Volume control vs. attenuation control

All volume controls are attenuators. Gain stages amplify the electrical signal and attenuators, either before or after a gain stage, reduce the level of the signal.

The setup up Markpao describes will allow him to play with both attenuators to achieve the combination of lowest signal to noise ratio and flexible volume control settings.

In your case you're describing gain control vs. attenuation control on your preamp section that should be set to the best possible volume range that you want to operate your volume control for ex 7...12 o'clock. If you feel that you get distortions on the most of your listening range try to adjust one way or the other untill you get the most of sound and leave the gain control untouched.

I would try the combination you like, then do some critical listening. A/B between that and their suggested setting, and see if you loose/gain anything. If it sounds the same (better possibly?), go for it.

I would adjust the amp in so that I could turn the pre up to about 3:00or 0db for normal use as they say.

Can someone please explain the difference between a volume control on an amp and an attenuation control on a pre amp.

You start with a very small voltage signal from a source like phono cartridge and follow that with a series of amplifiers that make the voltage bigger. Typically some voltage gain stages in the phono section, more in the preamp, and more in the power amp. The gain of these amps is fixed. To control the volume you insert at least one voltage divider in the path to control how much gets through.

Attenuator sounds more impressive than volume control but they are exactly the same thing. They are voltage dividers that reduce (attenuate) the voltage to the level you want. It could be at the output of the source, input or output of the pre, or input of the amp, basically anywhere in the signal path, or you can have one in all of those places. Whoever made your stuff decided to call the one in the preamp an attenuator.

Technically an 'attenuator' cuts the signal before any amplification stages.

No, attenuate means to reduce, it doesn't matter where you do it. If it reduces the amplitude of the signal it is an attenuator no matter whether it is before or after the gain stage.

Anything that attenuates the signal also reduces the volume so therefore they are the same thing.

A volume control actually changes the active amplification of the signal, from well below less than what it comes in as, to increasing it.

That would be extremely unusual. As stated above, the gain of almost all active stages is fixed. The volume control is merely dividing the voltage so you get the level you want. It isn't possible for a typical volume control to increase the amplification of the signal.

Let's say you had a preamp stage with a gain of 10 which means if you put 1 volt in and turn it all the way up you would get 10 volts out. If you wanted only 2 volts out you would have to turn the volume control so it was a 5:1 voltage divider.

1 times 10 divided by 5 = 2

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