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Amplifier Too Loud - Attenuator?

post #1 of 22
12/17/04 at 10:53pm
Thread Starter 
I have a Graham Slee Solo Mk II. This amp is very very loud with my HD580s. I can barely listen to it at above 7.00, and this causes some tracking problems as at really low volumes there is a L-R unbalance. Is there any simple way of dropping the output without materially damaging the sound ?
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post #2 of 22
12/17/04 at 11:10pm
I think fixing the amp would be the most straight-forward solution. For an amp to have an inbalance whilst using a high impedance headphone such as the HD 580 is not normal. A few Diy amps I've tried had this problem but only when using sensitive headphones like the HD 25-1 or canalphones.

eric343's Nitrogen cable attenuates the sound by some dbs without degrading the sound quality. There's a review on these cables in the review section.

In any case, you might want to just give your amp's manufacturer a call and the problem might be solved without spending any money
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post #3 of 22
12/17/04 at 11:31pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by saint.panda
I think fixing the amp would be the most straight-forward solution. For an amp to have an inbalance whilst using a high impedance headphone such as the HD 580 is not normal. A few Diy amps I've tried had this problem but only when using sensitive headphones like the HD 25-1 or canalphones.

eric343's Nitrogen cable attenuates the sound by some dbs without degrading the sound quality. There's a review on these cables in the review section.

In any case, you might want to just give your amp's manufacturer a call and the problem might be solved without spending any money

Have emailed Graham Slee, will wait to see what he says, it was bought used so has no warranty.
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post #4 of 22
12/17/04 at 11:44pm
You might want to have a DIY (or yourself) build one of these, which should do the job without adversly affecting sound quality in any major way (obviously any component, whether it be amp, cable, attenuator, etc., added to the chain will degrade the absolute sound quality slightly, though might improve the perceived sound quality).
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post #5 of 22
12/18/04 at 10:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.Radar
... (obviously any component, whether it be amp, cable, attenuator, etc., added to the chain will degrade the absolute sound quality slightly, though might improve the perceived sound quality).
The voltage divider in the circuit you reference does not degrade the absolute sound quality in any audibly discernable manner nor does it affect the SNR, SINAD, THD or any other parameter measureable by any test equipment I've ever used. What objective test results substantiate this comment?
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post #6 of 22
12/21/04 at 12:05pm
sounds like a gain problem though the senns are by no means considered a sensitive can.
If DIY is at all considered then the fix is to reduce the feedback resistor ratio of the amp to lower the overall gain which would perform double duty by also reducing noise levels.Putting a voltage divider in front of the amp (an "L" pad) will also work but but the impedances can be tricky if you use more than one source device into the amp.
Padding down the input voltage is more of a removable/temporary thing and will not change the basic amp-good for resale,but if you have too much gain for the senns you are in big trouble if you use a high sensitivity headphone such as the Grados,some Senns,and some Sonys.Permanant gain reduction may be a better option for you and a single resistor in each channel not too hard to wire in.
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post #7 of 22
12/22/04 at 10:26am
If you want passive external solution try Harrison Labs 6db attenuators:
HL

Headroom has these also but cost more there.
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post #8 of 22
12/22/04 at 11:46am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DarkAngel
If you want passive external solution try Harrison Labs 6db attenuators:
HL

Headroom has these also but cost more there.

In the end I went for a set of attenuators "Goldenjacks" from a guy in the UK, same idea as the HLs but supposedly higher grade, we will see. I am not inclined to mess around with the internals and if the attenuators dont help I will probably just flog the amp. I have discovered that with care I can set the level to a point where there is no channel inbalance and the volume is comfortable, it is a great amp though even if it does take 2hrs to warm up.
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post #9 of 22
12/22/04 at 3:53pm
hciman, please keep us posted. I am interested to know if these attenuators degrade the sound to noticeable levels. I am thinking of getting them for my Rega Ear. I don't have channel imbalance with the Ear, but it is too loud for phones other than a Sennheiser.
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post #10 of 22
12/22/04 at 5:14pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by PATB
hciman, please keep us posted. I am interested to know if these attenuators degrade the sound to noticeable levels.

Roger Wilco
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post #11 of 22
12/22/04 at 8:19pm
I am also interested in hearing your opinions on the Goldenjacks and the use of attenuators in general. At work, I have a Headroom Little (More Power/Premium) paired with Grado 225s. Since the 225s are fairly sensitive, I was having the same problem as you that I wasn't able to turn the volume dial past 8:00 (and the same low level L-R imbalance problem).

I added -6 db Harrison Labs attenuators. They provided some help but not nearly as much as I expected. I should have gotten the -12 db attenuators. I have not noticed a meaningful difference in sound, but it is quite difficult to tell because my base case (i.e. without attenuators) is difficult to judge.
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post #12 of 22
12/23/04 at 11:26am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by sood
I am also interested in hearing your opinions on the Goldenjacks and the use of attenuators in general. At work, I have a Headroom Little (More Power/Premium) paired with Grado 225s. Since the 225s are fairly sensitive, I was having the same problem as you that I wasn't able to turn the volume dial past 8:00 (and the same low level L-R imbalance problem).

I added -6 db Harrison Labs attenuators. They provided some help but not nearly as much as I expected. I should have gotten the -12 db attenuators. I have not noticed a meaningful difference in sound, but it is quite difficult to tell because my base case (i.e. without attenuators) is difficult to judge.

In my case I can get a comfortable listening level with no L-R problems, however it takes very very precise judgment, far greater than the shower problem where in 1cm it goes from freezing cold to volcanic hot - and you quickly notice how some CDs are louder than others. The Goldenlabs is a 10db jobby

I guess one problem is that the standard for line level is approx 1V and most CDPs are 2V or more.

The attenuators are on their way, but they are coming from blighty so it will be a little while.
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post #13 of 22
12/23/04 at 1:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hciman77
I guess one problem is that the standard for line level is approx 1V and most CDPs are 2V or more.
Sorry but what's a CDP?
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post #14 of 22
12/23/04 at 1:35pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by sood
Sorry but what's a CDP?

CDP = CD Player while PCDP = Personal CD Player, sorry we have a tendency to drop into jargon here
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post #15 of 22
12/23/04 at 4:27pm
Is there such thing as an attenuator such as the ones mentioned here that plug into the headphone jack itself?
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