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Looking for recommendations on Pots

222.155.17.122

Wise people of the forum..

I'm building a tube preamp and need a good two channel pot.

From what I can gather there are different types and many good manufacturers.

What recommendations would you have in terms of:

- Stepped or not?
- I understand that with non stepped pots, there are different compounds that are used - conductive plastic, cermet. Is this a good path to go down?
- Brand - Alps, Audio Note, Bourne, Vishay etc etc

I'm probably going to need a 100k pot. Space inside the unit is not an issue. Price? - I'm looking for something in the mid to upper range of what's available.

From the research I've done, there are many options, however, I'm aware of my limited knowledge in this area (hence looking for recommendations). Are there any other questions I should be asking? (I don't know what I don't know! :) )

What are your recommendations and where can I source the pot?

Thanks

Follow Ups:

RE: Looking for recommendations on Pots - daveinnz 11:58:31 08/10/24 (0)
Wow, thanks for this resource, its the most comprehensive material I've seen on this so far!!
Build your own stepped attenuator. - VoltSecond 17:19:14 08/09/24 (0)
I'd go stepped for your attenuator.

Some where on the web page listed below, I have an excel spreadsheet that will help you customize the attenuator you build.

-Volt
Play safe and play longer! Don't be an "OUCH!" casualty.
Unplug it, discharge it and measure it (twice) before you touch it.

. . .Oh!. . .Remember: Modifying things voids their warranty.
- My notes on stepped attenuators. (Open in New Window)
RE: Looking for recommendations on Pots - RPMac 06:34:16 07/21/24 (0)
One of the most audible differences I've heard in my system was going from wiper type to ladder-step volume control. (Neither high-end)
Another option is controlling volume in digital domain (depending on your system)
An Alps black beauty is hard to beat, or a TVC _nT - Cleantimestream 15:45:54 07/20/24 (2)
!
The Mind has No Firewall~ U.S. Army War College.
- If you don't need the galvanic isolation that transformers provide then an AVC is even better. nt - Tre' 12:51:34 08/02/24 (1)
  .
  Have Fun and Enjoy the Music
  "Still Working the Problem"
  - RE: If you don't need the galvanic isolation that transformers provide then an AVC is even better. nt - Cleantimestream 17:03:24 08/03/24 (0)
    An AVC IS the best, but the gentleman spoke of pots.
    The Mind has No Firewall~ U.S. Army War College.
RE: Looking for recommendations on Pots - xaudiomanx 11:03:15 07/20/24 (5)
TKD is an excellent pot. Use them all the time. Price is good.
- RE: Looking for recommendations on Pots - Triode_Kingdom 15:27:42 07/21/24 (0)
  Haven't used those, but they look pretty nice. Are they actually made in Japan?
- RE: Looking for recommendations on Pots - daveinnz 12:02:34 07/20/24 (3)
  Thanks @xaudiomanx
  Where can I source the TKD product?
  
  Cheers
  - RE: Looking for recommendations on Pots - xaudiomanx 16:38:27 08/14/24 (0)
    Ebay Great pot although I do like resistor ladder pots better but need a lot of steps. Goldpoint is a real good pot but pricey.
  - RE: Looking for recommendations on Pots - Tre' 14:12:15 07/21/24 (1)
    .
    Have Fun and Enjoy the Music
    "Still Working the Problem"
    - https://partsconnexion.com/collections/tkd-potentiomters (Open in New Window)
    - RE: Looking for recommendations on Pots - xaudiomanx 08:35:40 07/22/24 (0)
      Also Ebay
RE: Looking for recommendations on Pots - Triode_Kingdom 14:17:21 07/19/24 (3)
I've had excellent luck in the past with run-of-the-mill pots that were anything but boutique. I would suggest that you start with something inexpensive, maybe even Alpha, but leave plenty of space around it for an upgrade if you find it lacking for some reason. Also, many of the stepped pots on the market don't have enough positions for good adjustment (24 steps isn't enough). There have been a number of reports of failures with Khozmo pots. PEC pots (Precision Electronics Corporation) and TT Electronics are very good, but difficult to find in the values we usually need.
- RE: Looking for recommendations on Pots - andy evans 09:56:03 07/20/24 (2)
  Re Khozmo failures - I had one, though an older model. They're slow on emails too. Sounded good when it worked.
  
  My cheap solution is a 100K log plastic pot with 12K series resistor and 24K across the 100K. With top quality resistors it sounds very good. Only 4 resistors needed.
  - RE: Looking for recommendations on Pots - xaudiomanx 11:05:19 07/20/24 (1)
    What is the purpose of the resister in series and the resister across?
    - Shunt volume controls - andy evans 03:07:50 07/21/24 (0)
      The series resistor is fixed in a shunt volume control. You can look up ratios for the series and shunt resistances and you'll get a variety of answers. My ballpark is a bit under 1:2. A 100K pot is a good start and then I used 12K and 24K for series and shunt. Seems to work as a volume control. The quality is in the resistors for which you can go as boutique as you like since there's only 4 of them. I didn't want to go above 12K as a series resistor and the rest followed from that. It actually sounds pretty good with the NOS resistors I use. I'd say as good as or better than a basic TDK.
      
      Edits: 07/21/24
RE: Looking for recommendations on Pots - walge 13:25:18 07/19/24 (0)
Look for Kozmo

https://khozmo.com/

Walter

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