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500+ Head-Fier
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- Jul 6, 2004
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I am placing this question here because it primarily deals with headphone amplifier designs and/or modifications. If a headphone amplifier is capable of being used as a preamaplifier, but it needs to have its signal attenuated because of a high noise floor, is ther any difference to the signal path if the amp is modified "in the box" (i.e. the needed resistors or other electrical components are added to, or replace existing components, inside the actual amplifier) vs. an external solution like in-line attenuators?
Simply speaking (and I do mean simply because I am not an engineer), Rothwell Audio believes that in-line attenuators are a better solution because they allow a better signal to noise ratio - http://www.rothwellaudioproducts.co....ator_tech.html . I know that my ears will be the final judge, but I am curious to learn more about the often referred to Holy Grail - "the purity of the signal path". It seems that we often look down upon anything we add "outside the box", but many who do so often seem to not know what is "inside the box". Any useful comments or information would be greatly appreciated.
Simply speaking (and I do mean simply because I am not an engineer), Rothwell Audio believes that in-line attenuators are a better solution because they allow a better signal to noise ratio - http://www.rothwellaudioproducts.co....ator_tech.html . I know that my ears will be the final judge, but I am curious to learn more about the often referred to Holy Grail - "the purity of the signal path". It seems that we often look down upon anything we add "outside the box", but many who do so often seem to not know what is "inside the box". Any useful comments or information would be greatly appreciated.