until one turns up the volume again. i think the only way to kill the chime once and for all is with a hack. ..."

Don't use the keyboard controls for volume adjustment, ever. They are only there for people who use the built-in speaker, use laptops, or inexpensive computer speakers, and if you do use external computer speakers you should wean yourself off them. Not touching these will keep the startup chime muted on every restart.

Volume adjustment should be done globally (show the volume slider in the menu bar and use it) or preferably with the analog volume control on your external speakers. The analog volume control will resolve as many bits as you pump in, no matter where it's set, while lowering the volume digitally throws away data to accomplish the lower level.

Application [say, iTunes] volume at max [16 bits] --> System Wide [say, volume control in menu bar] volume at max [16 bits] --> computer speakers [volume at any setting] = 16 bits (difference between noise and maximum note volume is largest; turning down the volume also lowers noise to inaudible)

Application [say, iTunes] volume at "8" [14 bits] --> System Wide [say, volume control in menu bar] volume at "4" [8 bits] --> computer speakers [volume at max] = 8 really loud bits (noise is higher, maximum note volume is lower; sound is compressed and not "punchy", noise may still be audible)


If you want to kill all audio, including the startup chime and audio system "reminders", then buy a mini plug (just the plug) from radio shack and plug it in to the audio out port. This will silence the Mac completely.

There is a lot of confusion about "digital" and "analog" audio. Digital is a good way to store and process music. It's a poor way to adjust sound level, it can only be done by throwing away data. The world of sound is stubbornly analog and all digital data must be converted to analog sooner or later, and that is where volume adjustment is preferably made, since it has infinite resolution.

We have a word for people who don't use analog audio; we call them " the deaf ".

__________________
"Being an artist doesn't take much, just everything you got. Which means, of course, that as the process is giving you life, it is also bringing you closer to death. But it's no big deal. They are one and the same and cannot be avoided or denied. So when I totally embrace this process, this life/death, and abandon myself to it, I transcend all this gibberish and hang out with the gods. It seems to me that that is worth the price of admission." —Hubert Selby, Jr.