in the case of tube preamps, what about using lower gain tubes?
Can a preamp's gain be lowered?
I'd like to lower the gain of an AE-3 DJH preamp to something in the neighborhood of 10 dB. Is it possible to do this without adversely affecting the sound?
My ASL amps have an input sensitivity of 1.0 v. I want to have good volume control over low listening levels. I'm afraid any preamp with more than 10 dB will force me to stay under 9 o'clock on the volume knob.
My ASL amps have an input sensitivity of 1.0 v. I want to have good volume control over low listening levels. I'm afraid any preamp with more than 10 dB will force me to stay under 9 o'clock on the volume knob.
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- 27 posts total
I appreciate the suggestions. The manufacturer or a modifier can do it internally/elegantly.I like this idea. I sent a message to Cary and AES to find out what they recommend. I'm waiting to hear from them. A switch and a few resisters at the power amp input is the fix which the manufacturer should provide.When preamps offer switchable gain, is it usually a voltage divider design? Along with Rothwell and Endler, I found Harrison Labs. The Endlers use Yaego metal film resistors which are about the cheapest resistors you can get. This doesn't instill confidence that they're transparent. Rothwell and Harrison don't say what they use. I'll wait to hear from Cary to find out what they say. The gain of the AE-3 DJH is 20 dB which is definitely high... especially for me since I've been using passive preamps the past year. |
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Bob, I completely agree with you, but Kevin at Upscale assured me that he's never had a problem mating an AE-3 DJH with amps that have less than 1v input sensitivity. My DAC has an output of 1.8v which is less than your average 2v. My speakers are 87 dB inefficient, so that may help tame the gain as well. I don't have the AE-3 in my possession, so this may be a moot exercise, but I'm preparing myself for the worse case scenario. Thanks again. |
- 27 posts total