cd player + preamp = too much gain

Just found these which could do the trick - any ideas as to the quality of parts;

http://www.frontendaudio.com/ALVA-Suzy-Passive-Line-Attenuator-p/9999-01459.htm

http://www.hifisoundconnection.com/Shop/Control/Product/fp/vpid/2680892/vpcsid/0/SFV/30046

Hi Vaughan,

I would not recommend either of those devices.

The "Peripheral" is intended for car audio and sells for only $16, and appears to have nickel-plated connectors. Enough said!

The Alva is intended for use with pro equipment, and therefore may not have its resistor and potentiometer values chosen to be optimal with consumer equipment. Also the amount of hardware that it includes (lots of connectors, and several switches in addition to the volume control), in combination with its $100 price, would seem to suggest that quality may not be the greatest.

I would still suggest buying a pair of Rothwell's, and using them in conjunction with the Goldenjack's so that 10db is at the input to the preamp and 10db is at the input to the power amp. That avoids the necessity of additional interconnect cables that the other devices would require (which would very conceivably have significant sonic effects due to their interaction with the output impedances of the passive volume controls). And if the Rothwell's + Goldenjacks proves to be an unsatisfactory approach I would expect you to have no trouble selling them, considering how many other people seem to have similar problems these days.

Regards,
-- Al

The Lightspeed Attenuator is a great passive preamp, but before buying you need to ensure it will match up with your other components, especially the amp. Typically your amps input sensitivity should be around 1V. The input impedance should be around 75kohms or higher. The output impedance of your source should also be low, with enough voltage output, 2V plus. I have plenty of play in the attenuator on my Lightspeed. Typically it sits around 12 o'clock.

With passive controls you want the control to be as high as possible to prevent coloration from the control and cables.

Most CD players do indeed have too much output (as in- way more than is needed to clip any amplifier), and frankly, most fixed attenuators do a terrible job reducing that output. However 30 db is far too much gain in a line stage- to the point that one might ask what the preamp manufacturer was thinking!

As a first step I would contact the preamp manufacturer and see if the gain can be reduced. I would do the same with the CD player manufacturer- they will not come to their senses unless somebody says something!

As opposed to passives as I am, in this case a good quality TVC would seem to me to be one of the better solutions- you have some attenuation ability and less coloration than most PVCs. OTOH, you might look into an active preamp that has a more reasonable amount of gain- 15 db is far more typical.