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SA2 - [July, 2011]
"WOW what a great preamp!
Should have bought the SA4 but at the time didn’t know how great your products
are. Sources have never sounded better, (Oracle Delphi III/SME IV/Denon
DL-A100) (Cambridge 640MKII CD). The detail carries to the extremes,standup
Bass/ Cello so awesome.I went with your recommendation and ordered the
25K model,and the equipment disappeared with Goertz Alpha core silver and
Goertz M1 copper speaker cables.(very low inductance)
Thanks again for a world
class product. Cheers J. A. (Ontario Canada) |
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SA1 - [February, 2011]
I received my new SA1 Passive
Preamp this week and I am impressed! The workmanship is superb and the
sound, WOW! I had been using a dual 100k pot in a homemade case for
my master volume and had some problems with it recently. I decided it was
time for an upgrade to something much better. The SA-1 has given my system
a whole new clarity that is amazing, especially in the upper frequencies.
At first, I thought I was hearing what I wanted to hear, but no, it's for
real! Who would think that a 'Passive' unit could make such a difference?
I am a guitar player and I write, play and record my own compositions.
With the SA-1 in the playback signal chain, my recordings have come to
life like never before and that is a beautiful thing. Thank you Goldpoint
for a truly wonderful product! J.R.M. (Dedham,
MA) |
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Mono Mini-Vs Used In Prestigious THRESHOLD FE-10 He Preamp Upgrade -
[January, 2011]
"We have installed and tested
the two Goldpoint stepped attenuators ... in our THRESHOLD Fet-10 He reference
preamp. The result is terrific, excellent!" "First of all, the gain
in transparency is incredible. It is like if you had removed a (thick)
carpet between you and the loudspeakers: you can now ear a lot of details
that were totally hidden before..."
Michel
BLOISE (Grasse, France)
See the complete article:
"Threshold
- Fet-10 HE 'competition upgrade'"
Visit the "Threshold Lovers"
web site for many other interesting reviews and technical comments:
www.thresholdlovers.com
(English) www.thresholdlovers.com
(French)
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SA1 Precision Level Control - [June, 2010]
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"I just wanted
to say thank you for helping me select the SA1. I am enjoying it immensely.
I have incorporated it into
my system and it looks and sounds wonderful."
J.L. (San Francisco, California) |
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Positive review appeared in Japanese audiophile magazine "The Test Room"
-
[2010]
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Mini-V Monaural Stepped Attenuators -
[May, 2010]
"A week ago I received your
stepped volume potentiometers. Thank you very much for the good communication
and fast shipping. I mounted it into my tube preamp last week and now already
have been listening some hours. The sound now is more open and linear than
with the Alps pots I replaced. There also are more details and dynamics
without any harshness in the music. I will be glad to recommend your potentiometers.
Best regards." R. B. (Wagen SG, Switzerland) |
Stereo Mini-V Stepped Attenuator - [April,
2010]
<
editor's note >
"I
concur - and found this out again (to my own surprise) while developing
the Goldpoint Headphone Pro (which is like a sonic magnifying glass)."
A.R. |
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"I received
my Mini V attenuator, and have installed it in my Monarchy M24 DAC.
I had read success stories about this upgrade, but was completely unprepared
for the difference between your product and the stock Alps pot. It
literally transformed the preamp side of the DAC. I have an integrated
amp (Rogue Tempest II) with a passive preamp section which is very clear
and nice, and I was missing that clarity with the active pre in the Monarchy.
But with just this one change, the active pre is one of the nicest, most
neutral preamps I've heard in the sub $1,500 category, and to think that
is the result of a "volume knob" is truly eye opening.
This thing is DEAD quiet,
and you can hear WAAY into the recording venue. It isn't sterile
sounding, but just lets the signal through. Man, what a piece of
gear. I've been an audiophile for 35 years, and this is easily the
best money I've ever spent in this hobby.
Thanks for making such a
great product for such a great price... remarkable!"
J. K. (Kennebunk, Maine) |
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Monaural Mini-V Stepped Attenuators -
[September, 2009]
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"...Received 10K mono controls
today. VERY NICE INDEED!
