Switched attenuators, what's all the fuss about?

[mikeyb]

"Nobody, and I mean nobody, wants a system that replicates live music."

I do

[User211]

No, I agree with the idea that the best PA systems do things nothing else can but personally, if I put of an album recorded at Abbey road for instance, I want the system to portray that. I want to hear the mix and the layering, the doubly tracking etc. I don't want it to sound "live" because it wasn't.

I want it to sound real.

Fair point.

[pankon]

Apologies for jumping in, but everyone here (apart from me) seems to know what a PA system is. What does PA stand for? Someone clarify that, please?

[struth]

Public Address

[pankon]

Public Address

Public Address? What's a public address system?

[montesquieu]

Public Address? What's a public address system?

Basically what is generally known as a Tannoy

Though the term also extends to the amplification system used by bands for those instruments that don't (unlike, typically, guitar, bass and keyboards) have their own dedicated amplification and speaker setup on stage - typically when a band perform, the vocals at least and often also the drum kit will be mic'd to be amplified via the 'PA' system. The PA also enables vocals and other signals to be routed to monitors in front of the performers so they can hear what other people are doing.

[Jimbo]

Basically what is generally known as a Tannoy

Though the term also extends to the amplification system used by bands for those instruments that don't (unlike, typically, guitar, bass and keyboards) have their own dedicated amplification and speaker setup on stage - typically when a band perform, the vocals at least and often also the drum kit will be mic'd to be amplified via the 'PA' system. The PA also enables vocals and other signals to be routed to monitors in front of the performers so they can hear what other people are doing.

[montesquieu]

The systems I mentioned are impossible in a domestic setting.

I know where you are coming from. But the best of them are absolutely amazing, and do things no domestic hi-fi system could ever hope to achieve.

The most amusing PA-come-hifi system at Munich the year I went was playing Pink Floyd 'The Wall' and consisted of a PA horn stack broadcasting - there is no other word really - to about 100 people. While superficially impressive you wouldn't want that in your living room even if you lived in a barn.

[Light Dependant Resistor]

A piano is a very good example of a musical instrument when played live and then played back via a recording via hifi audio equipment
should be quite or near perfect - if you strive for perfection to what is heard. A piano is a percussive instrument, it contains rich harmonic
structures making real challenges for audio equipment to reproduce it correctly.

Similarly jazz trio's and quartets should be capable to replicate their natural sound via your audio system

Pink Floyd happen to be rather good at recording electric and acoustic instruments, and at the same time presenting their music
in an acoustic space that suits the meaning of the music. There are many fine moments where they get the sound absolutely correct.

However Pink Floyd via a PA system, has many compromises namely PA systems are not designed for hifi reproduction

A good example of where musicians choose wisely the recording in preference- over the PA sound was Phil Manzanera's 801 live.
The microphones first going to the recording device then following that to the PA system, in so doing preserving what was heard.
The majority of good recordings feed signal to the PA system for the larger audiences benefit - after the recording device.

[pankon]

Changing a couple of volume pots in my humble opinion only gives subtle benefits and i would be very cautious to loose the sound I have currently.

But I applaud your endeavours to improve your Croft and look forward to your results.

Thanks very much for your encouragement, James. I will report my impressions, as soon as the new Khozmo attenuators have been installed and some critical listening has taken place.

By the way, I was under the impression (conviction?) that my Croft 25RSLS was as transparent and realistic as could be. Until I bypassed the Tocos pots and used the Hattor dual mono passive as a volume control. Definitely not the optimal solution in terms of hardware economy, but the sonic improvement was substantial and definitely not marginal. It was supposed to be an experiment to showcase the effect that pots play in the sound quality. Well, I can say it was equal (or even more) to the improvement I got, when I had the 'standard' Micro 25 preamp upgraded to 'R' spec by Glenn. Croft owners may understand what I mean. I would not call that improvement marginal.

Now, if I install Khozmo series attenuators inside the Croft preamp box (and get rid of all binding posts and interconnects I now have in the Hattor+Croft combination), I expect (and hope) that the result will be even better. And I am not even referring to the greater ease-of-use thanks to the remote control. I am focusing entirely on sound quality here.

The caveat is that when a system improves, it makes the distance between good and mediocre/bad recordings even bigger. Recordings that used to be OK in the past, may be unsatisfactory from now on. Hmmm...