[A Jedi]

I would advise against removing the volume pot from a Crack with out replacing it with a new one. I believe the stock pot is 100Kohms.

Dumbed down explanation (I don't claim to be an expert here, this is the best I can do)These potentiometers are voltage dividers (at least when three pins per channel are used per gang aka signal 2 for SE stereo and 4 for balanced stereo). They send a variable portion of the signal to the grid of the first tube in the circuit and return the rest to ground. The potentiometer ALWAYS presents an average 100K ohm impedance (not resistance which is DC but impedance which is AC and varies some by frequency). This provides the Crack amplifier circuit with a 100K ohm impedance on the input. The Jotenheim has a 50K ohm input impedance and the Asgard 3 22K. This is provided by the Alps RK27 50K ohm 4-gang potentiometer in the case of the Jotenheim. Without an attenuator or potentiometer your amplifier would have minimal input impedance with bad results likely lots of noise.

You might learn more from reviewing this page, I don't pretend to understand it all.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Input_impedance

I'm sure @Jason Stoddard or @Doc B. could enlighten us more.

Yeah I thought about that and figured I'd just throw a couple of resistors in its place. Or ping the Bottlehead forum and see what they thought. However, after my preamp experiment I'm very happy with how things turned out so I'll leave the pot in, set at its sweet spot.

 

[CAPT Deadpool]

Yeah I thought about that and figured I'd just throw a couple of resistors in its place. Or ping the Bottlehead forum and see what they thought. However, after my preamp experiment I'm very happy with how things turned out so I'll leave the pot in, set at its sweet spot.

Recommend you look at the resistors suggested by Goldpoint if you go that route, they also make attenuators you can drop in instead of the one stock.

https://goldpt.com/r_series.html Scroll most of the way down.

https://goldpt.com/diy.html

Or you can look at John Broskie's attenuator boards on Tubecad.com

https://glass-ware.stores.yahoo.net/atandsise.html

John Broskie is a friend of Jason's and he is the one Jason referenced re: Transconductance droop.

If you replace the pot with an new pot or attenuator I recommend sticking with 100Kohm

 

[CAPT Deadpool]

More specific to your situation you might consider this:

https://goldpt.com/preattenuation.html

You could add a resistor to the circuit if it is too "hot" or to the ground wire from the attenuator/pot if it is too "cold"

 

[A Jedi]

More specific to your situation you might consider this:

https://goldpt.com/preattenuation.html

You could add a resistor to the circuit if it is too "hot" or to the ground wire from the attenuator/pot if it is too "cold"

I just perused the Bottlehead forum and they have a solution for hot signals so I'll go that route. Thanks for the suggestions though.

But then I may not have a reason to get a Saga see what you've done?

 

[tincanear]

I just perused the Bottlehead forum and they have a solution for hot signals so I'll go that route. Thanks for the suggestions though.

But then I may not have a reason to get a Saga see what you've done?

the Bottlehead mods using reasonably priced passive parts will save you some Schiit money...for now...Jason did say that Mike is working on some new stuff for 2020.

edit: the Bottlehead forums recommend 75K (series) and 33K (shunt) padding resistors. I recommend using 1% parts to provide best channel matching (although the pot itself may be much worse, in actuality). for the 33K, typically 1% values might be rated at 33.2K or 33.6K (anything between 31K and 35K should be OK, just match on both channels) same goes for the 75K (70- 80k should be just fine, but again match both channels)

 

[EricDH]

Freya's too big for my desk though

Sometimes the solution is SO simple that it is overlooked: buy a bigger desk

 

[tin-ear]

Long long long ago, when Philips released the compact disc and perfect sound forever, people believed.
But over time that belief was abused and widely applied: slapping digital on any object has become a blatant attempt to hoodwink, well, people who deserve to be hoodwinked! But that does not excuse behavior like that illustrated in this:

https://www.thefarside.com/2019/12/17/2

 

[Derrick Swart]

I would advise against removing the volume pot from a Crack with out replacing it with a new one. I believe the stock pot is 100Kohms.

Dumbed down explanation (I don't claim to be an expert here, this is the best I can do)These potentiometers are voltage dividers (at least when three pins per channel are used per gang aka signal 2 for SE stereo and 4 for balanced stereo). They send a variable portion of the signal to the grid of the first tube in the circuit and return the rest to ground. The potentiometer ALWAYS presents an average 100K ohm impedance (not resistance which is DC but impedance which is AC and varies some by frequency). This provides the Crack amplifier circuit with a 100K ohm impedance on the input. The Jotenheim has a 50K ohm input impedance and the Asgard 3 22K. This is provided by the Alps RK27 50K ohm 4-gang potentiometer in the case of the Jotenheim. Without an attenuator or potentiometer your amplifier would have minimal input impedance with bad results likely lots of noise.

You might learn more from reviewing this page, I don't pretend to understand it all.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Input_impedance

I'm sure @Jason Stoddard or @Doc B. could enlighten us more.

https://darko.audio/2019/12/what-is-the-difference-between-power-and-gain/

 

[A Jedi]

the Bottlehead mods using reasonably priced passive parts will save you some Schiit money...for now...Jason did say that Mike is working on some new stuff for 2020.

edit: the Bottlehead forums recommend 75K (series) and 33K (shunt) padding resistors. I recommend using 1% parts to provide best channel matching (although the pot itself may be much worse, in actuality). for the 33K, typically 1% values might be rated at 33.2K or 33.6K (anything between 31K and 35K should be OK, just match on both channels) same goes for the 75K (70- 80k should be just fine, but again match both channels)

Yup yup. Will also swap the pot for a better one.

 

[audio philestine]

Long long long ago, when Philips released the compact disc and perfect sound forever, people believed.
But over time that belief was abused and widely applied: slapping digital on any object has become a blatant attempt to hoodwink, well, people who deserve to be hoodwinked! But that does not excuse behavior like that illustrated in this:

https://www.thefarside.com/2019/12/17/2

But I thought all time machines were digital. And built into DeLoreans.

 

[yonson]

But I thought all time machines were digital. And built into DeLoreans.

I prefer the Hot Tub variety...

 

[yonson]

On a Schiity note, HEL works quite well for transitioning between listening to music, and making/receiving calls via Google voice

 

[ScubaMan2017]

.....{{{snip}}}...effort.

Holy crap! That's a helluva post. Welcome to the thread (in a big way).

 

[ScubaMan2017]

Jason actually posted somewhere that he felt that hi-gain had a more energetic sound and that the loss of that "energy" in low gain mode was likely due to the additional feedback used in the circuit to lower the gain for low gain mode. His suggestion was use high gain unless one had an issue with high sensitivity HP and noise or unless high-gain resulted in such a low volume control pot setting that it created a channel imbalance. Of course, it's a YMMV situation and having the switch makes it a user preference thing..

What I've learned from messing around with the hi/low GAIN toggle...
a. It allows me to turn it to "eleven".

b. It allows me finer and more subtle volume control.

 

[bobbmd]

@bcowen @Paladin79 etc FYI just saw a thread on THE HEADPHONE community that this thread is the largest/longest thread with most off topic articles anywhere in the audiophile world( or something to that effect) I responded that most of you thought MY stupid/off topic interruptions were either funny or worthwhile so DON"T STOP-I love it plus all that really important Schiity info( I am not being sarcastic being serious) and Jason's comments
bobbmd
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year