Best Volume Control

analogsa

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Apr 15, 2017
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The main reason I post here is the experts can let me know if o go with a Prima Luna evo 300 preamp will i notice lack of transparency compare to pre amps that use ladder resistors.

In the context of this pre the Alps is just fine. Unless your power amp has very high gain or your speakers are very sensitive and channel balance becomes an issue there is little point improving it.
 
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flm09

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May 1, 2020
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In the context of this pre the Alps is just fine. Unless your power amp has very high gain or your speakers are very sensitive and channel balance becomes an issue there is little point improving it.

Ok thanks Analogsa! Do you know of any other preamp better at this price point?
 

Jamesdonahue

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Apr 18, 2019
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The Allnic stuff seems to me to have a great volume control
itis custom made by Kang Su . and features a “constant impedance” attenuator that is is not found I any other components be fantastic. With none of the diiferences in timbre created by the volum setting

w my Pass labs xa30.8 it works as well of not easily better anything I have had in my set up
w the xa 25 it was SCARILY TRANSPARENT.
 

flm09

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May 1, 2020
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But I need some brown sugar! Too transparent and clean is no good too. I need tonal richness and body as well. I really like the Allnic volume attenuator probably SOTA. Not crazy about the tubes used and not fully rectified but he is transformer coupled rather than caps. Can you say it is a warm & mellow sounding unit like they say in the reviews? Does it sound like a Shindo Aurieges or Monbrison? Thanks!
 

flm09

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May 1, 2020
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Btw i may just get the Prima Luna Evo 300 for simplicity sake! What you think?
 
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Jamesdonahue

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Apr 18, 2019
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I can assure you Allnic and MOST ANY other stuff will run circles around primaluna. It is slow and boring. It is limp. It has no attack. No dynamics. No bottom. No separation it WAS hifi for the proletariat. But NOW way way over priced
 

flm09

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May 1, 2020
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Ues
I can assure you Allnic and MOST ANY other stuff will run circles around primaluna. It is slow and boring. It is limp. It has no attack. No dynamics. No bottom. No separation it WAS hifi for the proletariat. But NOW way way over priced

Yes i agree with some of what you say. In my system the speed was adequate and bass full. What bothered me about the Prima Luna was it was a bit lean and bright in my system. Keep in mine I am using the stock tubes. I've heard Cayin El-34 and it has a smoother textured sound. Hope I made the right decision. The Cayin was reviewed in Stereophile a few yrs back. I hope to gain more tonal beauty and hear all the details of the human voice. For example the Pass xa25 was smooth but couldn't present the mouth movements and breaths of the singer as well as the tube amp and songs which i didn't understand the words to suddenly became clear and dont have to google the lyrics. Pass xa25 actually was a bit more holographic and the tube amp a bit more diffuse. Also the tube amp was more emotional though.
 

SeagoatLeo

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Feb 23, 2015
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I can assure you Allnic and MOST ANY other stuff will run circles around primaluna. It is slow and boring. It is limp. It has no attack. No dynamics. No bottom. No separation it WAS hifi for the proletariat. But NOW way way over priced
Btw i may just get the Prima Luna Evo 300 for simplicity sake! What you think?
Wow, the Prima Luna sounds worse than my old EAR 864 with a Mullard 4004 and RCA clear-top 12AU7 in the line stage. That pre-amp had tremendous slam in the bass, linear frequency response, great separation. I stopped using it about 15 years ago when my current custom pre-amp has superior harmonics but just lacks the bass slam/transient speed on the bottom. A trade-off. I was considering the Prima Luna with a Zesto phono stage. I guess not then on the Prima Luna.
 

ArnoFenn

Member
Oct 28, 2020
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IMG_1047.jpg

I made a stepped version (still in progress on the pic) and selected the resistors to have small enough steps as well as keeping the load resistance for the input/driving side at a constant value. Switch is Shallco 4 decks, unfortunately the motor with IR control on the back could not handle it so have to get up to adjust the volume (but that's just a small offer compared to what you get ;-) )
 

paolo

Well-Known Member
Nov 7, 2016
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Puget Sound
Ultimately, all we're left with is anecdotal information with endless relative factors- and the expectation, "hope", that the provider of said information is of good faith and capable of at least a reasonable amount of "objectivity."
 

paolo

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Nov 7, 2016
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Puget Sound
I can assure you Allnic and MOST ANY other stuff will run circles around primaluna. It is slow and boring. It is limp. It has no attack. No dynamics. No bottom. No separation it WAS hifi for the proletariat. But NOW way way over priced
Pompous, elitist, and completely unsubstantiated. One might think @Jamesdonahue has an agenda of one kind or another. BTW, "MOST ANY" is incorrect on more than one level.
 

DasguteOhr

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Sep 26, 2013
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Khozmo Poti..for me the Best
 
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