Hello Outlaws,

I've been reading the posts on the max volume control and thought I'd weigh in. I too have the limited volume experience. I moved from a Model 1070, which ran my surround speakers with the 1070 serving as a preamp to a 2 channel Conrad Johnson MF2200 amp for my mains. The CJ is 200w into 8 ohms. Speakers are Kef iQ90 which are matched at 8 ohms and max at 200w with 91dB sensitivity. The source is a HTPC.

The only change I made so far was to remove the 1070 and add the 975 into the system playing only the mains at the moment. I'll be adding a Model 7125 for my surrounds when it arrives. I am still using coax between the HTPC and the 975 as I did with the 1070. No other changes have been made. Channel calibration is set to 0 for both mains.

I have not yet measured the volume with an SPL meter, but the issue I have is that the music's perceived volume is not as loud as the 1070. The volume indicator is in the single digit dB range when listening to music at less than concert levels. Not much headroom.

Since the volume does not go beyond 0dB my question then is: what is my incentive for purchasing the Model 7125 (125w) versus the 7075 (75w), or continuing to use my CJ amp (200w)? If the volume control has a maximum then I cannot take advantage of the power output of a higher wattage amp. Am I missing something here?

Regardless of the volume control the music is crystal clear with great hi's and low low's. I also love the 975's size and simplicity.