TKD based finished passive preamp

RE: TKD based finished passive preamp, posted on April 17, 2016 at 13:50:11
Frihed89 Audiophile Posts: 15703 Location: Copenhagen Joined: March 21, 2005	Do they even make ladder attenuators?

Is this the preamp you are talking about, posted on April 18, 2016 at 08:39:20

airtime
Audiophile

Posts: 11287
Location: Arizona
Joined: February 4, 2003

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http://www.khozmo.com/balanced_wo_input_selector.html

RE: Is this the preamp you are talking about, posted on April 18, 2016 at 18:17:40
Blackdog Manufacturer Posts: 1505 Location: Ontario Joined: March 20, 2006	Those are not TKD. They're made in Poland by Khozmo. Darn fine passive attenuators. 48 stepped attenuators, very well made. They will outperform a TKD easily. Dan Santoni

RE: Is this the preamp you are talking about, posted on April 20, 2016 at 06:34:10
BRab Audiophile Posts: 962 Joined: January 28, 2002	You're right. These are not TKD; however, I'm not so sure that they would outperform the TKD unless you've made a direct comparison. The reason I'm afer a TKD passive is that the TKD has outperformed anything else I've tried, the last being a pair of Slagle autoformers widely considered to be the last word in transparent attenuation.

Curious, please elaborate about TKG vs. Slagle., posted on April 20, 2016 at 06:47:36
Rick W	I've read good things about both. What do you feel the TKD does better? Thanks.

Very interesting. Thanks Nt, posted on April 20, 2016 at 08:09:35
Frihed89 Audiophile Posts: 15703 Location: Copenhagen Joined: March 21, 2005	Nt

RE: Curious, please elaborate about TKG vs. Slagle., posted on April 20, 2016 at 12:37:41

BRab
Audiophile

Posts: 962
Joined: January 28, 2002

I had the Slagles in a passive that had a selector switch that became noisy. I replaced the passive with an old TKD volume pot I had previously used and was very surprised with the improvement in detail, frequency extension and dynamic contrast. I still think the Slagles are very good and the improvement may be down to a lucky match of the TKD with my sources and amplifier with respect to impedances etc, but I do think the alleged superiority of stepped attenuators, autoformers and all the rest of the miracle attenuators is really overstated and the sq of a good traditional volume pot can be quite extraordinary.

RE: TKD based finished passive preamp, posted on April 23, 2016 at 13:41:08
TGT Audiophile Posts: 531 Location: Kentucky Joined: December 6, 2002	By the way, Bascom H. King talks about his preference for a passive preamp in the section on PS audio's new preamp.

Thanks. nt, posted on April 24, 2016 at 20:11:40
Rick W	nt

RE: TKD based finished passive preamp, posted on April 25, 2016 at 11:27:43
TubeDriver Audiophile Posts: 794 Location: East Coast Joined: February 16, 2007	You can get TKD stereo 100k pot for $100 at Parts Connection or other DIY stores. Pretty easy to build it up or just take it to your local guitar center and pay them to put it in a box, add a switch (for 2-3 sources) and install some RCAs on the back.

RE: Curious, please elaborate about TKG vs. Slagle., posted on April 26, 2016 at 09:50:24

mitch2
Audiophile

Posts: 1521
Location: Great Lakes
Joined: August 28, 2001

You are comparing a transformer (autoformer) volume attenuator to a resistor-based volume attenuator. Sort of apples to oranges except that they both attenuate volume. I believe TKD made both resistor-based attenuators as well as potentiometers, which are a different device and generally thought to be inferior sonically to a discrete resistor based control. Do you know whether yours is a potentiometer or resistor based control?

For the resistor volume attenuator, the switch itself, whether TKD, Khozmo or other types is basically a means to make contact with discrete resistors. The biggest sonic difference will be the type of resistors used. The other thing that may have a smaller effect on the sound is the quality of construction and materials used in the contacts (e.g., silver or gold plating over a base metal). Otherwise, what makes one attenuator better than another are the ergonomics (how it feels when used) and durability.

My preamp has a Shallco switch with Audio Note Tantalum Resistors and sonically it beats both Goldpoint and Endler switches I also have here, although the comparison is not fair since the Shallco is part of a no-gain buffered preamp and the others are simply volume attenuators. I owned a Tom Evans Vibe that used a DACT attenuator (which uses SMDs same as the Goldpoint) and that preamp sounded outstanding, although not as good as my current preamp. The easiest thing might be to try a Goldpoint attenuator or find somewhere to buy the TKD attenuator, not the potentiometer.

Below is a link to a site showing many types of volume controls.

DIY site - volume controls

Amp/Preamp Asylum

TKD based finished passive preamp

70.26.56.155