|
Post by PinkFloyd on Dec 18, 2008 22:15:56 GMT
But have you given it the experts' recommendation of at least 100 hours in your normal listening setting ? Have I fck' !! I could also send Russ Andrews and Peter belt a "magic" Christmas card but I won't ;D On a serious note Alex..... the stepped attenuator IS extremely well balanced and placement / imaging is pretty much spot on..... I have the impression of a tad more depth but this could be down to swapping the encapsulated transformer for a chassis mount type (I really shouldn't do TWO things at the same time ;D ) It's hard to pinpoint it and hard to put into words but the overall presentation seems more mellifluous, flowing and organic if you catch my drift..... The opening bass note on Yello's "junior B" (from THE EYE album) is beautifully rounded and extended and just seems to "hang" that little bit more compared to the RK27...... I know this album backwards and can honestly say I have never heard it this right before now. When I say "right" I mean "honest"...... nay, I mean " ripe"..... that's the one..... "ripe" As it was before but with fruit...... fully blossomed if you like..... the bass notes now have an organic thrum to them and vocals have a raw, moist, lubricating quality to them..... I think the word I'm looking for is "natural". I think I started this thread with an eight quid (£8 GBP) kit amp on the table.... I now have a giant killer pummeling my ears with magical music...... DIY sure is the way to go! Once again, thanks to SandyK for introducing this bang for the buck sonic marvel to the masses..... appreciated I'll switch in an RK27 and do a "switched mode" quick comparo between the stepped attenuator and RK27 (blue velvet) and report back in due course. I still HATE the action of the stepped attenuator (click click click) and much prefer the smooth rotation / progression of the conventional audio pot but that's nit picking....... if you don't rotate frequently and know your "step" / hot spot then the stepped attenuator is just what the doctor ordered. I must confess I'm up and down the volco like a yoyo and my fingers are seldom off it when I'm into a heavy listening session.... nice to have that SMOOTH progression / regression isn't it? "Clunk clunk clunk" may sound ok at a certain stop but "smooth" RK27 action has a lot going for it too. The clunkiness would obviously become less noticeable the bigger / heavier the knob so maybe that's a route worth exploring.... with a large enough knob even the clunkiest of switches will feel "smooth" won't they? Of course, the rotary switch can be "smoothened" by fine tuning the moving parts and that's another area worth exploring..... silicone, mild abrasives, polishing compounds spring to mind...... Anyways..... enough of my ramblings, I'm off to beat the shit out of a capacitor with a large stick (fine tuning)...... night night
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2008 23:09:41 GMT
Mike The main disadvantage you described , "clunkiness", is gone with atennuators like the DACT2 , but your wallet is much lighter too ! Alex
|
|
|
Post by nickyboyo on Dec 20, 2008 9:30:24 GMT
I ended up going for a 31 step Noble 50k attenuator , very fine movement with minimal "clunk",from ebay. I have read elsewhere that these are quite highly regarded pots if you can get hold of them. Plus, it worked out roughly the same as getting an Alps RK27 sent to Aus.
Any of you folks had experience with these attenuators?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2008 10:19:48 GMT
I ended up going for a 31 step Noble 50k attenuator , very fine movement with minimal "clunk",from ebay. I have read elsewhere that these are quite highly regarded pots if you can get hold of them. Plus, it worked out roughly the same as getting an Alps RK27 sent to Aus. Any of you folks had experience with these attenuators? Nick I think you will find that it is just a Noble type stereo volume control with mechanical detents. Alex
|
|
|
Post by nickyboyo on Dec 20, 2008 21:12:30 GMT
I ended up going for a 31 step Noble 50k attenuator , very fine movement with minimal "clunk",from ebay. I have read elsewhere that these are quite highly regarded pots if you can get hold of them. Plus, it worked out roughly the same as getting an Alps RK27 sent to Aus. Any of you folks had experience with these attenuators? Nick I think you will find that it is just a Noble type stereo volume control with mechanical detents. Alex Ah bugger, that's not how it was described on the ebay advert- no, just reading the ad again, it does say potentiometer rather than attenuator, so my fault.I guess it was the 31 step part of the description that got me fired up. Still, it still seems to be a nice little unit which will be incorporated into the build nicely.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2008 21:21:56 GMT
Nick I found that ad to be misleading. It mainly registered with me, because, some time back, Jaycar had similar pots with mechanical detents. Almost certainly as not as good a quality as this one though. Alex
|
|
Will
Been here a while!
Ribena abuser!
Member since 2008
Posts: 2,164
|
Post by Will on Jan 1, 2009 11:22:36 GMT
I installed the attenuator from my OP (first link) a few days ago. Had a good listening session first (Flobots Fight with Tools - great production on that, Kings X - Gretchen goes to Nebraska and few others), with the existing RK27, and then popped the attenuator in. Initial impression is a like someone has cleaned the windows, as it were. (You could see outside, but now the windows are clean, the clarity is better) Increased clarity in the music. Also found the steps were perfect for my preferred listening level range.
Very pleased with the improvement for the money!
