Have you ever wondered why vintage amplifiers or vintage audio gears have the tone that you cannot find in modern audio equipment? There are many factors, like transformers, wires, tubes, capacitors, and RESISTORS!
Vintage audio gears mostly use carbon composite or carbon film resistors and that's one of the main reason they sound warm, mellow with golden yellowy tone. The down sides with carbon composite or carbon film resistors is their stability (value change over temperature) and tolerance (+10% is normal). Using these AB carbon resistors at the volume is the best place - why? They never get hot at this position and this reduces the value drift over time.
What we have bellow is a very unique stepped attenuator you cannot find in other places - it is a high quality stepped attenuator made with MATCHED carbon composite / carbon film resistors! Having a carbon volume pot (stepped attenuator) at the front gives you the TONE you cannot find with other type of volume pots!
This is a MUST HAVE! Now some pictures before we go to the details.
Note: We can do a fully built passive preamp if you wish. Email us for various available options.
24 steps stereo series type stepped attenuator (Price: U$159/pc)
* Military grade silver plated copper switch* NOS Allen Bradley 0.5W carbon film resistors
* Impedance: 50K Ohm (54.3K to be exact)
* Impedance value may drift slightly over time due to environment humidity and temperature
* Series type instead of ladder type to maximize AB carbon comp resistors tonality
* Attenuation -60dB ~0 (~2dB step)
* Matching ~1% (AB carbon resistors have very low tolerance, to get to 1% is almost an impossible tasks!)
Dimensions
* 6.6cm (diameter) 5.2cm (length)
* Mounting hole 10mm
* Pole length 1.4cm, pole diameter 6mm, pole thread 10mm
* Position lock screw 22mm
Note: this is a military grade ultra durable switch with high rotary tension and requires bigger knob for switching (a high quality bakelite 4cm knob is included)
Other grades (higher and lower) and types of stepped attenuators are available too, please write to us for more details (L-type ladder, 23-46 steps, Dale resistors, Holco resistors, Elma switch, and etc):
