Hi everyone, I really need some help because this is driving me crazy. I spent a lot of money on my audio setup, but I can't seem to get it to work properly in video games.
My Setup:
• DAC/Amp: Topping DX3 Pro+
• Headphones: Sennheiser HD 490 Pro (130 Ohm)
• OS: Windows 11
The Problem:
When I listen to music on YouTube or Spotify, the audio is insanely loud, crisp, and perfect. But when I play AAA games (specifically Red Dead Redemption 2 and Resident Evil 4 Remake), the volume feels incredibly low. The dialogue, voices, and footsteps are super quiet, while gunshots are loud.
Even with the Topping set to High Gain (+19dB) and the volume dial at -5.0 dB (which should physically hurt my ears), the overall game audio still feels very low.
My Workaround (which is ruining my audio):
Because the voices are so quiet, I am forced to use Equalizer APO with the Peace GUI, along with a compressor plugin called ReaComp.
To hear things properly, I'm boosting the Pre-amp by +8.0 dB in Peace, and adding another +6.0 dB of Output mix in ReaComp.
Obviously, this is causing massive digital clipping and distortion (crackling noises) during gunfights, and it completely destroys the dynamic range of my headphones.
What I've already checked:
• Windows master volume is at 100%.
• Topping is definitely in High Gain mode.
• I checked the Windows Volume Mixer (ALT+TAB while in-game), and the game's specific volume slider is at 100%.
• Windows "Audio Enhancements" and Spatial Audio are disabled.
• In-game audio is set to "Headphones" (when available).
My Questions:
Why is my audio getting capped/compressed only in games? Is there a way to fix the quiet dialogue without using a software compressor that introduces clipping and ruins the sound quality? Am I missing a hidden Windows or Topping setting?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!