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Need affordable stepped attenuator

post #1 of 21
12/5/09 at 2:40am
Thread Starter 
Need affordable stereo stepped attenuator, any ideas? Even if it comes from Asia as long as its fairly good. <$45 unpopulated is my budget
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post #2 of 21
12/5/09 at 2:55am
I bought a couple of the Kits found on ebay a while back and decided against using them, mainly since I didn't think they'd fit in the cases I'm using. PM me if you are interested and we can discuss a price.
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post #3 of 21
12/5/09 at 3:38am
If you take off our GST (since you're exporting) and get cheap shipping this maybe fits the bill:

DIY Fidelity
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post #4 of 21
12/5/09 at 4:11am
It's an ancient post but the links appear to be good. http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f6/che...enuator-49304/

IMO you get what you pay for and would be better to buy something decent to start with. Justin@Headamp has a good price for a DACT CT2 but it is three times more than your price point. HeadAmp Audio Electronics
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post #5 of 21
12/5/09 at 1:07pm
there was a thread about these recently...

DACT Type 21 Stepped Attenuator 10K FOR PASS P1.7 DIY - eBay (item 120497975713 end time Dec-25-09 09:37:14 PST)
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post #6 of 21
12/5/09 at 1:31pm
Have you seen one of these?
LL
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post #7 of 21
12/5/09 at 1:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by joe_cool View Post
Have you seen one of these?
isnt that a Alps RK27?
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post #8 of 21
12/5/09 at 1:58pm
The RK27 is a log pot, not a stepper. That's the cheap "just like Alps" crap you can find on ebay. It's poor to say the least.
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post #9 of 21
12/5/09 at 2:02pm
LOL, the name of this thread is "Need affordable stepped attenuator".
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post #10 of 21
12/5/09 at 2:23pm
Why pay the same for a crappy stepper when you can just buy a real RK27? Better yet use a Noble or a TKD.

There are plenty of stepper kits out there for 45$ though but all use those same 24 position switches which have an alarming failure rate.
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post #11 of 21
12/5/09 at 3:25pm
You can get some from VT4C.

They only cost $13 for model "VR-S24x2G". I've bought from that shop before and I find the quality and price to both be fair.


If you want affordable, how about a stepped attenuator for about €1.50? uk_attenuator_1. It's the same sort of thing you will get in the hyper expensive gaincard.
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post #12 of 21
12/6/09 at 6:05pm
I'd rather use a better quality but cheaper potentiometer than a cheaper, lesser quality stepped attenuator.
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post #13 of 21
12/6/09 at 8:18pm
I have had generally good results with these:
Valab 23 Step Attenuator Potentiometer 50K Log Stereo - eBay (item 290368745921 end time Dec-10-09 05:48:13 PST)

Build quality can be a little iffy, and do note that the sides of the SMD resistors cannot be soldered, only the tops if you need to fix anything. Overall a nice setup up from the "average" RK27.
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post #14 of 21
12/6/09 at 9:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by FallenAngel View Post
Build quality can be a little iffy, and do note that the sides of the SMD resistors cannot be soldered, only the tops if you need to fix anything. Overall a nice setup up from the "average" RK27.
I've been curious about trying a stepped attenuator for a while, and for 29$ it's not that much of a plunge.

Just how much of a step up from the RK27 is it? I mean, how is the sound changed compared to a potentiometer?
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post #15 of 21
12/6/09 at 9:53pm
^I haven't used the one that FA linked to, but assuming that it works, the main advantage over the RK-27 would be channel matching at low volumes. Below 9 o'clock, I find the RK-27 awful in terms of channel balance. A stepper wouldn't have this problem.
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