Compare Standard and Custom Stepped Attenuators
Features of Goldpoint Stepped Attenuators:
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Exceptional sonic clarity.
Smooth, "precise feeling" turning torque.
Precision resistors - 0.5% tolerance, 25ppm.
High quality, Swiss made switch components.
Mono, Stereo, Quad, and 6-channel versions available.
Hookup is simple: 3 wires per channel connect to solder eyelets.
Lifetime: 25,000 or more rotations (most other brands are only 10,000 rotations).
Make-before-break, thick hard-gold plated contacts on precision engineered printed circuit
boards resulting in minimum contact bounce - and therefore no clicks or pops when switching.
Goldpoint stepped attenuators sound better than potentiometers, (even very expensive ones). This has been the consensus of audiophiles for many years. But unlike common potentiometers (or other stepped attenuator brands), our stepped attenuators provide very clear sound and precise signal level matching.
All Goldpoint stepped attenuators have make-before-break switch contacts, so as not to create "clicks" or "pops" while changing levels. Our switch contacts have unusually thick hard-gold plating - and are low contact bounce. They serve as impressive potentiometer upgrades, are easy to install, and will last a lifetime under normal use. (Note: As is correct for all selector switches, Goldpoint selector switches have break-before-make switch contacts, so signal source outputs cannot be shorted together during selection.)
Goldpoint V24 and V47 stepped attenuators come with high quality resistors already installed. These pre-installed resistors are 0.5% Nichrome thin film and are transparent sounding.
Goldpoint V24C and V47C stepped attenuators are BLANK (= no resistors installed), so you can make your own custom value value/custom taper stepped attenuators. They both require that you purchase your own 1/4 watt thru-hole resistors. Resistor lists for common value stepped attenuators can he seen here.
For stepped attenuator dimensions, click on the pictures below or here.
V24 (standard)
Stereo V24
0.5% thin film SMD resistors
(already installed)
V24

These are the best sounding precision volume controls available. They come with pre-installed high quality SMD resistors. (Low noise, laser trimmed, 0.5% nichrome resistors). The sound quality is transparent, which is what you actually want in a volume control.

Starting at full counter-clockwise rotation (OFF), the decibel step sizes are 9, 7, 6, 4, 3 and then 2dB for all 17 remaining steps up to full ON. This Goldpoint defined taper optimizes and is plenty of steps for volume control of most systems.The 15 degree switching, 24-position stepped attenuators provide 62dB of total attenuation.

The readily available (audio taper) values we offer are: 10K, 25K, 50K, 100K, and 250K.

(We also offer a precision volume control replacement for the McIntosh C20.)
The surface mounted resistors used on the standard Goldpoint V24s are 0.5% Nichrome thin film with a thermal noise specification (TCR) of 25 PPM. These are the best sounding resistors I have ever heard (or ever used). They have an essentially transparent sonic signature. This makes them better than Vishay S102 or even Caddock MK32 resistor types, because they do not add or subtract any sound qualities to your musical signals - just precisely accurate level control.
Because of their precision, the standard V24s are great for recording studio and other Balanced Input applications. This precision means excellent channel-to-channel signal level matching. Audiophile applications with regular (single-ended) stereo format can usually skip the use of balance controls all together. Pro Audio Balanced Line format will have very closely matched +/- elements and excellent channel-to-channel level matching.
V24 (standard)
Stereo V47
V47

Although 24 positions is plenty for most applications, our 47 position controls have twice as many steps and every one of them is 1.5dB. resulting in 67.5dB of total attenuation.

The turning torque on these 47 position units is smoother than on the V24s due to their physically smaller 7.5 degree step sizes.

Some systems which have a problem with "too much gain" can benefit from using our 47-position stepped attenuators because they provide more usable steps throughout the normal listening level selections.
On the V47s, every position has a decibel step size of 1.5dB.
The readily available V47 off-the-shelf values are: 10K, 25K, 50K, 100K and 250K.
Physical size: 1.4" tall x 1.5" wide. Also see stepped attenuator lengths.
As on our V24s, the surface mounted resistors used on the Goldpoint V47s are 0.5% Nichrome THIN film with a thermal noise specification (TCR) of 25 PPM, which have an essentially transparent sonic signature.


V24C
1.4" high x 1.5" wide
[1/4W or 1/2W resistors]
V24C
V24C Custom Blank Switch

Stereo V24C blank - no resistors installed
These are 24-position blank stepped attenuator switches - and require you to purchase and install your own 1/4 watt thru-hole resistors.
Make your own value stepped attenuator or a custom taper. Also see: Goldpoint Resistor Lists
V47C
1.55" tall x 1.9" wide
[1/4W resistors ONLY]
V47C-SQ
1.3" tall x 1.35" wide
[1/4W resistors ONLY]
V47C
V47C Custom Blank Switch
These are 47-position blank stepped attenuator switches, and are designed for 1/4 watt thru-hole resistors - which you must purchase and install yourself. Note: The V47C-SQ requires magnification and a sharp point soldering iron tip while installing its resistors - so this "small" model is recommended for advanced assemblers only.
-A few notes on stepped attenuators.
Stepped attenuators offer distinct sonic advantages over common potentiometers. This is due to their use of discrete resistors and the purest method of signal attenuation: resistor voltage dividers. Discrete resistors typically have better low noise characteristics than the carbon or cermet resistor elements used in potentiometers.
The total measured resistance for each position of a stepped attenuator remains constant throughout years of use. This is because the wearing (rubbing) parts in stepped attenuators are low resistance switch contacts, not resistive elements with wipers sliding on them as in potentiometers. Potentiometers can add clicks, pops, and static sounds due to wear.
Stereo potentiometers used as volume controls often produce different volume levels for each channel, and the amount of mismatch can vary as the potentiometer is turned up or down. The channel-to-channel tracking specification for stereo potentiometers, even very expensive ones, is typically 5% to 20%. With stepped attenuators you can easily achieve stereo signal levels matched to within one percent (1%).
With stepped attenuators, the signal level has been pre-determined for each step, so front panel calibration markings can represent actual signal levels.
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Front panel knob showing calibration steps.
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