Strictly for fans of Audio Note UK (all things Audio Note UK)

Are you 100% sure that the “low sensitivity” setting means low gain? I would think the opposite... often “low sensitivity” actually means high gain, as it expects a quieter signal.

 

Congratulations and what a gorgeous view!

 

Do youre attenuators also pop when you turn them louder or less louder? It's not all the time but can be a very loud pop and the woofer is mooving a lot.
Verry scary. Peter advised me to run them a few times up and down before playing and that's what I do but still now and then it pops.

 

Nope no popping and I have had the M3 for around 2 years

 

Mine tend to pop, but only when music is playing. If I change volume settings before needle drop, they are dead silent.

 

It is slightly confusing and counter intuitive, but when I mention the low sensitivity I meant the lower gain setting.

 

I just swapped the factory issue EH 6922 tubes for NOS Philips 6DJ8’s (from Brent Jesse) in my Dac 1.1x II Sig. The difference is not subtle, it removed the last bit of coldness/thinness and this DAC now sounds basically as good as my turntable setup.

 

Hm, quite different than my experience. Maybe a different era or factory of tube? The EH were ok, I played them for a couple of months. But they were always a bit thin and emphasized the high end more than I like. These Philips are Amperex Holland ... not sure if that’s the same or different as the ones you didn’t like. They sound great right away, a lot more body then the EH and tamed the high end.

 

No... according to Brent these are technically the same as the Amperex Bugle Boy tubes, but with different OEM labels. 60’s I believe.

 

you are right, also later on the day it can pop louder like it is building up.

 

Hi Finn, just wanted to double check something with you: I believe you, Jellis77 and others that the new style attenuators are a significant upgrade over the vol pot and probably worth the money. Can I expect this level of improvement with the normal nichrome resistor version, which is as far as I may be willing to stretch for a volume control. I noticed that the non magnetic version is yet 50% more expensive and the tantulum resistor version is more than twice as expensive! There is no way that I will go for the more expensive ones, but then again don’t want to waste my money if the normal nichrome version is not worth it.

many thanks

 

It seems like the volume pots can get dusty quickly so when I move the right volume pot it has a loud scratchy sound between steps - once in the step it is noise free.

So before turning the preamp on - turn the volume pot all the way and all the way back down about 3-4 times - this gets rids of the dust and then the scratchiness goes away. But it does come back. Interestingly it only does this on my right volume pot - and it seems perhaps the air vent is over the pot. So might be good to cover the amp when not using it so it doesn't get dirty. It has no affect on sound but of course you don't want a loud scratchy sound halfway through a track when you turn the volume.

The question is do you really want to buy upgraded attenuators on an M3 or just try and trade up to an M5 or M6 where they have the new 36 step volume controls already on board and 48 step coming? Although make sure if you buy a new M5 or M6 it actually comes with the 36 step version! If it has sat in the dealer storage for 2 years you might be stuck with the old pots and then you are shelling out $1200 or whatever the price is for two new attenuators. The money you have to put to the attenuators is not money put to a future upgrade to an M5/M6 down the line. So perhaps some temporary fix would do and keep the money for the better amp later.

 

I have the 36-step attenuators on my M5 and the right one makes a faint scratchy/static noise sometimes, but no popping.

 

AN use the Nichrome switches definitely in the M5 pre's so my experience of the sound quality has been very positive in both factory finish new units and replacing attenuators in older units. The real benefit is in the physical switch itself and the resistor loading profile which gives so much more flexibility to volume settings.
Peter Q is actually quite proud of the design and result because is uses a quite skilful way of getting rid of the wiper mechanism most commonly used in other switch mechanisms and significantly improving sound quality and reliability at the same time.

 

cheers Finn. If the nichrome version is good enough for the M5, it is definitely good enough for my M3, and makes it slightly more attainable. Still feels like a lot of money for a switch though!

 

It is a lot of money but it will only be when you get them installed and play that first piece of music that you will think it was so worth it.

 

It’s a valid point you’re making Richard and worthy of consideration. If I did upgrade to an M5/6 (which is on my long term plan) it would probably be a £3-5k net some (after I sold the M3), so in current reality that is a few years down the line. Whereas I can upgrade to the new 36 step nichrome version for about £800 and is really more a medium than short term solution for me. It will also tick a few boxes: replace the current scratchy vol pot with a more reliable solution for years to come, seems like it will be quite an upgrade in SQ, and also give me a wider usable range on the volume dial. Which discounted over a few years is probably not a bad result.

And even if I did upgrade to an older M6 in a few years, it should be a straight transplant from M3 to M6, and I can stick a vol pot back into the M3, enable the balance control again and move it on

 

agreed, also if I take into account the other associated benefits, discounted over a few years it probably becomes a no brainer. Now just to find a way to funnel the funds without the mrs noticing!

 

Hey Richard; which two stores have gone out of business? Were they the two that you I visited in Mong Kok? I don’t remember the names of those places but I remember the guy that played music through giant JBL speakers driven by tube amps. A bit loud but a lot of fun!

 

I knew that this would be your response! That’s what I thought when I bought my Vertere SG-1 and then again later when I added the Aquilar tonearm.

 

Yes both stores are gone. Also the one in IFC mall shut down. I did find two ither stires today. A third was closed but is still in business. Apparently opens in the evenings only. Picked up a few second hand albums. The store runs them through the record cleaner so it helps. Prices are ok considering no tax in HK.

I miss HMV. They had a huge record section and were also selling secon hand. But alas, the BitTorrent download is tough to compete with.