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AVC or TVC control

Chris

Chris

pfm Member
A mate of mine has just said he thinks the Alps Blue volume pot is probably holding my system back. As my Sugden A21Se cannot work as a power amp only he says perhaps, as I only use one source, I could bridge and null the pot in my integrated and attenuate via an AVC fitted inside my DIY souped up phono stage.
Might he be right ?
 
Frankly, I doubt it. It's a very reputable pot used in much more expensive items, and the amp is engineered around it (input impedance to following stages etc)

The Sugden will work as a power amp only effectively if you open its vol control to max, and control the level of anything you feed it instead. At that point ( as at 0 volume, but thats a useless case...) the pot wiper is out of circuit.

It's easy to effect audible changes by poorly-thought-out volume control approaches; few of them will actually be improvements, IYSWIM.
 
Well, I must say that after fitting the 50k SMD attenuators from ebay as suggested here by Achim I am well chuffed. There is no doubt that my twin Alps Blues were responsible for a degree of "hash" at all frequencies. In my Sugden A21Se I fitted 2, one for each channel, to give me a sort of volume control, and my long standing test problem LP (Waltz for Debby by Bill Evans on Riverside, where the drums/brushwork were recorded on a bad day out in the North sea somewhere) actually sounds like brushed cymbals now. I almost dare to say that this recording now sounds like a trio pulling together rather than 3 separate instruments. For 18 euros each, it´s a no brainer.
 
Waltz For Debbie is a true reference recording IMO, I’m amazed anyone would cite an issue with it! I have it as the Complete Village Vanguard Sessions box and it is seldom far from one of my systems!
 
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You´re not the first person I´ve read extolling its virtues which has amazed me likewise for the opposite reason. It must be the pressing I have. When I first played it the cymbals were undecipherable as such, just a general hissing with no texture at all which I took as brushed cymbals. I even read about the sessions themselves where it was stated it was all a very improvised recording session so I just thought the drums mic was playing up or saturating or something. Over the years I like to think my system has improved as I use it as a test recording - it´s immediately obvious if things have improved - up to the present time and my new volume controls. It´s always close to my deck too. I´ll keep an eye out for the Complete Village Vanguard boxed recordings.
Thanks
 
Just to add that I have fitted one of these 20k SMT pots to my Creek OBH21se phones amp too, No contest, far far cleaner than the previous alps blue. I love hash browns but not the alps’ brown hash.
 
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