Preamp Impedance Question

[audiogeekess]

I've made a preamp incorporating a fiio d3 dac. The potentiometer I am using is 20k. It was fine when I was running the RCA's 6 feet from the DAC to the pot; but now that I have the d3's board directly soldered to the potentiometer with 3 inches of wire, the potentiometer volume range is very tiny and really uncontrollable.

So I added at 10k, 10k film resistor voltage divider for each channel between the D3 DAC and the potentiometer. This solved the volume range problem--it's quite nice and controllable.

My question is, should I be using the10k, 10k voltage divider before the potentiometer or should I make say a 500 ohm, 500 ohm voltage divider?--i.e. if the output impedance of the DAC is 1k ohm.

Would really appreciate an answer since I am newb and trying to wrap this little project up Thanks so much!

[AndrewT]

changing the cable length should not change the vol rotation with respect to sound output SPL.

I wonder if you have not connected the lower end of the pot correctly, i.e. a VR instead of a pot.

[DF96]

In audio connections we usually avoid impedance matching! Matching is for RF transmission lines. If your DAC has an output impedance of 1K then you need to load it with something above 10K. I agree with Andrew's diagnosis: a wiring error.

[audiogeekess]

Turns out to be a wiring error, thanks. I had it setup correctly before but for some reason this time I had the Vout of the potentiometer connected to the Vout of the DAC--and the Vin of the pot to the Vout of the preamp--silly. Thanks guys.