Hi,
I am looking for a stereo volume potentiometer thas is better or as good as stepping attenuators,
and I stumbled over this volume potentiomer from ALPS.
It costs around 1200 USD (in Italy) incl VAT!!!
I am seriously interested in this potentiometer for my next preamplifier design.
Has anyone listened or tried this potentiometer?
Regards,
Sigurd Ruschkowski
SWEDEN
I am looking for a stereo volume potentiometer thas is better or as good as stepping attenuators,
and I stumbled over this volume potentiomer from ALPS.
It costs around 1200 USD (in Italy) incl VAT!!!
I am seriously interested in this potentiometer for my next preamplifier design.
Has anyone listened or tried this potentiometer?
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Regards,
Sigurd Ruschkowski
SWEDEN
Italians have the best of taste. Yhis pot just looks wonderful. If it sounds as good as it looks it is worth the money.
A stepped stereo pot can be bought for around 150 USD here in Sweden and or Germany or Denmark. Assembled. SMD or ordinary resistors.
What I do not like about stepped pots is all the connections that a stepped pot has.
See this drawing:
To compare this with a normal pot:
Sigurd
A stepped stereo pot can be bought for around 150 USD here in Sweden and or Germany or Denmark. Assembled. SMD or ordinary resistors.
What I do not like about stepped pots is all the connections that a stepped pot has.
See this drawing:
To compare this with a normal pot:
Sigurd
Andrea - yes, it is indeed very expensive. My idea is that it is better to spend money on a pot
instead of spending money on things like superexpensive mains cables, special feet absorbers, demagnitizers for CDs, and such things that are not in the signal path of the audio signal.
I have talked to a sales representative today, and I am not at all happy with their way of handling my questions. Rather unpolie and rude in my oppinion.
OK, we are talking 50 pots and not 100 000 pots but still I do not feel good about the way they handle my ideas.
Almost makes me loose interest in this pot....
Sigurd
instead of spending money on things like superexpensive mains cables, special feet absorbers, demagnitizers for CDs, and such things that are not in the signal path of the audio signal.
I have talked to a sales representative today, and I am not at all happy with their way of handling my questions. Rather unpolie and rude in my oppinion.
OK, we are talking 50 pots and not 100 000 pots but still I do not feel good about the way they handle my ideas.
Almost makes me loose interest in this pot....
Sigurd
The Alps RK 50 was used in the Accuphase C-290V preamplifier as I recall. This amplifier has a very good reputation although it was criticized for not providing an RC for volume control.
Somewhere I read that the supply of the pot became unreliable and that Accuphase decided to buy the remaining stock from their supplier for future support of that model. The production of the C-290V was stopped thereafter. Don't know whether that's a myth or not. Anyway, they are not using pots any longer in their preamps.
Edit: Peter, 1dB matching at -100dB is excellent.
Somewhere I read that the supply of the pot became unreliable and that Accuphase decided to buy the remaining stock from their supplier for future support of that model. The production of the C-290V was stopped thereafter. Don't know whether that's a myth or not. Anyway, they are not using pots any longer in their preamps.
Edit: Peter, 1dB matching at -100dB is excellent.
OliverD said:
But surely it's not excellent at 0dB which is still according to specs.
Paying that amount of money for a pot is a big waste of money, almost like paying $500 for a knob
http://www.referenceaudiomods.com/M...OB_C37_C&Category_Code=VOLUME&Product_Count=2
Peter - if this pot sounds better than a 150 USD stepped pot it is worth every dollar.
If you buy a 2000 USD line-in preamp one wants the best pot there is. At least I do.
The comparison to a 500 USD knob is not that good I think, as the know is not in the signal path of the music - the pot is.
Sigurd
If you buy a 2000 USD line-in preamp one wants the best pot there is. At least I do.
The comparison to a 500 USD knob is not that good I think, as the know is not in the signal path of the music - the pot is.
Sigurd
Sigurd Ruschkow said:
I have $30 carbon pot (PEC) that sounds better than $150 stepped pot.
Buying something that expensive without trying it in a circuit first is not a good practice. How can you be sure that you will like its sonic signature?
For that money, a silver version of S&B102 TVC would be much better choice, especially that you don't need an active stage that is usually recommended with a pot (and costs you $2000 extra).
I have modified $6,500 preamp (ML380S) and on some recordings I prefer a passive $30 pot, mounted directly on amps input. And S&B102 line stage is still better than both of those.