I may post more impressions once the solder has burned in ;D
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 1, 2009 12:11:24 GMT
I installed the attenuator from my OP (first link) a few days ago. Had a good listening session first (Flobots Fight with Tools - great production on that, Kings X - Gretchen goes to Nebraska and few others), with the existing RK27, and then popped the attenuator in. Initial impression is a like someone has cleaned the windows, as it were. (You could see outside, but now the windows are clean, the clarity is better) Increased clarity in the music. Also found the steps were perfect for my preferred listening level range. Very pleased with the improvement for the money! I may post more impressions once the solder has burned in ;D Wilbur Your impressions are the same as mine, after I installed the DACT2 to my Class A preamp., and again when I fitted a DIYFidelity 50K kit attenuator to my SC HA with JLH. I also found with the DACT2, that you could turn down the volume a little, and still hear some things that you didn't notice originally. Perhaps the DIYFidelity kit would have worked in the preamp just as well as the DACT2, but not as smoothly mechanically ? Alex
|
|
Will
Been here a while!
Ribena abuser!
Member since 2008
Posts: 2,164
|
Post by Will on Jan 1, 2009 13:59:42 GMT
Wilbur Your impressions are the same as mine, after I installed the DACT2 to my Class A preamp., and again when I fitted a DIYFidelity 50K kit attenuator to my SC HA with JLH. I also found with the DACT2, that you could turn down the volume a little, and still hear some things that you didn't notice originally. Perhaps the DIYFidelity kit would have worked in the preamp just as well as the DACT2, but not as smoothly mechanically ? Alex I think you are spot on regarding the mechanical side of these things. Your DACT2 will be mechanically superior in build, and last a lot longer than the one I bought, I would guess.Your great-grandkids will still be using your pre-amp, but will my kids be using my HA? The cheapo is quite clunky (which I kind of like) but the engineering in the DACT2 would give a better feel. Also, the resistors in the DACT2 and DIYFidelity kit will be of a tighter tolerance/build quality, giving better balance/imaging. All in all, the cheapo has given a good insight and the planned class A HA will have a bit more spent on it, now that I have proven to myself that the attenuator is the way to go for my volco requirements.
|
|
|
Post by st on Feb 15, 2009 20:43:04 GMT
|
|
|
Post by st on Feb 19, 2009 19:27:03 GMT
anybody at home?
|
|
leo
Been here a while!
Team wtf is it?
Posts: 3,638
|
Post by leo on Feb 20, 2009 1:32:10 GMT
The one I fitted in the SCHA uses Dale resistors, it maybe just the pics but mine looks a little different to those ones on ebay
Anyway it sounds decent enough, no noise clicks or pops when adjusting, it feels pretty smooth too for a switcher
|
|
leo
Been here a while!
Team wtf is it?
Posts: 3,638
|
Post by leo on Feb 20, 2009 2:25:35 GMT
|
|
Will
Been here a while!
Ribena abuser!
Member since 2008
Posts: 2,164
|
Post by Will on Feb 20, 2009 9:58:26 GMT
The first link, in the first post, is the one I ordered and installed. I've been very pleased with it, and it is a definite step up from the RK27, good as it is.
Certainly worth the £16-£18, and as Mike says, very quick delivery.
|
|
|
Post by PinkFloyd on Feb 20, 2009 11:24:40 GMT
I bought both, the metal film one (first link) and the "Dale" one.... currently running the Dale in the SCHA.... both do much the same job and no perceivable difference in SQ to my ears.
|
|
|
Post by st on Feb 20, 2009 18:58:44 GMT
what value of attenuator would you recommend for use with the jaycar and senn HD600s?
50k log or something else?
|
|
Will
Been here a while!
Ribena abuser!
Member since 2008
Posts: 2,164
|
Post by Will on Feb 20, 2009 19:35:50 GMT
That's the value I bought, and have always used.
I'd like to know when you would use higher/lower values, which present a different input impedance.
Would higher values be used when the previous stage is passive, perhaps?
Feel free to educate me!
|
|
|
Post by st on Feb 20, 2009 21:05:24 GMT
Not sure mate which is why I'm asking !
btw how long did it take for your SCHA to arrive from oz - ordered last week but not sure when to expect it
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2009 21:06:40 GMT
st and wilbur
50K is a good all round choice for many SS amplifiers. 20/25K is often seen in newer solid state designs as it helps with S/N (signal to noise ratio) This value should also be fine with the SC HA if 50K isn't readily available. A few designs use a dual I.C. for EACH channel, and often use a 10K pot. in between both sections,where they usually split the overall gain between sections. If correctly implemented, this helps to even further improve S/N. Very few solid state designs use potentiometers/attenuators at the input with a value higher than 50K ohm.
SandyK
|
|
Will
Been here a while!
Ribena abuser!
Member since 2008
Posts: 2,164
|
Post by Will on Feb 20, 2009 21:19:53 GMT
Sorry st, wasn't trying to put you on the spot, I was asking the world at large, hoping for some free education! I should have been a bit clearer. Thanks to Uncle Alex, we both now know a bit more! As for my stuff from Jaycar, I actually bought my HA pcb from epemag, during the time that Jaycar had sold out of kits for the amp. Other stuff I've bought from Jaycar has taken about 3/4 weeks. Well worth spending the time reading the ma-hoo-sive jaycar thread, forming your ideas, and your plan of attack. When it comes to getting a LM/LME chip (if you wish to go that way), I should be able to help you out
|
|
|
Post by st on Feb 21, 2009 12:33:52 GMT
thanks for the help and support - will take you up on that offer and probably have many other questions once it arrives !
|
|