Balance Control

speakerman1

speakerman1

Honorary Forum "Larrt" (ornery too)
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Wasted Days and Wasted Nights
Before any one even says it. No you can't buy one. I need a passive balance control for an amp that doesn't have one and the owner has his speakers placed in weird ways because of the room. This is a paying gig. If you just want to design it and me build it. Whatever. I just need one bad. I have been looking now for 2 years.
PLEASE help me.
Larry
 
Not necessarily passive, but you could use a EQ that has left and right output controls and leave the eq settings to flat.
 
Larry, I think what your asking is strange, the reason why one doesn't exist. I would look into a passive volume control and have Jerry see if it can be rewired into a balance device. Just a thought. If you really want it passive, that's the only way short of starting from scratch.
 
Isn't that sorta like a MONO SWITCH?
 
Have a look in the amp. If it has a dual deck volume control just get 2 x mono controls and replace the stereo control, then adjust your heart away.
 
gamve said:
Have a look in the amp. If it has a dual deck volume control just get 2 x mono controls and replace the stereo control, then adjust your heart away.
Click to expand...

Ah, yes, that would work nicley, look a bit frankensteinish :alien: . Would work well tho.
 
The owner paid 2000.00 for this tube amp from me. I rebuilt his speakers and things. I would hate to mess with the sound of those nice 300b tubes. So a nice passive balance control would be nice. He has a nice system now.
Larry
 
I'm still trying to grasp this concept but I'll try.

Are we talking about an VARIABLE OUTPUT control? My Realistic SA-2001 has a knob marked Perfect Level or something like that.

Gamve seems to understand better than I can.
 
speakerman1 said:
The owner paid 2000.00 for this tube amp from me. I rebuilt his speakers and things. I would hate to mess with the sound of those nice 300b tubes. So a nice passive balance control would be nice. He has a nice system now.
Larry
Click to expand...

Having a left and right channel volume control would have no effect on the sound quality as long as the pots are the same or better quality than the original stereo control. If better quality volume controls eg stepped attenuators are used there is a high probability that the sound quality will be even better.
 
Hey Larry,

What you're describing is having a balance control between the amp and speakers. Thing is - what is not passed through to the speaker will end up having to be dissipated as heat. Depending on the rated output of the amp, that could equal quite a bit of heat. That's also why I have been hesitant to help... I don't want to be responsible for blowing up a 2000 dollar amp.

Ideally that balance control needs to be before the power amp stage. Smaller signals + higher allowed balance control "resistance" = way less heat and current being shunted as the control is adjusted.

I forget - is that amp integrated? I would guess so since obviously having a preamp input would make the point moot. What "controls" does it already have? Does it have a left and right gain control? How about a simple left / right gain control mod to the amp itself, if not?
 
You could always pull the tubes on the louder channel and put some semi conducting tape around the pins. :joker:
 
If you are looking for a no compromise balance control, Goldpoint Level Controls, google it.
 
Thanks Lee. I sent him the Link. He may just go for the dual volume control. This is for a 13 watt tube amp I sold him. It is using 300B tubes. He has a nice set up for sure.

Larry
 
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