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Parasound's Hint 6's new volume control provides huge sonic advances?

Promotional language for the (relatively) new HINT 6 says this: "New Burr-Brown Volume Control:
The Parasound HINT 6 is packed full of technical advancements. The new, upgraded volume control replaces the original model's motorized potentiometer and sliding mechanical contacts with a Burr-Brown electronically controlled analog resistor ladder volume control. Technical advancements in the new volume control offer a more distinct sound stage by increasing the dynamic range, lowering the noise floor, improving left-right separation and maintaining absolute left-right channel tracking at any volume level."

I'm not a skeptic, but am trying to learn.

QUESTION: How does a volume control affect so many elements important to the sound?

I almost never look to the details of how an amplifier's volume control is designed. Is it this important?
128x128hilde45
jjss49's avatar
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jjss49
6,612 posts
 
hilde

volume control design is absolutely critical in top quality linestages, designers have fretted and test their wiles for years to do the best sounding ones, esp. if remote control capability is involved

many attempts to innovate over time, from the melos pho-tentiometer, to the tortuga light based LDM units, to cj's relay based units, to the Polish Khozmo units that Don Sachs uses... not to mention those doing it in the digital domain -- which is fine if it doesn't lose the full bitstream resolution at lower volumes

parasound has become pretty sharp at marketing... i think this hint unit is their attempt to steal some thunder (and sales) from the successful hegels it emulates with its features set (and then some - hegels don't have phono stages built in) - i am curious if their Burr Brown volume control is such hot stuff, why is it not in their high end jc pre?  maybe it is coming in the next product cycle

hilde45's avatar
hilde45 OP
4,974 posts
 
Thanks, jjss49. I appreciate learning that, and it will be interesting to see whether this feature is really an advance. I know that I avoided a remote control with my own Line Stage because of advice to keep things as simple as possible. But simple is not how Parasound rolls, so this may be their way of saying, "convenience and sonic quality."

mapman's avatar
mapman
22,182 posts
 
I read the older Parasound integrated amp used an old school potentiometer whereas the new one does not so that would seem to be a significant difference.
geof3
1,129 posts
 
Yeah, Parasound marketing of that is more to point it out as one of the bumps from their original HALO Integrated. The Hint 6 is pretty highly regarded bang for the buck-wise.
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
I appreciate learning that, and it will be interesting to see whether this feature is really an advance
It’s about as much as a sonic improvement over say, the likes of an Alps Blue Velvet (-80db channel balance) as a Dact series/shunt switched resistor volume control is.
http://www.dact.com/html/attenuators.html

 Nothing to write home about Burson Audio been using them for ages.
https://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/pga2310.pdf?ts=1601877853848&ref_url=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.google.com%252F

Cheers George
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