Haven't decided whether
I will use them in a passive or active circuit, but I can tell you that
they make me smile by just holding them in my hands :-) Thanks
again..." D. F. (Brinson, Georgia) |
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Custom Pro Audio Controller-
[June, 2009]
"...finished my PUnC (Passive
Uncolored
Controller). Thank You for
the support and
also the great product."
T. S., Brotherland
[mixing and mastering studio] (Jakarta, Indonesia) |
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SA1X
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[June,
2009]
"Thank you for great product!
SA1X is even better then I expected!
Simple and genius. Good
luck!"
O. K., (Brooklyn, New York)
[December,
2008]
Greetings, I recently purchased
an SA1X stepped attenuator [Passive Preamp], and it's the most transparent
of any monitor controller I've used. Thanks for the great product.
C. A., Mastering Engineer (Portland, Oregon) |
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SA4 - [September, 2008]
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"I thought about
trying a passive “preamp” for a long time. I had a decent active preamp
already that I've been happy with for about 10 years. I knew I'd have to
spend between 3 and 4k to do better, or take my chances with a used eBay
unit. So after a fair bit of research, I decided to try the Goldpoint SA4.
I knew what the advantages of a properly designed and built active preamp
were and what disadvantages existed with passives. Well, after a couple
of weeks of listening, I have to say that I'm quite happy with my decision.
The SA4 makes it hard to believe I could do any better at all with an active
unit. Any disadvantages in gain, or dynamic headroom are far outweighed
by the crispness, clarity, focus and transparency all at a small fraction
of the cost. 24 positions are more than enough and the unit has a great
“feel”. I now have a greater appreciation for the rest of my gear. Excellent
product, I highly recommend. Sincerely, F. S., (Pickering,
Ontario) |
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DIY Vacuum Tube Preamp - [April, 2008]
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| ...I finally quit listening
to my new preamp and got a picture of your attenuator in circuit. Thanks
again - it sure sounds great. T. B. (Greenville, Tennessee) |
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DIY Project - [March., 2008]
Attention
Goldpoint, recently I purchased a Spiced mini line preamp for DIY I was
very impressed by its simplistic design and knew this cute little preamp
need the Goldpoint touch, I installed the 50K stereo Mini-V in place of
the old pot, what an incredible difference, I cant wait for my next project.
D.H. |
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Pro Audio Compressor / Limiter - [Feb.,
2008]
"Weighing
in at 44 pounds, the Tube Equipment Corporation Model SR-71 “Blackbird”
is a Dynamic Mu® stereo compressor / limiter using the original Fairchild
670 design with modern components. It has the compression character of
a Fairchild 670 with greater transparency owing to Sowter nickel-core transformers.
It also employs a wider range of time constants including faster release
times for modern percussive material. The stepped mastering version employs
Goldpoint™ Precision Attenuators." Tube
Equipment Corporation (Miami, Florida) |
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Custom Installation - [July, 2007]
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"These pots
are easy to install, have a good feel in use and bring an easy focus of
both channels still allowing minute adjustment side to side."
Thomas M. (Santa Barbara,
California) |
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Replacement Attenuator - [March, 2007]
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"I just replaced
my attenuators. It was easy, and the soldering spots on the new ones are
easier to work with than those on the old ones. They are dead silent.
Thanks for your help."
Mark
(Ann Arbor, Michigan) |
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Custom Preamp With New SMD Mini-V - [January,
2007]
"I've
completed my preamp with the Goldpoint attenuator and input selector...
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Here
are the highlights of the design:
-
Battery powered (2 x 12V 1.2Ah gel = +/- 12VDC)
-
Significant rail capacitance for very low supply impedance
at all frequencies
-
LM4562 op-amp on custom designed PCBExpress board
-
15dB gain, non-inverting
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1Hz to 200KHz -1dB
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Teflon signal wires
-
Blue LED shuts off @ +/- 11VDC to indicate charge needed
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Run-time = approx. 40 hours before rechargeing is required
-
Total project cost = $375 |
Noise
and distortion is extremely low... It sounds fantastic. That is to say,
it basically does not alter the sound and seems to be noise-free..."
