Mitch you say "controlling the interconnects".
There are two parameters interconnects have that could influence the sound with a passive, resistance and capacitance. And they would have to be very high to have any effect.
Resistance is nothing to worry about as it would be so low it’s not even worth considering,, even in 5mts of interconnect.
Capacitance: A 10kohm passive has at worst output impedance of 2.7kohm, with a bad case cheap interconnect of 100pf per ft, if you had 2mts that equates to 600pf cable capacitance. This would have a HF roll of effectively at -3db at 98khz!!!
There is no having to controll the interconnects full stop with a 10kohm passive!!
That’s why you should always use a 10kohm passive, as a 20kohm passive with the above interconnects would be -3db at 49khz. A 50kohm passive would be -3db at 20khz as you can see that does cause a HF cut in the audio band.
Let me remind you what Nelson Pass said.
Nelson Pass,
We’ve got lots of gain in our electronics. More gain than some of us need or want. At least 10 db more.
Think of it this way: If you are running your volume control down around 9 o’clock, you are actually throwing away signal level so that a subsequent gain stage can make it back up.
Routinely DIYers opt to make themselves a “passive preamp” - just an input selector and a volume control.
What could be better? Hardly any noise or distortion added by these simple passive parts. No feedback, no worrying about what type of capacitors – just musical perfection.
And yet there are guys out there who don’t care for the result. “It sucks the life out of the music”, is a commonly heard refrain (really - I’m being serious here!). Maybe they are reacting psychologically to the need to turn the volume control up compared to an active preamp.
Cheers George
