So I did try all those different potentiometers

[ThorstenL]

Konnichiwa,

Originally posted by carlosfm
Whyzzat that everybody with standalone passive "pre-amps" always end up spending big money on interconnects?

Big Money?

My best Interconnect can be made per 1m pair for under £7/$14.

For that you get goldplated fine silver (99.995%) wire, "zero connector" RCA Plugs and Airdielectic with phantastically low capacitance to boot.

Takes less than 15 Minute per pair with a modicum of practice.

Big Money?

Sayonara

[Peter Daniel]

Also all interconnects I'm using were built by me, and cost me next to nothing.

[grataku]

Peter,
I have been using the sealed carbon pots from Allen-Bradley (AB), that is equivalent to what you shown, just better, for the past 20 years. Nice to return to the forum and see that soo much as evolved in my absence.

[Peter Daniel]

Hi Paolo,

I understand you didn't finish your APOX

[grataku]

How do you know that?
I finished the apox already, I never built the preamp for it.

[carlosfm]

Originally posted by Kuei Yang Wang
Konnichiwa,
Big Money?

I was talking commercial products.
Not everyone I know is into DIY...
I also make my interconnects.

The point I was trying to make is that for a standalone passive pre (based on a pot or switch) you need as short and as good interconnects as you can.
High impedance...

[Peter Daniel]

If I'm using passive pot only, I mount it directly on RCA input jacks (in a special attachment module), so there's only one pair of interconnects involved anyway.

[carlosfm]

I know, Peter.
I was talking about a standalone passive pre, because of this post:

Originally posted by rdf
I've used a Bourns 10k's in a passive (with hot and ground switching pgm selector) for ten years now and never felt the need to change it. My impression is the pot does have a sound, midly subtractive and benign but no where near the effect I hear by changing out a coupling cap or interconnects. I'd be curious if anyone else here uses or has experience with them.

Of course, the quality of the interconnects makes much difference here.
This doesn't happen with a good active pre, with a low impedance output.
I use 50 ohms output impedance on my pre, which btw has good output current, and testing interconnects with this is a fantasmagoric experience.

[highbias]

So Peter,

What "IS" sonic neutrality and do you really believe that it exists? i don't believe it exists at all in the audio world. So everythiong we listen too is going to have its own sonic signature.... its all a matter of if you like the sonic signature of something and can live with it or not.

Mark

[Peter Daniel]

Originally posted by highbias
So Peter,

What "IS" sonic neutrality and do you really believe that it exists? i don't believe it exists at all in the audio world. So everythiong we listen too is going to have its own sonic signature.... its all a matter of if you like the sonic signature of something and can live with it or not.

Mark

Yes, I agree and I don't think sonic neutrality exist. There used to be comparisons to straight wire, but in reality, even 2" of wire have the sound of its own, IME.

So, whatever seems like your 'thing' is your escape from lack of neutrality.