Head-Fi.org › Forums › Misc.-Category Forums › DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Discussions › Need affordable stepped attenuator
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Need affordable stepped attenuator - Page 2

post #16 of 21
12/6/09 at 11:09pm
I'm a big fan of the little $15 attenuator that was linked to a ways above, and have used them on most of the things I've built in the last, erm, two years or so. They have better matching than the Alps pots, a smoother tactile feel than the Panasonic pots I used on a couple things, and I've yet to experience any issues with noise that I've had with pots in the past. One of those attenuators sees literally daily use in my desktop Alien+SOHA Mk. I combo over the last year and a bit, and has been consistently problem-free. I wish the same were true of the RK097 pot in the (USB-powered) Mini^3 that I've been using at work...
Reply
post #17 of 21
12/8/09 at 7:30am
try looking up "dact type 21" on ebay. only like about $10 each, with $15 shipping IIRC.
Reply
post #18 of 21
12/10/09 at 6:52am
These are put together well, use good resistors and will give you the best bang for your buck. In your price range too. Almost. If these are considered cheap, than I would rather have a cheap stepped attenuator than a cheap potentiometer.

These are more transparent in my preamp than the DACT CT2 I had been using. (I bought blank switches and used vishay CMF resistors, but putting one together will waste a good portion of your life)

Assembled Dale 23 Step Attenuator Volume Control 100k - eBay (item 270311271326 end time Dec-26-09 07:00:45 PST)

Make sure you order the correct impedance. Shipping is pretty fast from Asia. Usually about a week.
Reply
post #19 of 21
12/11/09 at 2:44pm

Inexpensive Stepped Attenuator

I bought two of Valab's 100K attenuators. The tactile feel is solid & they work like a charm. I can recommend this seller.
Reply
post #20 of 21
12/11/09 at 2:57pm
So many options! Although I am cheap, I am inclined to go for through-hole rather than SMD..
Reply
post #21 of 21
12/11/09 at 4:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DoomzDayz View Post
So many options! Although I am cheap, I am inclined to go for through-hole rather than SMD..
I am with you on that one. I have an inherent distrust of SMD resistors for audio signal applications. I have no reason for this other than a fear of change... and they are too small to work with. Were they designed to make products better or smaller?

If anyone has done any comparisons I would like to know the results. I'm sure they measure just as good, but there are surely things going on with an audio signal that a dmm or scope just can't measure. Trust your ears.

Flame away.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
Head-Fi.org › Forums › Misc.-Category Forums › DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Discussions › Need affordable stepped attenuator