Paul P. (Rocklin, California] |
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Custom Vacuum Tube Preamp - [December,
2006]
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"Thank you for
all your help and a fine product, the grounded grid pre with the Goldpoint
step attenuator sounds wonderful having nice dynamics and strong
bass."
Peter C.
(Redford, Michigan) |
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New SMD Mini-V - [July, 2006]
"Got the unit in yesterday
and dropped it into the power amp...first listening impressions: Wow!
Talk about detail and clarity! I noticed it big time right away,
No hum or noise, and perfect tracking. All of a sudden my little
EL34 triode-wired amp fed by my old restored Fisher R200 fm tuner has highs!
EL34 is not exactly known for ultra 'high high' freq extension. The Goldpoint
has extended the top end of my amp to a level I never knew possible; easily
an extra 2-3k. I even had to reposition my speakers to adjust.
There is no glare or 'edge'ness in the top end, just a 'smooth sounding
extra extension, but certainly more high end than I've been used to. I'm
sure it will sound even better after it 'settles in' over the next 100
hrs. of listening too.
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The level of
detail, very good before, is now just fantastic, and even at very low listening
levels. I think that the taper is about perfect. At the fully
attenuated position there is absolutely no signal whatsoever. At the first
step the signal appears, very low but noticeable, and usable, and increases
accordingly and perfectly in both channels all the way up... I'm impressed
as hell.lol! |
I'm now having to think
about upgrading my bookshelf speakers, which I never much thought about
before. Amazing that an attenuator could radically change your system
so much! I suppose this speaks as much about the system too, as I
certainly can hear about any change I put into it, that is, if there is
supposed to be a change, heh. Well, I'm very proud of my little system
now; and the Goldpoint is certainly the final crown!
...Amazing what I'm hearing
now, after listening to this amp in many, many different setups over the
last 7 yrs.
Well, the Goldpoint is the
best upgrade that's happened to it, since I first put in some 1958 Mullard
xf1 power tubes, and that's saying a lot! ...This thing was certainly
worth every penny! Ralph Harris (Bakersfield, California) |
Mini-V Approval - [March, 2004]
"Just few words to tell
you what you already know: Your Mini-V works perfectly, much better stereo
image & very stable. Congratulation, no doubt this is a great upgrade.
Philippe VAIDIE, (senior sound mixer at France 3, National French TV) |
24 Positions Are Indeed Enough - [November,
2003]
Before ordering I was initially
concerning about the number of steps in the attenuator not providing fine
enough adjustment. After it arrived on Thursday last week and quickly installed
into my Transcendent Sound Grounded Grid it proved unfounded with just
the right number of 'clicks'. First listening tests immediately showed
correction of channel balance at low levels (the main reason for investigating
upgrades to the original cheap plastic pot). Having the attenuator significantly
change the sound however was a real surprise! The sound was immediately
more detailed but with a slight over brightness. After letting the system
settle in over the next few days however the Mini-V has now found its way
with the music (particularly with chamber classical, small ensemble jazz
works and vocal pieces) and shows a level of detail, clarity and overall
tonal balance previously unheard through the already excellent Grounded
Grid. Thanks again for your assistance! A. B.
(Adelaide, South Australia) |
SA3
KIT - [March, 2003]
"The SA-3 has been operational
since Monday March 24/03. The kit went together quickly with the
well-documented instructions. It had a hard act to follow for the
passive I own is no slouch. It does everything with more fine detail
than my older unit. Depth? You bet! Dynamics? Absolutely!
Most of all it has great transparency. It is an outstanding product
at a very reasonable price." R. F. (Winnipeg, Canada) |
Mini-H Compared to Alps Blue Pot - [January,
2003]
"I
received the shunt type stepped attenuator on Friday. The instructions
were very clear and the quality of the parts were very high. It took me
about 2.5 hours to put the kit together; however, it took about another
3 hours to install it because I had to make new holes in the amp's metal
cabinet, without using a drill! However, in the end it worked beautifully.
I wish I had thrown out my Alps Blue volume control earlier and bought
this one. I now hear vast sonic improvements all across the spectrum. The
bass is deeper and better defined, the mid's and the highs are smoother
and better defined as well. Spatial clues and imaging have also greatly
improved. Tonal textures are more accurate, and there are details jumping
from my records that I never heard before. Overall, the new attenuator
is absolutely great. Now my HD83 headphone amp is really singing. I hope
you sell many more of your stepped attenuators.."
