Problem with preamp volume control

Antinn,

I have to thank you so much for your reminder that the Benchmark had three gain settings. I have much more control and seemingly more headroom in the sound now.
Without your post I would  probably be caught up in some convoluted solutions, 
This way, all I had to do is flip a switch.
You made a big difference!

RV,

Thank-you for the thank-you :).  It was about a month ago when a similar item came up, but that time it was a Bryston amplifier that like the Benchmark had a selectable sensitivity, and the simple flip of a switch yielded similar success.  Enjoy the music!

I was just reading the Benchmark manual and came across a potential problem.
It says:

“If you are using an unbalanced input, you must use one of the top two switch positions.” (Must underlined.)

 My CJ only has RCA outputs which connect to the Benchmark inputs with RCA plugs.
 I’ve just switched to the bottom switch position (lowest gain.)
 The SQ is just fine.
But am I doing something wrong vis-a-vis the manual?
 

I suspect that statement is predicated on typical combinations of preamp gain, source output level, and speaker sensitivity, while also taking into account that providing the amp with unbalanced signals will result (everything else being equal) in less volume than if the amp is provided with balanced signals.

In this case, however, the gain of your preamp (line stage + phono stage) is **much** higher than is typical for use with a high output cartridge, and so I can’t envision any reason to pay attention to that statement.

Best regards,
-- Al

Al,

I was hoping you would see this post.
Thank you much for the reassurance!

Richard