rlisin
Quad 4 life
For a while now I’ve been wondering how to add remote volume control to a vintage stereo or quad amp/receiver (without modifying the unit in question). Yesterday I succeeded!
Few days ago I spotted this thingy on our local auction site.
It’s a Teufel ControlStation 2, dedicated for 5.1 active computer speakers, but sold separately and marketed as a preamp. In reality it is a glorified volume control unit for 6 discrete channels. Scale goes from 0 to 60, it attenuates from 50 to 0, has small gain from 50 to 60. It has 3 inputs (one 6 channel, two stereo), one 6 channel output.
AND IT IS REMOTE CONTROLLED!
So I grabbed it and yesterday it arrived. Took out my Marantz 4240, a multiformat player I use it with, and hooked it up. And it works like a charm!
Basically there are 3 ways of putting it in the system. Just like a graphic EQ, you can connect it between the source and the amp’s/receiver’s input, or to the tape loop (if you have that), or to pre out/main in (if you have that). My Marantz 4240 has tape loops and pre out/main jacks (Euro versions do, US versions don’t have pre/main), I tested both, both worked fine.
The way I set it up is connect the receiver’s TAPE OUT or PRE OUT to the controller’s inputs, and then the controller’s outputs to the receiver’s TAPE IN or MAIN IN. This controller has 6ch inputs and outputs, so I can control volume of all 4 channels of my quad Marantz. Then I set the volume level on the control station to 50 (which is 100% input level - no attenuation, no gain) and set the volume on my receiver a bit above my loudest listening level. And then decrease volume with the controller. This way, the controller gives mi the entire volume range I use. I have remote controlled volume, volume muting, and if I use tape loop I can even have source selector for whatever is set on the receiver and 2 other stereo sources that can be connected to two remaining inputs of the controller. For example: select FM on the receiver, connect a CDP and PC to the Teufel controller, and you can switch between FM, CDP and PC using the controller’s remote.
The thingy has no tone control (which is good) and very good frequency response (0.5 dB drop at 15 Hz and 25 kHz, linear between 15 Hz and 25 kHz), low THD (<0.03%), and channel imbalance is below 0.05 dB at all volume levels. Only signal to noise ratio is less than perfect (57 dB), but in real life negligible. I couldn’t hear any noise/hum with my ear to the speaker and the controller connected directly to MAIN IN. No startup/turn off noise either. If you use standby, it remembers the last volume setting, if you unplug it completely (which happens if you power it from switched AC output of the amp) it resets to volume level 30 (a bit more than half volume).
If you use tape loop to connect, you can take it out of the signal path simply by switching from TAPE back to SOURCE. And it has 3 inputs, so you don’t have one line input less, you actually gain one input.
This device is only available in Europe as far as I know, but I’m sure there are similar units available in the US. If not, it works with 12V DC, so you just need a power adapter.
Few days ago I spotted this thingy on our local auction site.
It’s a Teufel ControlStation 2, dedicated for 5.1 active computer speakers, but sold separately and marketed as a preamp. In reality it is a glorified volume control unit for 6 discrete channels. Scale goes from 0 to 60, it attenuates from 50 to 0, has small gain from 50 to 60. It has 3 inputs (one 6 channel, two stereo), one 6 channel output.
AND IT IS REMOTE CONTROLLED!
So I grabbed it and yesterday it arrived. Took out my Marantz 4240, a multiformat player I use it with, and hooked it up. And it works like a charm!
Basically there are 3 ways of putting it in the system. Just like a graphic EQ, you can connect it between the source and the amp’s/receiver’s input, or to the tape loop (if you have that), or to pre out/main in (if you have that). My Marantz 4240 has tape loops and pre out/main jacks (Euro versions do, US versions don’t have pre/main), I tested both, both worked fine.
The way I set it up is connect the receiver’s TAPE OUT or PRE OUT to the controller’s inputs, and then the controller’s outputs to the receiver’s TAPE IN or MAIN IN. This controller has 6ch inputs and outputs, so I can control volume of all 4 channels of my quad Marantz. Then I set the volume level on the control station to 50 (which is 100% input level - no attenuation, no gain) and set the volume on my receiver a bit above my loudest listening level. And then decrease volume with the controller. This way, the controller gives mi the entire volume range I use. I have remote controlled volume, volume muting, and if I use tape loop I can even have source selector for whatever is set on the receiver and 2 other stereo sources that can be connected to two remaining inputs of the controller. For example: select FM on the receiver, connect a CDP and PC to the Teufel controller, and you can switch between FM, CDP and PC using the controller’s remote.
The thingy has no tone control (which is good) and very good frequency response (0.5 dB drop at 15 Hz and 25 kHz, linear between 15 Hz and 25 kHz), low THD (<0.03%), and channel imbalance is below 0.05 dB at all volume levels. Only signal to noise ratio is less than perfect (57 dB), but in real life negligible. I couldn’t hear any noise/hum with my ear to the speaker and the controller connected directly to MAIN IN. No startup/turn off noise either. If you use standby, it remembers the last volume setting, if you unplug it completely (which happens if you power it from switched AC output of the amp) it resets to volume level 30 (a bit more than half volume).
If you use tape loop to connect, you can take it out of the signal path simply by switching from TAPE back to SOURCE. And it has 3 inputs, so you don’t have one line input less, you actually gain one input.
This device is only available in Europe as far as I know, but I’m sure there are similar units available in the US. If not, it works with 12V DC, so you just need a power adapter.
