Hi

Does anyone know where I can source a good quality rotary switch (2
pole and 20 ways) to make a stepped attenuator??

I've looked at previous posts reccommending Blore Edwards but I can't
seem to find them on the web....maybe they're not trading anymore??
Farnell and RS gave me no joy.

I've got a home made amp and I'm currently using a conductive plastic
pot but I'd like to hear the difference in going to a stepped
attenuator.

Thanks in advance

Steve

One simple step forward is a linear cermet 1meg pot with a law faking
resistor to bring it down to 100k or 10k or whatever you want - that
should improve over conductive plastic.

I use 12 way cheap Lorlin switches as shunt attenuators in balanced
mode - simple and effective. I can live with 12 steps (now don't take
that the wrong way....)

I do believe stepped attenuators beat the rest - including Alps blue
and Black Beauties (I've used both). I have some Elma ones with gold
contacts. These are currently available.from various sources.
http://www.hificollective.co.uk/comp...tiometers.html is
one.

There was a firm called Sussex Surplus which used to do big silver
contact switches - I think they changed their name - anyone know?

In article .com,
Andy Evans wrote:
I do believe stepped attenuators beat the rest - including Alps blue
and Black Beauties (I've used both).

I'm old enough to well remember stud faders used in broadcasting - built
regardless of cost (balanced faders would probably cost over 1000 quid if
available today). And the regular need for cleaning them. Conductive
plastic was a welcome invention...

--
*If at first you don't succeed, redefine success.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

wrote:

Hi

Does anyone know where I can source a good quality rotary switch (2
pole and 20 ways) to make a stepped attenuator??

I've looked at previous posts reccommending Blore Edwards but I can't
seem to find them on the web....maybe they're not trading anymore??
Farnell and RS gave me no joy.

I've got a home made amp and I'm currently using a conductive plastic
pot but I'd like to hear the difference in going to a stepped
attenuator.

The classic switch for this in days of old would have been a Painton part.

You might try an Elma switch or maybe Grayhill.

Graham

On 2006-06-05, wrote:
Does anyone know where I can source a good quality rotary switch (2
pole and 20 ways) to make a stepped attenuator??

What about a ready-made attenuator, like a DACT CT2?

http://www.dact.com/html/attenuators.html

Not cheap but it saves much work and the UK distributor is:

http://www.audiocominternational.com/

(There's some fault on the webite but a search for CT2 works.)

--
John Phillips

wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi

Does anyone know where I can source a good quality rotary switch (2
pole and 20 ways) to make a stepped attenuator??


I've got a home made amp and I'm currently using a conductive plastic
pot but I'd like to hear the difference in going to a stepped
attenuator.


The DACT stepped attenuator is good value for money.
They also make multiway switches if you really want to
try a homebrew..

Also Grayhill UK will supply switches to any format.
If you want a really high-grade stepped attenuator try TKD.
Not much change from UKP350 bought retail.

I am currently working on a valve power amp, with a
pair of TKD stepped attenuators (40 way) on the inputs.
A pal of mine here has fitted stepped motors to them
with a remote which works beautifully.

The main advantage of a stepped attenuator is the tracking
accuracy. You will certainly hear a difference. There are
people who will tell you a resistor is a resistor is a resistor.
They also think a saxophone is a saxophone is a saxophone.
Listen, compare, and make up your own mind.

Good luck
Iain

In article , Dave Plowman (News)
writes
In article .com,
Andy Evans wrote:
I do believe stepped attenuators beat the rest - including Alps blue
and Black Beauties (I've used both).

I'm old enough to well remember stud faders used in broadcasting - built
regardless of cost (balanced faders would probably cost over 1000 quid if
available today). And the regular need for cleaning them. Conductive
plastic was a welcome invention...


Blimey!, I've still got some of them around somewhere, made by Painton IIRC
signal box levers I thing we used to call 'em..

And I had a load of P&G faders and gave them away too!....
--
Tony Sayer

In article , tony sayer

wrote:
In article , Iain Churches
writes


The main advantage of a stepped attenuator is the tracking accuracy.
You will certainly hear a difference.

Or at least, you *might* hear a difference if - for example - the balance
tracking of the two items being compared differ enough to be noticable.
:-)

There are people who will tell you a resistor is a resistor is a
resistor.

ahem There are also people who will tell you that they have run
comparisons, and - when the compared units were of reasonable quality and
the tracking and levels were OK - no-one who tried could tell one type from
another simply on the basis of the sounds. Spock's Law: A difference which
makes no difference is no difference. :-)

FWIW In the tests I've run in the past, I ended up preferring a decent
stepped attenuator like the 40mm Alps simply becuase of the close tracking
and the well-defined set of steps. But neither I or anyone else could tell
these from other pots in terms of any kind of 'sound' if the pots were of
appropriate value, had no manufacturing flaws or deterioration, and were
used appropriately.

They also think a saxophone is a saxophone is a saxophone.
Listen, compare, and make up your own mind.

Indeed. And don't accept everything you are told. Ask for evidence, and
consider how reliable or plausible is may be. This should help you to
distinguish between a resistor and a saxophone... it may also be useful
in deciding when a line of argument makes sense for one, but is irrelevant
to the other. ;-

Slainte,

Jim

--
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Audio Misc http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/AudioMisc/index.html
Armstrong Audio http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/Audio/armstrong.html
Barbirolli Soc. http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/JBSoc/JBSoc.html

Thakns for the info....

I've found a source of 24 way elma switches www.4most.co.uk

Cheers

Steve




wrote:
Hi

Does anyone know where I can source a good quality rotary switch (2
pole and 20 ways) to make a stepped attenuator??

I've looked at previous posts reccommending Blore Edwards but I can't
seem to find them on the web....maybe they're not trading anymore??
Farnell and RS gave me no joy.

I've got a home made amp and I'm currently using a conductive plastic
pot but I'd like to hear the difference in going to a stepped
attenuator.

Thanks in advance

Steve

In article ,
tony sayer wrote:
I'm old enough to well remember stud faders used in broadcasting -
built regardless of cost (balanced faders would probably cost over 1000
quid if available today). And the regular need for cleaning them.
Conductive plastic was a welcome invention...


Blimey!, I've still got some of them around somewhere, made by Painton
IIRC signal box levers I thing we used to call 'em..

Quadrant types weren't balanced though - it was only the older vast round
ones from Type A desks.

--
*Support bacteria - they're the only culture some people have *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.