Potentiometer Overview - Alps, Penny+Giles, TKD and Vishay and more, what's your fav?

Bourns have sloppy mechanical linkages between the two stereo sections , at least in their "Mod Pot" range. The cermet ones sound pretty good, but their ~** tracking made them useless to me.

The best sounding pot I know of is the Snernife/VISAY baby ones, sound like two good resistors. But they also don't track too well down low, but way better than Bourns!

Regards, Allen
 
Bourns have sloppy mechanical linkages between the two stereo sections , at least in their "Mod Pot" range. The cermet ones sound pretty good, but their ~** tracking made them useless to me.

The best sounding pot I know of is the Snernife/VISAY baby ones, sound like two good resistors. But they also don't track too well down low, but way better than Bourns!

Regards, Allen

Tracking doesn't matter for a dual-mono type of setup like the B1.
What Vishay pots? The PA11? P11, PA11 - Rotary Panel Pot. P11 Cermet; PA11 Conductive Plastic Modular Construction - up to 7 gang assemblies. Switch and valley detent options, concentric shafts etc. - Vishay Resistors, variable
 
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I owned Alps, Noble, Penny & Giles, Elma & Shallco. The best one is Shallco so far (tracking, less contact resistance, more life rotational switches, etc).

new for me - thank you very much for this advice. Until this day my favorite brands are Penny & Giles by the attenuators (potentiometers) and Elma by the rotary switches.

1) Audio Attenuators and Networks:
Shallco - Attenuators
2) Precision Rotary Switch Products
Shallco- Precision Rotary Switch Products

But where are informations about "http_www_jancocorp_com" (death link) ???
I find only this:
http://www.elecdir.com/site/store/3416/index.html
http://www.esterline.com/MasonContr...ectorSwitches/SeriesB/tabid/1703/Default.aspx
and some pics
http://www.leedsradio.com/images-switches/Janco7-1961.JPG
http://www.esterline.com/Portals/6/Products/Mason/Images/b45.jpg
 
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I listened to a $60 10k TKD conductive plastic that my friend lent me, and it really degraded the sound.

Strange, that's one of the best I've used!

Have also used Alps, Noble (big and small) Panasonic and PEC. I still think I like the TKD the best.

But as was mentioned, with the price of stepped attenuators these days, why not? The little guys that Sharpi61 linked to on ebay are great.
 
about the Alps supplier
DST-GmbH
there are more interesting switching devices:
1) Rotary switches: (Products-rotary switches - SRBM series and SRRN series) used e. g. by Accuphase
2) Attenuators (Products-Potentiometers - RK20b)
But I cannot say about this quality standart

And what about Panasonic conductice plastic: Are this Panasonic model in generall still available? Or is it out of production?
Unfortunately I haven't the order code resp. model No from Panasonic. I have found it in older amplifiers from "Thule Audio", e. g. the models IA-50 (IA50) and IA-100 (IA100). No parasitic scratch effects while turning are to observe (older than 10 years). So I think, quality is not low.
 
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Photo Panasonic attenuator
 

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