Sigurd,
you could off course try the new pot distributed by Thel in Germany. It is matched very well (better than 0,2dB typ. 0,05dB). I now use it instead of my Elma stepped ladder switch with Holcos and I´m quite satisfied.
It only costs 89€ but I´m shure they will also accept 500€ if it makes you happy . For another 500€ I could make a very nice and shinny brass housing for it
http://www.thel-audioworld.de/bauteile/regler/Potis.htm
Peter,
love those nobs....only 500$ you say?
William
you could off course try the new pot distributed by Thel in Germany. It is matched very well (better than 0,2dB typ. 0,05dB). I now use it instead of my Elma stepped ladder switch with Holcos and I´m quite satisfied.
It only costs 89€ but I´m shure they will also accept 500€ if it makes you happy
. For another 500€ I could make a very nice and shinny brass housing for it http://www.thel-audioworld.de/bauteile/regler/Potis.htm
Peter,
love those nobs....only 500$ you say?
William
I've never tested this particular pot, but I've heard a preamplifier with it. I liked its very rich and detailed sound, but I wasn't familiar with the system and so can't make a comment on the quality of a single part in the signal chain.
However, considering that Accuphase normally don't use exotic or particularly expensive parts, I would expect it to be quite good.
Volume control is a very fundamental function of an audio system and up to now I haven't found a solution that was completely satisfying. I've tried relay stepped attenuators of various kinds, virtually hundreds of different pots, volume control chips, digital volume control... At the moment I'm back to pots for various reasons but still looking out for something better.
Sigurd, to answer the question in your email, Accuphase is now using an approach based on V/I-converting the signal in 16 weighted steps, electronically switching the currents, adding them and I/V-converting them back. They call it a vari-gain amplifier. Quite complicated and needs a lot of board space, but it seems to be better than two buffers and a pot in between.
However, considering that Accuphase normally don't use exotic or particularly expensive parts, I would expect it to be quite good.
Volume control is a very fundamental function of an audio system and up to now I haven't found a solution that was completely satisfying. I've tried relay stepped attenuators of various kinds, virtually hundreds of different pots, volume control chips, digital volume control... At the moment I'm back to pots for various reasons but still looking out for something better.
Sigurd, to answer the question in your email, Accuphase is now using an approach based on V/I-converting the signal in 16 weighted steps, electronically switching the currents, adding them and I/V-converting them back. They call it a vari-gain amplifier. Quite complicated and needs a lot of board space, but it seems to be better than two buffers and a pot in between.
I think I have to agree with Peter Daniel. There are a lot of 20% tolerance pots. The gang error per the Alps website is not "+/- 1dB" but as 2dB, noyhing about "+/-" a small point but I take it to means the gangs can be 2 dB apart which is a ratio (of voltages, I presume) of 1:1.58. That is probably not noticable to most of us but I can believe some would notice.
From a look and feel point of view I prefere pots, but I really think there ought to be a bigger perfoprmance step when going from US$5 to US$1,000 !!
I would also like to know if the resistance taper listed as "15A" or audio is truly a log taper or just the usual combination of two linear tapers connected in the middle by a bend. After first reading Rod Elliots Project 1 on faked log tapers using a linear pot pluss a resistor between the ground pin and the wiper, I've sworn off log/audio tapers.
From a look and feel point of view I prefere pots, but I really think there ought to be a bigger perfoprmance step when going from US$5 to US$1,000 !!
I would also like to know if the resistance taper listed as "15A" or audio is truly a log taper or just the usual combination of two linear tapers connected in the middle by a bend. After first reading Rod Elliots Project 1 on faked log tapers using a linear pot pluss a resistor between the ground pin and the wiper, I've sworn off log/audio tapers.
JoeBob said:
The single deck pots are available from Digi Key. The stereo version is probably available direct only. I did some inqieries and it seems like they are custom made to order. Single price is $80, 5 pc is less and 10 pc price drops to $40, if I'm not mistaken. You might call them and ask. The web site can be found doing search under Precison Electronic Components.
I just found the pot in my old HP scope, by Allen Bradley and they look very similar. The sound is very smooth, relaxed, with lots of detail, and no metal haze. Well, like all you could expect from a carbon pot. BTW, the Alps discussed here is also carbon.
sam9 said:
Well, I don't trust everything Rodd writes. I don't know how many log pots did you open, but the ones I've seen inside are done nothing like they say. The taper is a custom, one piece creation. The better pots are offered in variety of log curves and the matching is usually better than 0.5dB. I just read somwhere that Vishay linear pot recommended by somebody had deviation close to 20%. That much for linear pots superiority
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