Best
regards, D. W. (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) |
Custom Quad Goldpoint Attenuator in McIntosh C20
- [August, 2002]
Your attenuator has solved
all volume and balance related problems. It has made an already great sounding
preamp sound better than ever! ...the crowning glory to the restoration/upgrading
of my McIntosh C20 preamp..." Sincerely, Dave B. (Nacogdoches,
Texas)
C20 - Before
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C20 - After
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Goldpoint Ladder Attenuator Application
- [August, 2002]
"The attenuators arrived
this morning and i have fitted a pair to my own pre-amp, this has had many
other potentiometers tried in it and i can only say that were i am now
is were i would wish to have been a long time ago! All others altered the
bass or treble in an unnatural way, violins were more "hi-fi" now much
more natural, low level detail now so much more part of the music as a
whole with older (1960's) recordings showing previously unheard detail.
My cd player also sounds like much more money has been spent on it. (i
am a turntable nut but also own a cd player) . Perhaps the conventional
potentiometer somehow is overloaded by cd's typically high output (2-3v)?
Finally and this is a very big plus i now have excellent control over volume
and able to listen at much lower levels also." --A.
D. (West Yorkshire, U. K.) |
Ladder Attenuator Assembly and Use - [June,
2002]
"Just a quick note to let
you know how I got on with the ladder attenuator. Assembly took me about
3 hours in total over a few weeknights - I took it slowly and was careful
with the soldering. It works beautifully - no clicks or pops at all, so
no need for the big ground resistor. I'm using it in my DIY preamp
which is a scratch-built version of Bruce Rozenblit's "Grounded Grid" preamp.
As for the sound - superb! A real improvement on the previous volume
control, and I couldn't be happier. I had a DACT stepped attenuator
before, and although it works well I had the distinct feeling that it had
a "cold" and "brittle" sound with a recessed midrange. I know subjective
terms like that aren't very helpful, but that was my impression.
The Goldpoint is much nicer to listen to, and I can't imagine wanting to
change to anything else." Tony (TG)
(Sydney, Australia) |
SA-1 / SA-3 Comparison Review - [June,
2002]
"When I received the SA-1R
(with Roderstein resistors) and the SA-3, my first listen was to
the SA-1, which I compared to my reference Monolithic PA-1 passive/active
line stage. Although I did not use an SPL meter for level matching, I was
very familiar with the source material and I could easily hear improvements
in resolution, clarity, bass definition, and image specificity. Although
the Monolithic is a little more flexible with a tape loop and a second
set of outputs, and was a definite improvement over the Creek OHB12 passive
linestage I had previously tried, it was not in the same sonic league as
the SA-1R. The only reservation I had concerning the SA-1 was that voices,
especially female vocals, had a slight glare, or edge on high pitch notes.
I use silver interconnects and speaker cables throughout the system, and
I suspected that I hadn't heard the glare previously but that it was inherent
in the silver cabling. It took the increase in resolution that the SA-1
was imparting to expose what I assumed was a cabling flaw. As it turned
out, when I substituted the SA-3 for the SA-1, all traces of glare disappeared.
Additionally, I detected improvements in channel separation, the outcome
of which was a perceived widening of the soundstage. All the improvements
that were present with the SA-1 were there with the SA-3, in spades!
I am hearing details in my musical selections that were barely audible
before, and even some background sounds and voices that I never detected
before! The SA-3 really helps to bring performances closer to the listener
and you really get a clearer sense of the emotional intent of the performer(s).
The other day, I tried to stop listening to the equipment so intently and
just get immersed in the sound, but I found the ability of the SA-3
to unravel hidden musical nuances so engaging, I couldn't resist
being drawn further into the listening experience. Thanks for a superior
product." Larry
Carmin (Middlesex, N.J.) |
Mini-V Compared to Alps Blue Pot -
[May, 2002]
"I
replaced the Alps Blue pot of my Croft Carisma tube preamplifier for your
Goldpoint Mini-V Dale 0.1% mono Ladder Attenuators..... The sound
is much better!!!! The sound is now more soft, improved detailed,
transparent, sweet and extended lower frequency and dynamic ranges!!!!!
