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Topic: Can I save DAP battery life by amplifying file + playing at lower vol? (Read 2946 times) previous topic - next topic
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Can I save DAP battery life by amplifying file + playing at lower vol?

I'm not noticing any difference in sound quality by setting mp3gain to 100db, although when I load the files into Audacity to view the visual of the sound, I don't see any peaks or troughs...just pure sound full to the max all the way through the songs.  My mp3 player has a max volume of 30, but 20 sounds just the same as 30 on most files when they're set at 100db and clipping.  I'm considering selecting "don't clip when adding track gain", but I really can't hear any difference in quality.  These files are only for my mp3 player.  Will it save battery life on my mp3 player if I can set the volume at 20 and get the same volume as a non-clipped file would have at 30?  Seems to me it might, except that the player is pushing my scullcandys at just the same force as if it were 30 volume on a non-clipped file.  I'm new here, but definitely an enthusiast.  Have much to learn and I think I've found the place to do it.  In essence, will the lower volume setting on my device save power, even though it's putting out the same sound as a higher volume setting would if the files were't clipped?

Can I save DAP battery life by amplifying file + playing at lower vol?

Reply #1 –
Quote from: arkansawdave on
My mp3 player has a max volume of 30, but 20 sounds just the same as 30 on most files when they're set at 100db and clipping.  I'm considering selecting "don't clip when adding track gain", but I really can't hear any difference in quality.

I suggest that you have you ears checked. If you really don't notice any difference you have possibly ruined them by listening too loud with your mp3. Maybe that or it's just that you are used to heavily compressed/clipped music and don't know the difference.

Quote
In essence, will the lower volume setting on my device save power, even though it's putting out the same sound as a higher volume setting would if the files were't clipped?

No! It doesn't matter if the gain in set in the file or by the volume buttons - for equally loud output you'll always need an equal amount of energy put into your phones (just as you've said, you need the same force - that's a basic physical law). Probably you'll end up using more battery because you generate massive amounts of distortion which will be amplified too.

Can I save DAP battery life by amplifying file + playing at lower vol?

Reply #2 –
You may not be getting clipping!    MP3 can go over 0dBFS* without clipping.  But, some MP3 encoders & decoders might clip when you try to go over 0dB.   

Since MP3gain is applied after encoding, I suspect the MP3 file itself is OK (not clipped).

As long as the decoder in your player can decode the over 0dB peaks without clipping, everything should be OK.     

The DAC in your player will clip if overdriven, but as long as the signal level is reduced digitally before hitting the DAC, that can be prevented by lowering the level.


I'm not exactly sure what "don't clip" does...  If it does what I think it does, it will make MP3gain less effective by preventing it from boosting normalized tracks (probably over half of your tracks).    Since you are using a high reference/target level (100dB) and trying to boost most of our tracks, "don't clip" will prevent mp3Gain from doing anything to these normalized tracks.



* In case you don't already know this, 0dBFS relates to a reference level in the digital file.  89dBSPL (or 100dBSPL) in MP3gain is an acoustical loudness reference of the actual sound hitting your ears.

Can I save DAP battery life by amplifying file + playing at lower vol?

Reply #3 –
It might be that the player has a limiter of some sort in the volume, so when you reach 20, it is already giving the max output on those files and increasing the value does not change the gain.

To test this, i suggest doing the opposite, changing the mp3gain to 80 and see if then, there's a difference between volume at 20 and at 30.


Finally, the battery consumtion won't change just because of MP3gain.
In this case, using a higher MP3gain and using a lower volume would not change anything. It will only drain more battery if the result of the aplification is louder. (say, comparing a mp3gained to 90 vs an mp3gained to 100 using the same volume position).


Edit: Btw, the "don't clip" setting, what it does is set a gain which ensures that the max peak of the audio is below full scale. I.e. if it had to apply a gain of +4 but that makes it clip, it might only apply a gain of +2.

Can I save DAP battery life by amplifying file + playing at lower vol?

Reply #4 –
Depending on which DAP you're using, you may be able to save some battery life by using smaller-sized  (and therefore lower-quality) audio files.

Can I save DAP battery life by amplifying file + playing at lower vol?

Reply #5 –
Yes Jaz, you are exactly correct.  quote It might be that the player has a limiter of some sort in the volume, so when you reach 20, it is already giving the max output on those files and increasing the value does not change the gain.  My mp3 player is a Sony NWZ-S545 and I love it.  Incredible sound when combined with Scullcandy TiTans, or even the Ink'd.

I tried selecting the "don't clip" and ran all my 4000 files through and what that did was to cancel the volume normalization of the mp3gain program.  The were fluctuations of as much as 13.5dbs between files which is quite a difference.  What I've decided to do is to just pick a level that about 80 or 85% of my files won't clip, probably around 93dbs.  The clipping isn't audible to me anyway so why worry if a few of them clip.  At least they'll all sound the same.  I love this mp3gain program.  I've had it for a couple of years but never used it.  I used Any Audio Converter because you can add gain with it too and compress and re-encode at the same time.  Now I'll be running all my new files through mp3gain after I get everything else the way I want it. 

Thank all you guys for the help and advice.

Can I save DAP battery life by amplifying file + playing at lower vol?

Reply #6 –
Yes, 89 is the default value for the gain, and many people find 92db to be a good spot between too quiet and too loud. So your option of 93 fits that perfectly.