RCA Line Level Attenuator Questions

I need to purchase a pair of RCA Line Level Attenuators since the AUX input on my 9090 distorts with any of my CD players hooked up to it. I have temporarily resolved this problem using my Tascam CD recorder via tapeloop since I can adjust the line level during "monitor" mode.

My questions are:


I am not sure if I need the 1dB, 3dB or 6dB attenuators.

Is a 1dB sound level reduction significantly audible?

The CD distorts somewhat when played through Aux. It's not ultra-distorted; and I have no idea how much 1dB, 3dB or 6dB reduction would sound.

Which attenuator would you choose?

1dB of attenuation is barely audible, not significantly audible. I'd go for the 6dB of attenuation. This is a divide by 2 attenuator reducing the typical 2VRMS output of CD players to 1VRMS.

I am working through a similar problem on my Naim Nait one. I bought the 6db from Parts Express and barely noticed a difference. I have ordered some 12 db attenuators that should be arriving within the next couple of days. On my Nait, the tuner and tape inputs are apparently 750 mv so the 2 (or more volts) from the cd player is too much. I can only use the volume control between about 6:00 and 7:00 when playing cds although with vinyl the Nait is amazing.

Wow, I did not ever really stop to think that this could be a common problem. Perhpas I have been lucky over the years with various setups that I've had.

I guess that I should try the 6dB attenuators first. If they don't work, then I will try the 12dB versions.

By the way MikeO, perhaps I should purchase your 6dB attenuators if yours are just going to go to waste.

6db really isn't a lot. I had 12db of attenuation on my cdp and found that to be adequate for all but some of the earlier cd's, which seem to have been produced at lower levels.

Paul

Apparently it is a fairly common problem, especially with a lot of European gear. I have been reading some British forums and they discuss this problem quite a bit. While some think the inline attenuators take away from the sound quality, others found they actually improved the sound. There are companies that also make attenuated interconnects as well but before I buy a set of those I wanted to try the in-line adapters.

If the 12 dB adapters resolve the problem I will send you the 6 dB ones for free. They only cost about $5 each from Parts Express. I had to go to a more expensive set to get the 12dB attenuation.

MikeO, that is very generous of you. If you do indeed decide to part with them, I will send you Paypal to cover shipping + handling.

Cheers

It is a a common problem - if not outright distortion, then levels that make it difficult to get the right volume because all the useful range is in the first few degrees of rotation of the volume control. I keep an assortment of attenuators around, and find them really useful for setting up gear in various combinations. In general, I've found only minimal changes in sound quality, if any.

Thanks for the info folks. It's funny, I never 'had' to attenuate anything before. Perhaps I've had good luck with various setups. Anyhow, those days are over, so it's time to get a firm grip on all those extra dB's!