Many thanks for a product with well engineered, superb finish and
very nice sound indeed...." Best regards,
Prof. In Sun Koo (South Korea, Chinju) |
SA-1 Experience - [January, 2002]
"I've had the SA-1 volume
control box in my system for over a month now and couldn't be more pleased
with the quality and value. Congratulations on a fine product!"
G. T. (Chicago, Illinois) |
Mini-V Compared to Bourns Plastic Pot
- [January, 2002]
"I have the Mini V attenuators
assembled and installed in my 300B monoblock amps. I am very pleased indeed
with the results. The levels are exactly right with the attenuator around
the 10th position. The look and feel of them is just great! Of course there
is also a vast improvement in the sound over my old Bournes plastic film
Pots. Very nice indeed ... M. A. (Northamptonshire,
United Kingdom) |
Mini-V (with Holco 0.1% Resistors) Upgrades Alps Blue Potentiometer
- [October, 1999]
"Astonishing sound!! I replaced
the ALPS Blue Pot of my Simply 845 Single-ended Triode Integrated amplifier
for your Mini-V Holco 0.1% Stepped Attenuator... The sound is much much
BETTER!!! It's like change my Very good Amp for another amp two leagues
above... No doubt, this is the most inexpensive way to boost up the sound
quality of any amp with a pot inside (I'm talking about VERY clear changes...
no subtle ones)... The sound is now MANY more detailed, transparent, sweet
and spacious!!! Many thanks for a product with superb finish and
better
sound!!! -Jose
Ramon Garcia. (Madrid, Spain) |
Mini-V Used for Potentiometer Upgrade
- [May, 1999]
"I have received the two
attenuators on Tuesday. I have installed them and yesterday I have listened
to some music from CD and LP. I have to say: my amp plays in another league.
It offers more detailed but also sweeter sound. Soundstage is MUCH (!)
better and bass is faster and deeper. A real step to higher quality of
reproduction..."---Dominik
Bruecher (Basel, Switzerland) |
Mini-Vs Used for Active Load Line Settings
- [March,
1999]
-"I
am using an active load line in the cathode follower stage of the driver
of my Atma-Sphere M60 amp. This circuit performs really well with the proviso
that the resistors in the active load line are balanced and tuned. This
usually requires a precision potentiometer, but I didn't want to send my
signal through such a noisy device. Arn and I designed a set of resistor
values [over the phone] that worked with the Goldpo- int rotary switch
such that I basically had 1% detents over the range of resistance in question.
When I finished building the amps, it was really easy to balance the load
lines and they sound absolutely incredible."- --Alok
Gupta (Seattle, Washington) |
Mini-Vs (with Roderstein resistors) Used in Production of High End Vacuum
Tube Gear - [February, 1999]
"We just started to manufacture
a dual mono, tube line stage with separate left and right attenuators.
We obtained various samples from different manufacturers and
decided on the Arn Roatcap, Goldpoint Series Type 24 stepped attenuators
for production. They were, by far the best of the lot. The sound
was superior with the lowest noise ( w/ Roderstein 1% metal film resistors
installed and at 25K) and the workmanship was also top notch."---J.
F. (Cranston, Rhode Island) |
Mini-V In Mono Block Amplifiers - [May,
1998]
"We manufacture mono block
audio tube amplifiers. In our last production run, we installed a pair
of your mono 250K attenuators (supplied by our customer) in a pair of our
amps. We were so impressed with the performance of these units we would
like to offer an attenuator as an option to our customers... Congratulations
on offering a well engineered, well built product." D.
B. (Dallas, Texas) |
Goldpoint Ladder Attenuator - [March,
1997]
"I just wanted to thank
you very much for the Goldpoint attenuator I picked up yesterday. Got it
installed. It sounds wonderful! It's just absolutely a great step up from
what it was and I can't thank you enough. So, once again, congratulations.
A great product!"- --M. B. (San Ramon,
California) |
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Some of our worldwide
customer locations
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