[preproman]

Quote:

Then that's your own personal choice. Saying that analog volume is always better than digital one is just pure misleading. A well designed relay-based volume has accuracy that hardly any analog pot could match. Even the internal volume control of the ES9018 is excellent.

I guess that's why Martin Mallison, CTO, ESS says analog is better than huh?  
 
I'm just saying in "most cases" digital V control has more limitations when compare to analog V control.

 

[Maxvla]

So because there are limited options when digital volume can be used, it is worse? That's like saying an SACD is worse because you can only play them in certain players....

 

[preproman]

Quote:

So because there are limited options when digital volume can be used, it is worse? That's like saying an SACD is worse because you can only play them in certain players....

 
Not limited options.  Certain limitations.  There's a difference. 
 
Yes.  If something has limitations and the other does not.  I'll go with the other.    If we're talking about apples to apples.
 
To nip this in the bud..  Most of the time we can't even tell the difference.  (Subjectively) 
 
Done..

 

[Lil' Knight]

Are you saying basing on real-life experience or just quoting what other people say?

What's the best analog pot you've ever tried so far?

I have 2 KGSSHV, one with the RK50, and one with KG's digital attenuator. To my ears, I vastly prefer the later.

 

[preproman]

Quote:

Are you saying basing on real-life experience or just quoting what other people say?

What's the best analog pot you've ever tried so far?

I have 2 KGSSHV, one with the RK50, and one with KG's digital attenuator. To my ears, I vastly prefer the later.

 
Not quoting on what other people say.  But understanding the objective data that's presented.   There may be more objective data out there that I'm not aware of.  So subjectively we prefer what we prefer.
 
Lets get back on track here with the GS-X mk2..

 

[purrin]

Where is this objective data? I would like to see noise, left+right tracking, and response vs rotation, etc.

 

[justin w.]

Quote:

Are you saying basing on real-life experience or just quoting what other people say?

What's the best analog pot you've ever tried so far?

I have 2 KGSSHV, one with the RK50, and one with KG's digital attenuator. To my ears, I vastly prefer the later.

kg has a digital attenuator?  are you talking about the relay one?  

 

[El_Doug]

i imagined so - especially since Kerry made them for us around the same time as the kgsshv boards runs
 
Quote:

kg has a digital attenuator?  are you talking about the relay one?  

 

[spritzer]

That is a purely analog volume control, no different from a DACT or indeed a pot in basic operating principle.  A digital volume control would need a digital signal to function and be placed before the DAC. 
 
Which one is better can be debated but MSB use an analog volume control in all of their gear and it's not for a lack of bits... 

 

[David1961]

Quote:

 
So does this mean you're using digital volume control over the analog volume control?   If this is the case, not sure it's the best choice.  Analog volume control is alway better than digital volume control.  

 
From what I've read,  the ATT setting on my source is an analog output attenuation, so I'm guessing the remote control might be  using analog. But whatever is being used, I'm very happy with the SQ I'm hearing.
 
The way I now listen to my music with my headphone system, means I use the sources built in DAC.
From now on I'll only be listening to my CD's occasionally, if at all. 
 
With me now leaving the GS-X's volume control on full, and being able to control the volume with the sources remote, I'm obviously able to lower the sound so I hear no music. So, because some have mentioned about hearing a humming, I thought I'd try listening to some music then turning the volume down until I could hear nothing.
The headphones I was using are my HD-600's and with low gain there was no humming, then I tried medium gain and again no humming, lastly I tried high gain and there was a slight humming but I believe the high gain is only for headphones like the HE-6.
 
All in all I'm extremely happy with my GS-Xmk2 in every way.

 

[Solude]

Good old Head-Fi derail /facepalm
 
Digital attenuation is perfect to 3bit before your source material.  Beyond that you lose information.  Analog controls generally suck in the first 45-90 degrees of the sweep.  You can hand match or laser trim or buy higher quality pots, or resistor network ones to counter that.
 
All things considered the analog pot is 'better' but that doesn't mean you can't use the digital pot range available to you to drop the input level to the amp.  Ie dropping a hot source from 5v down to 2v or a 2.8v one to 1v won't affect anything.

 

[Gandah]

Quote:

Originally Posted by David1961 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
With me now leaving the GS-X's volume control on full, and being able to control the volume with the sources remote, I'm obviously able to lower the sound so I hear no music. So, because some have mentioned about hearing a humming, I thought I'd try listening to some music then turning the volume down until I could hear nothing.
The headphones I was using are my HD-600's and with low gain there was no humming, then I tried medium gain and again no humming, lastly I tried high gain and there was a slight humming but I believe the high gain is only for headphones like the HE-6.
 
All in all I'm extremely happy with my GS-Xmk2 in every way.

This is whats confusing me, if gain is nothing more than adjusting the threshold for more or less volume play for different impedance headphones, why is there a hum for you and some other peeps on M or H gain

 

[Solude]

Gain is a fixed multiplier not a threshold adjuster.  So while 10mV of noise isn't audible, when multiplied by a gain of 15x... 150mV it's audible.

 

[preproman]

Quote:

Where is this objective data? I would like to see noise, left+right tracking, and response vs rotation, etc.

 
Martin Mallison has measurments. 

 

[kevin gilmore]

Big difference between digitally controlled analog ( relay ) step attenuator
And digital domain attenuator ( wadia and most home theater things)

Twisted pear, amb and my thing are all relay controlled r2r things