2. amps-preamps
  3. 1217006569

Can a preamp's gain be lowered?

I'd like to lower the gain of an AE-3 DJH preamp to something in the neighborhood of 10 dB. Is it possible to do this without adversely affecting the sound?

My ASL amps have an input sensitivity of 1.0 v. I want to have good volume control over low listening levels. I'm afraid any preamp with more than 10 dB will force me to stay under 9 o'clock on the volume knob.
mingles
mingles OP
799 posts
 
Hi Mjcmt, I've been emailing with Gerald Walsh at AES. He said they can reduce the gain to 10 dB. I'm considering it. It's only $125. But I know I could build attenuators for a fraction of that price (probably using better resistors), so that's my dilemma.
mboldda1's avatar
mboldda1
575 posts
 
i read somewhere where a guy bought from england rca adaptors that reduced gain by 14db and did not effect the sound.
clio09
3,360 posts
 
Mingles,

You could always specify your choice of resistors to Cary. Typically I like the Audio Note Tantalum, but in some instances the Roderstein or Vishay resistors also worked well for me.
swampwalker's avatar
swampwalker
5,138 posts
 
Mboldda1 is probably thinking of the rothwell in line attenuators. IIRC they were 12 dB but I could be wrong.
mingles OP
799 posts
 
AES has been tough to communicate with. Most of my questions have gone unanswered. I'd rather not deal with that (whether it's attitude or being too busy I don't know). I can easily build my own attenuators. According to Goldpoint's website, I need 68.1K and 46.4K resistors to reduce the gain by -10 dB when dealing with an input impedance of 100K. I'll use Texas Components TX2575 resistors. I don't think there's anything more transparent available.

Thanks for all your replies. I appreciate your help.
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