Volume pots

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Disco-Pete

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Joined 2009
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Can someone please direct me to some good quality pots for my Acoustat DD Servo OTL amps. They're old and scratchy. I want to replace them with an upgrade. Right now they have Allen Bradley MOD POT 10kohm 1 turn. Don't know power rating but probably 1 watt? TIA
 
myleftear

myleftear

Member
Joined 2017
Paid Member
Hard to tell.
Some say yes others no.
If you’re tempted, have a try.
I for one am very curious, but otoh am reluctant to pay so much for prefab parts.
I‘ll build some variations, like

Meldano‘s muses attenuator
Ladder attenuator
Sound-au.com’s „Better volume control“
Autoformer volume control
...
 
rayma

rayma

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Joined 2011
Discopete said:
So what do you guys think about the "audiophile" grades like TDK for $100 bucks? So they go
directly in the amps as level controls. Is there something to gain by spending this kind of $$?
Click to expand...

Do you use them as semi-permanent adjustments, or routinely?
I would use a switched resistor array for the former.
Pots get worn by the wiper remaining in the same position for long times.
 
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Disco-Pete

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Joined 2009
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rayma said:
Do you use them as semi-permanent adjustments, or routinely?
I would use a switched resistor array for the former.
Pots get worn by the wiper remaining in the same position for long times.
Click to expand...
These are mono OTLs and need the pots to act as balance controls also since the gain of the amps changes slightly over time. So this way they can be matched perfectly.
 
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AmadeusMozart

Disabled Account
Joined 2009
TKD is rated for 100 000 revolutions minimal, Alps for 15 000. Many mechanical switched attinuators are rated for 10 000 ~ 20 000 revolutions plus you can hear when going from one position to another. The longevity alone makes it worthwhile. I will not use anything else. Previous used the 2CP-2511 but have gone to the 2CP-601, the minimal difference in performance are for me not worth the extra costs. Best place to buy them is from either Vietnam (the chap advertises on ePray but I get them directly from him, google is your friend) or from PartsConnexion (higher freight costs to New Zealand). No affiliation to either of them, just a happy user of TKD.

Make sure to get the TKD attenuator, not the potentiometer. (same model number....) Tracking is better on the attenuator. See my previous post on the subject.
 
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rayma

rayma

Moderator
Joined 2011
Discopete said:
These are mono OTLs and need the pots to act as balance controls also since the gain of the amps
changes slightly over time. So this way they can be matched perfectly.
Click to expand...

Then I would use a 10 to 12 position shorting switch, with 1% metal film resistors chosen
to have just enough range, and space the steps evenly, for example 1dB each for 10dB range.
Grayhill makes nice switches that are very reliable.
 
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pathway

Member
Joined 2016
hificollective did some comparisons where they compared Tocos Comos pots to the TDK's and others and preferred the Comos pots, they were looking for a replacement for the now unattainable Alps Black Beauty.
Although they discontinued selling the stereo pots as there was too much variation in channel matching with them, the monos aren't going to have this issue.


The pdf reviews are under the stereo Tocos Cosmos pots on hificollective site.
Tocos Cosmos Mono Potentiometers | Hifi Collective


Just another option.
 
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