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Passive Volume Control?

post #1 of 13
6/2/07 at 1:33pm
Thread Starter 
I'm planning on buying a pair of balanced studio monitors for use with either an E-MU 1212M or 1616M (depending on whether I want to use the 1616M's mic preamps).

Software attenuation seems risky; who knows when an application will suddenly ramp up the Windows Mixer to 100%? Since neither card has a hardware direct monitor volume control, what's a good hardware solution for volume attenuation?
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post #2 of 13
6/2/07 at 2:33pm
Here are two options for passive balanced attenuation, neither is cheap!

http://www.goldpt.com/sa1x.html

http://luminousaudio.com/axiombal.html
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post #3 of 13
6/2/07 at 2:40pm
Just found this, too......a bargain in comparison to the two above, but I have no idea about the quality of the components:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...67&src=3WFRWXX

I'd almost like to buy one just to see what is inside!
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post #4 of 13
6/2/07 at 2:40pm
It'll be cheaper and better sounding to boot with the software approach...
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post #5 of 13
6/2/07 at 2:42pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by sejarzo View Post
Just found this, too......a bargain in comparison to the two above, but I have no idea about the quality of the components:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...67&src=3WFRWXX

I'd almost like to buy one just to see what is inside!
That's actually the one that prompted this thread. I got the MF sale e-mail this morning.

I know that software would be cheaper and I'm a big fan of short signal paths, but if I'm using an expensive pair of studio monitors, I don't want to take a chance on blowing out either the woofers or my ears.
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post #6 of 13
6/2/07 at 2:47pm
I'd bet the Goldpoint doesn't sound $300+ better than the SM Pro.

The Luminous would be a PITA, as it's dual mono. I built a little dual mono unbalanced passive a few years ago, and while having what amounts to a balance control seems to be an advantage, the convenience of a single knob outweighed that.
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post #7 of 13
6/2/07 at 2:51pm
We've all also forgotten the much reviewed PreSonus Central Station, haven't we?
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post #8 of 13
6/2/07 at 4:23pm
Thread Starter 
That would be nice, but it includes a lot of features I wouldn't use at the moment. Balanced speakers + mic preamps + microphones = little budget for this particular part.

Why did E-MU have to put the direct monitor output control on the 0404 USB instead of the 1616M?!
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post #9 of 13
6/2/07 at 6:24pm
You need to consider impedance matching if you do not know it yet. Ideally, the impedance of your amp must be high and the output impedance of your source should be as low as possible.

The goldpoint is great when impedance is completely and ideally matched. The Luminous Axiom is also good but you can have the resistor values adjusted to take into account impedance issues and speaker sensitvity. The Axiom is very good in this regard as long as your amp input impedance is high. I got high frequency rolloff with the goldpoint due to the low input impedance of my Arcam Alpha 8. However, I sold it to a guy and it worked wonders in his $10,000 system. It all depends. Read up on the impedance thiing and hope you can make the best decision. Good luck.
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post #10 of 13
6/3/07 at 1:11am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the info, stryker. I hadn't considered impedance, since I figured most active studio monitors would make do with whatever they were fed... Would I still have this issue going directly from, say, a 1212M's output to balanced speakers?

If specifics make the question easier to answer, I'm considering a pair of Dynaudio BM15A monitors. I can't find any listed impedance specifications in the BM15A manual.
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post #11 of 13
6/3/07 at 4:00am
Thread Starter 
What about something like the Mackie Big Knob? Would it be of high enough quality not to color the sound?
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post #12 of 13
6/3/07 at 8:57am
Okay, now I'm getting beyond my knowledge as they are active monitors. However, I would imagine the same prinicples apply. The issue is how robust and sufficient is your source's signal and can it pass on that robust signal to your monitors via pasive control. Cable lenth is critical between the passive pre and your monitors (shorter the better with low capacitance). In this case, you might want to post the question in the DIY forum cuz I'm sure I'm missing something here.

I have heard good things from a guy who bypasses his preamp and goes from his computer's USB out into a USB-fed DAC using Windows volume as his volume control. However, that was with the volume being adjusted while in USB signal format. That might still work for you though I know you have your concerns about that option.

I would post here on DIY and also try a pro audio forum at another site for someone who can tell you exactly what you need to (or not to) worry about.
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post #13 of 13
6/3/07 at 9:14pm
You could try the joshua tree attenuator on twistedpearaudio.com. You could even combine it with a darwin source selector if you wanted and have a passive pre with 6 inputs and 2 outputs for small outlay.

Of course you would have to be able to DIY it together, case it and provide a PS.

Fran
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