Logitech z2200 system, Behringer ub1002 mixer. The remote has volume and bass knobs. Should these be maxed out or use this for overall volume control? Or max out the mixer and control overall volume with the remote? What about volume on the guitar or keyboard, any considerations there?

According to pro sound guys I know and manuals I have read for various pieces of equipment I have bought, you should keep the amplifier power up as high as possible and control volume with the mixer. Most say to keep the master volume all the way up (in this case your remote is the master). The only time this would differ is when by having the master all the way up you have no control with the mixer because you can't raise the mixer volume without causing feedback or other problems. In that case you should back off the master so you have some movement on the mixer.
If you run the mixer on full that can overdrive and then distort, the mixer should never be higher than the master. Even on the mixer itself you should not have a channel strip level higher than the master out.

The goal, so they say, is to have enough power to drive the speakers while controlling the volume.

That is my understanding but of course you ears are the best judge.
The bass I would start at mid level and adjust accordingly to your likes.

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[This message has been edited by mikeathome1 (edited 12-19-2004).]

Actually, most amplifiers achieve maximum effeciency when operated at 65 to 75 percent of maximum volume. If you exceed 75 percent, you will likely experience some distortion, even though you may only be running modest levels from your pre-amp/mixer.

Running any piece of equipment as full blast is akin to driving your car with the gas pedal held to the floor all the time. Performace drops off, gas mileage goes to hell and the engine quickly dies. The same is true with most electronic devices, especially speakers and amps. If you're not getting sufficient volume from the system, buy a larger system.

Gary

Crest audio owners manual for my Crest 900 watt stereo power amp says "Whenever possible, set the attenuators fully clockwise to maintain optimum system headroom. The input attenuator controls (one for
channel A, one for channel B) located at the front panel adjust gain for their respective amplifier channels in all modes." If I misread that I apologize.

Mike,

I'm not familiar with that particular model, however, most of the amps and pre-amps I've owned came with a performance graph in the instruction manual. Nearly all revealed the best signal to noise ratio was at levels ranging 65 to 75 percent of maximum. Above that level, there was usually a problem with white noise and distortion. I guess there are some differences in amp specifications and the recommended methods of usage.

Cheers,

Gary

That applies only to component amps because they are not preamp'd. In an integrated system, the volume control IS a preamp, and should not be expected to run full out without some compromise in quality.

Rackmount power amps give you the option of running them at lower gain so you can get the optimum signals from your mixer, where most noise and distortion comes from.

But I still wouldn't run the mixer maxed out.

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[This message has been edited by mikeathome1 (edited 12-20-2004).]

I can't think of any situation that allows a mixer to run at full tilt effectively. Use your ears .... if you hear crap - it's crap!