The 128 step relay switched volume control in my Schiit Freya is great, it preserves an accurate channel balance, and you're never stuck in the "one click more too much, one less not enough" zone. The pleasant clicking sound it makes reminds you that it's there.
Parasound's Hint 6's new volume control provides huge sonic advances?
Promotional language for the (relatively) new HINT 6 says this: "New Burr-Brown Volume Control:
The Parasound HINT 6 is packed full of technical advancements. The new, upgraded volume control replaces the original model's motorized potentiometer and sliding mechanical contacts with a Burr-Brown electronically controlled analog resistor ladder volume control. Technical advancements in the new volume control offer a more distinct sound stage by increasing the dynamic range, lowering the noise floor, improving left-right separation and maintaining absolute left-right channel tracking at any volume level."
I'm not a skeptic, but am trying to learn.
QUESTION: How does a volume control affect so many elements important to the sound?
I almost never look to the details of how an amplifier's volume control is designed. Is it this important?
The Parasound HINT 6 is packed full of technical advancements. The new, upgraded volume control replaces the original model's motorized potentiometer and sliding mechanical contacts with a Burr-Brown electronically controlled analog resistor ladder volume control. Technical advancements in the new volume control offer a more distinct sound stage by increasing the dynamic range, lowering the noise floor, improving left-right separation and maintaining absolute left-right channel tracking at any volume level."
I'm not a skeptic, but am trying to learn.
QUESTION: How does a volume control affect so many elements important to the sound?
I almost never look to the details of how an amplifier's volume control is designed. Is it this important?