How manysteps on your stepped attenuator do you regularly use ?

All general audio posts go here.
User avatar
karatestu
Posts: 5945
Joined: Sun Jan 08, 2017 4:40 pm
Location: North Yorkshire
Has thanked: 1865 times
Been thanked: 1378 times
Great Britain

How manysteps on your stepped attenuator do you regularly use ?

Unread post by karatestu »

A question for all users of stepped attenuators, especially NVA users. :grin:

I was wondering how many steps on your stepped attenuators that you regularly use for everyday domestic listening and which ones - start, middle or end of the range ? Are there a significant number of steps that you don't use ?

Many thanks, Stu
DIY FREE ZONE

User avatar
Fretless
Posts: 9290
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2014 12:15 pm
Location: Somewhere in Holland
Has thanked: 1487 times
Been thanked: 2280 times
Netherlands

Re: How manysteps on your stepped attenuator do you regularly use ?

Unread post by Fretless »

In my NVA system the P50sa has (I think) 20 steps of which I really only use steps 6 - 10 with A40's and Cube 3's.
But I do tend to listen at fairly low levels in a smallish room.

Upstairs:
Vinyl
Pro-Ject 1.2 + Grado Sig Jr + Cambridge Alva Duo
DigiVolumio PC + Kiss DP-500 + Sabaj A20d
NVA: P50sa - Cube2 - SSP - LS6+ Sabaj A10a (x2)
Downstairs:
Vinyl
Logic DM101 + Syrinx LE1 + Grado Sig MCX
DigiDenafrips Ares II + Volumio PC + Cambridge CXC
NVA: P50 - BMU+ Aiyima A07 MAX (x2) + Arcam One
HP: HifiBerry Digi+ PRO + Sabaj A10d
Office:
Allo DigiOne SIG + SMSL M300se + Douk G4 (x2)
Mission 760 + Monolith THX AAA 887
Headphones: German Maestro & AudioQuest

User avatar
Dr Bunsen Honeydew
Posts: 30758
Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2012 7:26 pm
Location: Muppet Labs
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 48 times

Re: How manysteps on your stepped attenuator do you regularly use ?

Unread post by Dr Bunsen Honeydew »

24 step.

User avatar
karatestu
Posts: 5945
Joined: Sun Jan 08, 2017 4:40 pm
Location: North Yorkshire
Has thanked: 1865 times
Been thanked: 1378 times
Great Britain

Re: How manysteps on your stepped attenuator do you regularly use ?

Unread post by karatestu »

Fretless wrote: Mon Mar 12, 2018 10:49 am In my NVA system the P50sa has (I think) 20 steps of which I really only use steps 6 - 10 with A40's and Cube 3's.
But I do tend to listen at fairly low levels in a smallish room.
Thanks Fretless.

I too don't play very loud and have a small room so probably wont get anywhere near the last steps.

Stu
DIY FREE ZONE

User avatar
Dr Bunsen Honeydew
Posts: 30758
Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2012 7:26 pm
Location: Muppet Labs
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 48 times

Re: How manysteps on your stepped attenuator do you regularly use ?

Unread post by Dr Bunsen Honeydew »

You will regret not having them.

User avatar
CN211276
Posts: 6522
Joined: Tue Aug 09, 2016 9:29 am
Location: Cardiff
Has thanked: 1401 times
Been thanked: 976 times
EUROPEAN_UNION

Re: How manysteps on your stepped attenuator do you regularly use ?

Unread post by CN211276 »

I use all the steps between around 10 o'clock and 3 o'clock, depending on how loud I want the music and if no one else is in the house. The listening area is quite small. The DAC output is set at 2v.
Main System
NVA BMU, P90SA/A80s (latest spec), Cube 1s, TIS, TISC(LS7)
Sonore OpticalRendu, Chord Mscaler & Qutest, Sbooster PSs
Network Acoustics Eno, ifi iPurifier3, AQ JB FMJ, Cisco 2940 & 2960
DH Labs ethernet, BNC & USB cables, Farnells cat 8 ethernet cable

Second System
NVA P20/ A20, Cubettes, LS3, SSP, SC
Sonore MicroRendu, Chord Mojo 2 MCRU PSs, AQ Carbon USB cable & JB FMJ

Headphones
Grado SR325e/Chord Mojo, Beyerdynamic Avetho/AQ DF Colbat

RIP Doc

User avatar
karatestu
Posts: 5945
Joined: Sun Jan 08, 2017 4:40 pm
Location: North Yorkshire
Has thanked: 1865 times
Been thanked: 1378 times
Great Britain

Re: How manysteps on your stepped attenuator do you regularly use ?

Unread post by karatestu »

CN211276 wrote: Mon Mar 12, 2018 12:10 pm I use all the steps between around 10 o'clock and 3 o'clock, depending on how loud I want the music and if no one else is in the house. The listening area is quite small. The DAC output is set at 2v.
Thanks CN. My CDP also has a 2V maximum output.
Dr Bunsen Honeydew wrote: Mon Mar 12, 2018 11:45 am You will regret not having them.
Thanks for the warning. I am in two minds now. Thing is i only use a small part of the volume control now and i know that i will use more of it when i go to passive from my 3x gain active stage at the moment. Still, i cant see myself using the very highest resistor values. It all depends on the phono really i.e cartridge output and gain of phono 1. Trying them is the only way i suppose. I could always add more or alter resistor values if for example moved houses and the room became very much larger.

The thing that attracts me to building my own is that i can choose the values at each step. Some people's only complaint about stepped attenuators is that sometimes there is too much volume increase between steps. There are lots of resistor values in between the values used at HFC. I could give my self a finer control in my most used volume "area". Also having kids and people in the house some times i dont want the volume to be able to play too loud. If i limit the values to as loud as it will ever need to be then there is little chance of my kiddies or any one else sending my amps in to clipping or thermal runaway. A built in kid / idiot safety device if you like :lol: No blown amps or melted voice coils :roll:

Stu
DIY FREE ZONE

George Hincapie
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Re: How manysteps on your stepped attenuator do you regularly use ?

Unread post by George Hincapie »

I don't use anything past 1 o'clock on my P90SA.

User avatar
Hemmo1969
Posts: 302
Joined: Sun Sep 24, 2017 11:57 am
Location: South Yorkshire
Has thanked: 17 times
Been thanked: 7 times
Ukraine

Re: How manysteps on your stepped attenuator do you regularly use ?

Unread post by Hemmo1969 »

I use maybe 4 or 5 steps of the P50sa.... for both vinyl and digital use the range between 9 and 12 o'clock.

User avatar
karatestu
Posts: 5945
Joined: Sun Jan 08, 2017 4:40 pm
Location: North Yorkshire
Has thanked: 1865 times
Been thanked: 1378 times
Great Britain

Re: How manysteps on your stepped attenuator do you regularly use ?

Unread post by karatestu »

Thanks George and Hemmo.

Having put a 10k in the series and 200R in the shunt position I am getting a better handle on this now.

I am having to think about the different recording levels of different CD's. Old Blue Note recordings have a lower level than this Chemical Brothers CD I have just put on. And it is good to hear from users that use vinyl as well as digital. I have a suspicion that most will have the attenuator further around the dial to get the same volume.

Stu
DIY FREE ZONE

Post Reply