Well, in doing some searches I stumbled across a reference to the DIY Audio site (diyaudio.com) and there I found a "simple passive preamp" that is built from Radio Shack parts for about $20.00. I promply printed up the instructions and went to Radio Shack and bought the parts. Put the volume control together in a couple of hours and was very impressed.

Let me first say that I do not like the control of the attenuator. It has very poor control and gives a gain of 0 watts at 6:00 to about 50 watts or more at the 8:00 postition. In my opinion this is very poor. I do not know if changing the resistor values will change this at all, but this is the design that I followed.

Now the good part; by hearing (or not hearing) the simplified signal path. I am impressed, what we have here is a volume control, a couple resistors, some short length of wire (30awg RS magnet wire) and some RCA jacks. Now I understand the the following of the passive preamp. If this kind of sound can come out of a $20.00 box then I am sure that with higher quality parts that even better things will come.

I get more detail, more air, more dynamics because it is very quiet. Just music, no coloring of the sound. It will reveral the quality of the up and downstream components.

You should try it out just to see how simple and cheap it can be done. I will be making one with better parts down the road. I will likly use a Goltpoint or DACT stepped attenuator, some bette RCA's and maybe some different wire and resitors.

Till E. , thanks for getting me interested in this passive thing and I'm with ya on this one.

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Good hunting!

Brian