Attenuators yes or no ?

[andyrlb]

Both of my amplifiers are 1970’s models as is my fm tuner ( luxman T88v) , when using the tuner I have to turn down the volume by quite a bit in comparison to my dac ( Xiang sheng 01a ) so should I use attenuators on the tuner ?


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[Lurch]

Can't do any harm to try a pair.
I have a pair of Rothwell 10dB you can borrow if your happy to cover the £3 postage. If this sorts your problem then happy to sell them as they only sitting in a draw doing nowt.

[andyrlb]

Can't do any harm to try a pair.
I have a pair of Rothwell 10dB you can borrow if your happy to cover the £3 postage. If this sorts your problem then happy to sell them as they only sitting in a draw doing nowt.

Hi John, thanks for the kind offer , like you I have some sitting in a drawer too.
Perhaps I should have worded my question differently like will it damage my amp by not using them ?


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[Macca]

No it won't damage the amp. If there is so much gain you can't get the dial off zero without it being too loud that's when you need attenuation.

[andyrlb]

No it won't damage the amp. If there is so much gain you can't get the dial off zero without it being too loud that's when you need attenuation.

Cheers Martin


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[walpurgis]

You could alternatively use a cheap passive pre-amp for the same kind of money. That would allow you to tailor levels exactly. My Chinese Little Bear passive works a treat in this kind of scenario. It's small and can be obtained for around twenty quid new. Sound quality is very good.

[andyrlb]

You could alternatively use a cheap passive pre-amp for the same kind of money. That would allow you to tailor levels exactly. My Chinese Little Bear passive works a treat in this kind of scenario. It's small and can be obtained for around twenty quid new. Sound quality is very good.

Just rearranged the inputs on my Xiang sheng dac to do the same as you’ve suggested Geoff , cheers mate


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[Mike Reed]

Didn't see this, Andy, but have posted on your wanted thread (as you know). I have the opposite problem in that my NAT 01, currently being serviced, doesn't shunt out enough. Sounds good, though and you can't INCREASE sensitivity anyway ! I'm surprised your tuner pumps out so much. My Technics press-button thingy from the eighties and the Leak (valved) Troughline I'm borrowing all have a lowish (but acceptable) output.

[andyrlb]

Didn't see this, Andy, but have posted on your wanted thread. I have he opposite problem in that my NAT 01 doesn't shunt out enough. Sounds good, though and you can't INCREASE sensitivity anyway ! I'm surprised your tuner pumps out so much. My Technics press-button thingy from the eighties and the Leak (valved) Troughline I'm borrowing all have a lowish (but acceptable) output.

Yes I barely get the volume past 7 o’clock ( 6 o’clock =0 ) with the Tuner whereas the cdp sits at 9-10 o’clock.
🤷🏼*♂️


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[andyrlb]

Tuners can often sound very loud, but it isn't because the output voltage is any higher than, say, a CD player - it's because the broadcasters compress the signal so much in order to keep the average signal up near maximum all the time. The commercial stations are all trying to make their station louder than the competition so it can be heard in a car above road/traffic noise. It increases the number of listeners and therefore advertisers.

Thanks for your input Andrew, I should say that the luxman does have variable output rca’s on the back which I don’t use.