Hi,

Nice Forum !, Can I suggest a front page green topic named Attenuation. You presently have amplification but nothing for attenuation. Thanks 

Welcome attenuator - would you elaborate a bit?
More detail please on this topic that you're interested in?

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com

Hi
Applying to electrical circuits, any attenuator could go in this topic, which is distinctly different to amplification, and thus worthy I think of its own area. Thank You

An attenuator en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attenuator_(electronics) is an electronic device that reduces the power of a signal without appreciably distorting its waveform.

An attenuator is effectively the opposite of an amplifier, though the two work by different methods. While an amplifier provides gain, an attenuator provides loss, or gain less than 1.

when do you need attenuation in audio ?

wouldn't it be more efficient to match the output to input rather than slug the output ?

Jan 21, 2017 17:07:19 GMT 12 michaelw said:

when do you need attenuation in audio ?

wouldn't it be more efficient to match the output to input rather than slug the output ?

Attenuators are needed all the time for adjusting volume. To demonstrate Why -but not recommended for forum users is connecting a CD player
straight to a power amplifier. Can you see yourself doing this without attenuation ?  ... er No you need some means of attenuating 
a larger output to a smaller input. 

And matching output to input is then once again unless fixed level, some form of variable attenuation in the majority of equipment to make that signal
acceptable in level for domestic use.   

Potential thread topics could include the 'Turn It Up' thread, as well the opposing camp in the 'Turn It Down' thread which could potentially spill over into an all out forum war over who gets to hold the remote... Watch thus space...

...must be a cable debate to go hurl boulders into somewhere...

Jan 21, 2017 19:04:55 GMT 12 @johnnyheathen said:

Potential thread topics could include the 'Turn It Up' thread, as well the opposing camp in the 'Turn It Down' thread which could potentially spill over into an all out forum war over who gets to hold the remote... Watch thus space...

...must be a cable debate to go hurl boulders into somewhere...

Given there is already a thread named Amplifiers have you any opinion or humour for that as well ? 

If you have Amplifiers meaning increasing level, it is sensible also to have topic of Attenuators decreasing level 
It is unusual to have one and not the other. Then again it may be a unusual forum.    

ah yes attenuation, i was thinking outside the normal source/preamp/poweramp chain...

in the late 80s/early 90s there was a movement in the us to "hotrod" listening
ie. take the fixed output from a preamp's rec out and feed that straight into a power amplifier bypassing any attenuation.

the success of which depended heavily on the preamp/power amp, source and material played.
but when the planets were in alignment the results could be spectacular.
the late harry pearson was fond of this mode of listening with even highly rated preamps like the arc sp11 and cj premier benefitting

no need for another topic, it can fit into an existing one, amplification (in the broadest sense) or diy.

Hi attenuator.....
Thanks for the suggestion - all constructive suggestions are welcome.

We're trying to keep the no. of main Categories to a minimum, in order to keep the homepage as clean as poss & easy to navigate the forum.

As you mention, attenuators or volume controls, are needed for level control. Also to handle different source levels & to maintain power headroom in reserve.

Vol controls in audio are essentially voltage dividers (whether resistive pots, step attenuators, LDR/opto-couplers, digital vol controls....) & need to work into the power amp load, so arguably part of the amplification chain.

I'll move this entire thread to the Amplification category.

Looking forward to your posts on the subject.

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com

Of course, I neglected to mention TVCs (Transformer Volume Controls) - which have the added advantage of Gnd isolation, but that's another story

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com