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Nice Stepped Attenator- Improved My Supratek Cortese Preamp

Posted by Todd Krieger (A) on May 16, 2004 at 23:13:15

On a whim, I decided to try a different attenuator in my Supratek Cortese... I saw these Dale resistor ladder attenuators on eBay... Nice looking 23-position stepped attenuator, for about US$55. I got the 100K unit, the same rating as the existing attenuator.

I expected a sonic change, but I did not expect an across-the-board improvement. Although the switch mechanism itself isn't as well-built as the one with the stock attenuator, it takes relatively little effort to turn the volume knob, and more-importantly, the Cortese now sounds more like what I expected from this preamp when I purchased it a little over a year ago. My complaint of a "vague top" is now gone, and I did not realize how much harshness was being caused by the Cortese's stock attenuator (a ladder unit that uses metal film resistors of unknown origin). The preamp now sounds more-transparent and more-listenable, and I've been glued to the main system like I have not done so in a long time. (The only complaint is the volume knob shaft is somewhat "undersized." The knob is "recessed" relative to what I had in there before, as well as the "selector" knob.)

I will also be trying the 10 K model as a standalone passive attenuator. This might the sleeper tweak product of 2004.

I realize there are better attenuators out there, but this Asian-made attenuator may be the ticket for extracting better performance from even highly-regarded equipment, and the price is very reasonable.

• http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=14993&item=5700206372   (Open in New Window)

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