A Question About Volume Controls Types


My previous preamp's volume knob had a definite low point and high point. When it was powered down I could rotate the volume up to the maximum setting and if I left it there and switched the preamp on, it would of course come on at full volume.

I'm trying to understand how the volume control works on my McIntosh MA252 integrated amp. When it's turned off and I spin the volume control up, there's no end point; it just free wheels. After I've done that and I power it up, the volume is exactly where it was during my last listening session.

Can someone explain how they work so differently?
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Showing 2 responses by atmasphere

Maybe somebody else can tell if there's an advantage with one type of volume control over another?
Digitally controlled controls often employ a chip that does the actual volume control change. Because of that the resistive elements often are not to the same quality as an analog control. I feel that analog controls are the best way to go and are better than digitally controlled and all-digital volume systems. But analog controls vary widely too; the best are actually switches with fixed resistors as mentioned above.
One control is entirely analog and that is what you are adjusting.
The other is digitally controlled, and remembers what its setting was last time it was operated. The control itself is simply a counter wheel and can spin as much as you like. When on, the circuit counts the notches that have gone by as you advance the control and makes the change in volume.