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In Reply to: My preamp must go! Any good passives out there? posted by Amade on June 10, 2012 at 09:57:36:
None of which have to do with the device themselves.
The problem is that the cable, the output impedance of the source, the input impedance of the amp and the impedance of the control itself all interact.
The best sound is thus when its turned up all the way. That has the least cable interaction, the best bass and the best dynamics. As you turn it down, these qualities go away fairly quickly. By reducing the value of the control you can reduce this problem somewhat.
The issue is that as you reduce the volume, it becomes part of the source impedance and *raises* it. This interacts the output coupling cap(s) of the source, effectively shrinking their value (= less bass). The increased output impedance also allows the capacitance of the cable to play a bigger role (= rolls off highs, may reduce soundstage); the higher the input impedance of the amp the worse this problem is.
TVCs are a better choice IMO/IME, but they have a different set of problems associated with bandwidth and distortion (caused by ringing of the transformer). Most of this ringing is at ultrasonic frequencies but can still affect things (manifests as additional brightness).
The best approach is actually a good line stage. I'll put it this way: A passive might sound pretty good, but a good line stage will sound even better. A good line section will control not only the volume, but also the cable itself- meaning that the cable will not longer make or break the system. If you find that you have to have the right cable to make the system sound right, then the line section is falling flat on its face.
IMO/IME this may well be the best argument for a good line section- the cable becomes immaterial and in any other situation the cable is very important!
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Follow Ups
- They are all pretty good- and they all have problems - Ralph 09:35:17 06/11/12 (14)
- Disagree...maybe it's just semantics but - Plinko 06:02:04 06/13/12 (6)
- RE: Disagree...maybe it's just semantics but - Ralph 07:58:17 06/15/12 (5)
- good points, but benefits outweigh problems IF you know how to implement one - bwb 06:45:37 06/12/12 (2)
- One of the problems then is any decent DAC; for that matter, most digital - Ralph 09:11:12 06/12/12 (0)
- RE: good points, but benefits outweigh problems IF you know how to implement one - rick_m 07:13:36 06/12/12 (0)
- RE: They are all pretty good- and they all have problems - rick_m 21:29:57 06/11/12 (3)
- RE: They are all pretty good- and they all have problems - Ralph 08:57:29 06/12/12 (2)
- RE: They are all pretty good- and they all have problems - rick_m 12:35:05 06/12/12 (1)
- Yes, that seems crazy - Ralph 05:31:41 06/13/12 (0)
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