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Tweakers' Asylum Tweaks for systems, rooms and Do It Yourself (DIY) help. FAQ. |
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Tweakers' Asylum Tweaks for systems, rooms and Do It Yourself (DIY) help. FAQ. |
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In Reply to: How do you make a VERY GOOD passive pre posted by EdS on May 15, 1999 at 14:24:14:
EdS, before you proceed, try plugging your CD player (or DAC) directly into your power amp and playing the CD in your collection which is recorded at the lowest level (for me, this is Sheffield's Kodo CD). If you have enough volume and are able to use a short, low capacitance cable run (say, less than 3 meters), then you can proceed further. You should find out the output impedance of your CD player/DAC (ask the manufacturer) and the input impedance of your power amp; the ratio should be at least 1:50. If you want a manufactured pair of stepped attenuators that plug directly into your amp (as Allan's friend has), you can buy a pair of Ric Schultz's Electronic Visionary Systems Ultimate Attenuators (24 position Vishay series, Holco shunts, single ended for $255, balanced for more, go to www.tweakaudio.com). You can't use these if your amp has inputs too close together (attenuator boxes are a bit wide) or if heat sinks or other obstructions would physically interfere with plugging-in the attenuator chassis' (Ric will ask you questions about your gear like I'm doing, he has options like different step sizes and lower-than-10kohm std series resistors for high voltage/low output impedance equipment like Theta and Wadia). Ric is a one-man company, but his workmanship is very good. If you still prefer DIY, there are kits available from Michael Percy (see threads below) and Welbourne Labs. Both also sell suitable parts for custom projects, as does The Parts Connection. Also, Angela Instruments sells Shinkoh and Audio Note tantalum film resistors that are an interesting alternative to the highly reputable Vishays (one of these days I'll post a review of the Vishay S102 vs. Shinkoh in the discrete stepped attenuator application; Vishays are better if you like highly detailed solid-state sound, Shinkohs are better for vacuum tube, single-ended sound).
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Follow Ups
- EVS Ultimate Attenuators - TAFKA Steve 05/16/9901:28:23 05/16/99 (1)
- Re: EVS Ultimate Attenuators - TAFKA Steve 01:37:23 05/16/99 (0)
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