The ideal way? Buffer the volume control signal and use a dedicated half-and-half balance control, or make your own by using half the steps of a ladder attenuator.
Otherwise the hacked single pot with two series resistors works well enough for 99% of users. Buffering is critical for good response of passive attenuators.
Otherwise the hacked single pot with two series resistors works well enough for 99% of users. Buffering is critical for good response of passive attenuators.
Just before the volume control. This circuit is for a linear balance pot.
Post your schematic and this will be easier, since the values depend on your circuit.
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Put a differential receiver in the front, pick unbalanced signal from it and regulate it under unbalanced manner as you wish, put a fully-differential amplifier as the last unbal->bal stage.
You'll never manage exact match unless it's two stepped attenuators.
There are preamps like that, FWIW.
The First Watt B1 with Korg Triode includes two separate, single-gang potentiometers for gain adjustment. One pot for the Left channel and another pot for the Right. Link to review including photos.
A diyaudio member inquired, "When you have dual mono pots without any clicks to ensure same setting of both pots, then you have to do the "tracking" by "eye and/or ear"?"
And Nelson Pass answered, "I would have thought, but I find that separately dialing them up makes you more aware of the balance. It doesn't bother me at all. Perhaps Mark Levinson's preamp had something....."
(Here is a link to his post.)
I've attached an image of the Mark Levinson preamp which I (MJ) think Nelson Pass is talking about. It has two balance pots and a volume pot.
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A diyaudio member inquired, "When you have dual mono pots without any clicks to ensure same setting of both pots, then you have to do the "tracking" by "eye and/or ear"?"
And Nelson Pass answered, "I would have thought, but I find that separately dialing them up makes you more aware of the balance. It doesn't bother me at all. Perhaps Mark Levinson's preamp had something....."
(Here is a link to his post.)
I've attached an image of the Mark Levinson preamp which I (MJ) think Nelson Pass is talking about. It has two balance pots and a volume pot.
_
Attachments
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Have a look at Douglas Self's book "Small Signal Audio Design". The 2nd edition has two full chapters about this (ch. 13 & 14), with large numbers of tables, graphs, formulae, and discussion. The publisher's website (Focal Press) has the book's Table Of Contents online and viewable; I took a screen capture image of one page, attached below.
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+1 While not exhaustive, or "trendy", Self's SSAD is for-sure your First Stop for volume/balance networks.
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