Need Help - New iPad Air Not Producing Enough Volume Via The USB-C Port For Stereo System

[Slapshot]

I was previously using a much older iPad Pro tablet. A cable connecting the iPads headphone out to the right and left inputs of my stereo amplifier was all I needed. Everything worked perfectly. And then the old iPad essentially dies, and I couldn't listen. I purchased a new iPad Air some months back, but due to a family health crisis, was unable to connect things up until today. With a USB-C to dual RCA cable in place between the iPad and my stereo system, and with the volume slider on the iPad (for this particular app/program) the volume is just barely even audible from the speakers.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I subscribe to a music service and use the app on my iPad for it. It outputs to a legendary amplifier from the late 70"s that I spent a lot of money having fully refurbished, and speakers chosen specially for the music. Everything sounded wonderful via the old iPad. I listen to this system at least two hours every night of the week before going to sleep. It's very important that I get this working.

 

[twerppoet89]

It sounds like you may be using a low impedance input to the stereo. Make sure you are connecting to the Aux input. Tape or CD inputs should also work well. The Phono input is strictly for record players and will distort or otherwise cause problems.

An alternative is to get a bluetooth to stereo adaptor. This will let you connect to your amplifier without a cable. You can find these for arround $25 online. I can't recommend any, so do your research carefully.

 

[Slapshot]

It sounds like you may be using a low impedance input to the stereo. Make sure you are connecting to the Aux input. Tape or CD inputs should also work well. The Phono input is strictly for record players and will distort or otherwise cause problems.

An alternative is to get a bluetooth to stereo adaptor. This will let you connect to your amplifier without a cable. You can find these for arround $25 online. I can't recommend any, so do your research carefully.

Thanks for the assistance. It IS connected to an AUX input. The same one that worked via the previous iPad.

I've spent a lot of money on this stereo system and I've heard that a bluetooth to stereo adaptor will negatively impact the sound?

 

[twerppoet89]

I don't have any other good answers. The documentation I could find says that your method should work just fine. Though I'm sure your've already done so, go thorugh all the audio settings, including the Accessibility ones and make sure you haven't limited the output volume. Hearing protection is one that can limit max volume.

As for Bluetooth, it does add compression to the audio. My ears and experience can't tell the difference, but many an audiophile will argue it does. I'm in no position to argue otherwise.

There are also wireless stereo adaptors. No compression, but more expensive and requiring more setup to make work with iOS devices. I know it is possible, but don't have any experience setting them up.

 

[Slapshot]

I don't have any other good answers. The documentation I could find says that your method should work just fine. Though I'm sure your've already done so, go thorugh all the audio settings, including the Accessibility ones and make sure you haven't limited the output volume. Hearing protection is one that can limit max volume.

As for Bluetooth, it does add compression to the audio. My ears and experience can't tell the difference, but many an audiophile will argue it does. I'm in no position to argue otherwise.

There are also wireless stereo adaptors. No compression, but more expensive and requiring more setup to make work with iOS devices. I know it is possible, but don't have any experience setting them up.

Thanks again, I appreciate your efforts to help

 

[Willbert]

As a point of interest I sometimes play music from my iPad through my old HiFi. I use a Yamaha DAC (Digital Analogue Converter). The unit wasn’t expensive, is small and works very well. Also completely wireless at the iPad end.

Edit: Now discontinued. Maybe someone else makes one though? Picture for reference.

 

[Slapshot]

As a point of interest I sometimes play music from my iPad through my old HiFi. I use a Yamaha DAC (Digital Analogue Converter). The unit wasn’t expensive, is small and works very well. Also completely wireless at the iPad end.

Edit: Now discontinued. Maybe someone else makes one though? Picture for reference.

View attachment 108302

I've done quite a bit of looking and cannot locate a similar item being offered anywhere. Thanks for the effort to help though.

I really didn't realize that this was going to be this difficult to resolve......

 

[twerppoet89]

What music app are you using? Since you were using it on a significantly older iPad, I'm wondering if it's been updated recently to work with the new iOS. If you search for it in the App Store you should be able to see when it was last updated, and whether you have the most recent version.

Also, make sure you've turned up the system volume. I've never seen an iOS or iPadOS app that could adjust volume independently of the main volume, but the way you described it made me wonder. I've had this happen with Windows apps, where the volume of the app you are using only allows you to adjust to the maximum of what the system volume is set to.

Is the USB-C to audio cable the Apple one, or some third party? There is nothing wrong with most third party adaptors, but there is some cheap junk out there that doesn't work well, or quickly reaches that state.

Ok, that's all the new ideas I've had after sitting on it for a day (or so). I doubt they will help, but maybe.

 

[Slapshot]

Okay, I'm still very confused, but I think I have stumbled onto something thanks to your suggestion to verify the system volume. I tried just using the music app on the iPad itself today and there was almost no sound, even with the volume control on the app at the highest setting. The volume controls on the side, near the top, are difficult to use because there is no verification as to whether you are turning them louder, or lower. I went into settings, went to sounds. I went down to ringtones, and all other sounds, and used the touch bar to turn it all the way up. Here is where it got strange. As I increased the volume, I could clearly begin to hear the app playing music, when I stopped increasing volume, or went all the way to the max, the sound just cut out. I repeated this numerous times and always got the same results. What am I missing?

 

[Slapshot]

Ok, thought I would give you an update. And again, this makes no sense. I tuned on a Podcast and, although the master sound setting in "settings" was maxed, there was barely a whisper of sound. I had to manually also turn the side volume control on the iPad up most of the way, and the sound was then coming out of the iPad. I then repeated this process with the music app. Now everything is fine. I'm happy but have no explanation for what went on. I cant imagine that turning the master volume on in settings apparently has no point? And why did it provide volume to both apps only when I was holding the space bar button? Oh well, all is well that ends well.

 

[twerppoet89]

The volume buttons show a thin bar at the top of the screen when pressed. It can be difficult to see if the background color is light.

 

[twerppoet89]

I am also confused as to what is going on. Even if you have Volume Limit turned on for the speaker and headphones, that should only limit how loud they get, not cut out after a certain volume.

I'm glad you got it working well enough to use, but it's going to bug me until we discover why it is acting this way.

 

[twerppoet89]

This is a strange thought, but I wonder if you're stereo's aux port has a limiter circuit that cuts out if the input power is too high. If so, at some point in the volume setting the audio would probably cut in and out unpredictably.

 

[Slapshot]

I've been listening for nearly four hours today now, and all is well, and things sound great. Thanks to everyone who helped with this situation! Much appreciated.