John, I received the 20db bulk foil attenuators last week, thanks for your work! (I liked the re-identification you have done). I have had an interesting time comparing these with an equivalent amount of digital attenuation. From this the digital attenuation seems to be noticeably superior! The attenuators soften the sound. The music is more alive without them, no question. This was at a volume setting of around -38 and -18 respectively. I have put about 15 hours on them now with all the back to back runs, but haven't noticed any character change in that time. I have been surprised how noticeable the difference was, which makes me think something else might be going on, could there be an interaction with the amp (input impedance of 200k ohm)?
I guess these represent a gold standard of attenuation, with bulk foil throughout. For me the outcome rules out the passive pre option. So all in all a bit of a disappointing experiment (my personal bias and hope was definitely the other way), but just to be clear it was always to me an experiment, I did not consider you were guaranteeing me a sonic benefit. So they havent earned themselves a place on the team. I would be open to someone else trying them out if interested.
