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Stepped attenuators from ebay

post #1 of 5
9/16/11 at 2:10pm
Thread Starter 

Whats the consensus on stereo stepped attenuators purchased off ebay? Like http://www.ebay.com/itm/DACT-Type-21-Stepped-Attenuator-Potentiometer-100K-2A3-/190550564515?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c5db2dea3 OR http://www.ebay.com/itm/SMT-Resistor-Step-Attenuator-100K-Volume-Control-/270818018575?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item3f0e03050f

I think are fairly well regarded over at diyaudio forums, just wondering what head-fiers thought of them.

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post #2 of 5
9/16/11 at 2:25pm

Well my experience is that they are pretty naff. The pads to solder flying leads to are feeble and easily lift; the shaft is a small non standard size and you'll probably need to source a specific knob. The contacts get very noisy after a few weeks. You are always searching for that "in between" point when in use. I actually binned one recently.

 

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post #3 of 5
9/16/11 at 2:26pm

good cheap pots.  I've used them before and they sound just fine.  I prefer to use them for mockups.  if you put a big knob on them the feel is not too bad.   

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post #4 of 5
9/16/11 at 7:02pm

While I've never ordered from them, I've heard some people say that the stuff from lasercollection is good. 

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post #5 of 5
9/17/11 at 5:17pm

I used one for a CTH rev A.  I find it to be pretty good, I just found a knob (also on ebay) with a hole for a 1/4" shaft, it worked no problems.  It sounds great to me, a lot of clarity and was certainly much much better than a generic pot I was using until the ebay one arrived. 

 

Buggalugs is right though they are fragile; the pads do lift easily, and I snapped one pot by over-tightening it to the case.  So, if you only solder once, and take a bit of care using it, it might work fine for your application. 

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