volume level with Bel Canto dac3

i have to smile because i had the same concern...

The Bel Canto DAC3 has a passive linestage. It is attenuating the signal from your source, not actually adding any gain.

So...in actuality, with the volume at 100, you actually have the best possible sound quality from the Bel Canto.. I would be more concerned about the amp clipping..

Thank you, Objective1...I feel MUCH better now...I appreciate your wisdom!!

Absolutely feel free to crank up the volume with the DAC3. I'm currently running the DAC3 into the Bel Canto REF1000 MkII monoblocks driving Usher BE-718 speakers. The Usher speakers are quite inefficient, but can take a lot of power, so if I'm wanting higher volume levels, I really need to crank up the volume on the DAC3. Objective1 is correct in saying that it has a passive linestage, so anything less than 100 is attenuating the signal.