volume distortion?

[coyote2]

Will turning up the volume (of the iAudio 9) past some level (out of "40") distort the output?

I'm getting distortion from my listening device, I'm just wondering if I can assume it's to blame and not the iAudio 9.

[CrowdAds]

[skip252]

Will a higher volume setting distort the signal? No. Is it possible a higher volume setting cause your speakers or headphones to distort? Yes.

Any time you apply more power to a speaker or headphone than it can handle properly it will distort. I have low impedance, high sensitivity headphones that will distort if I turn the volume to full. That same setting is loud but clear on full size headphones that have higher impedance and are less sensitive. The signal remains the same. The ability to handle the signal changes with the headphone.

I don't have the S9 but the principle remains the same. If the signal's power too high for a speaker, it will distort.