[ismarketing]

Just made time to bypass the volume pot on my 2.2 and WOW.  Everything got cleaner, more open and imagining got way more specific.  The 2.2 is easy to open (instructions on the Virtue site in the Manual) but kind of pain to to close back up.  I used a punch of stiff paper shims to hold the case open and slide things back in place.

Free, easy, and worth and hour of your time.  Do it now!

One other tweak - this one costs.  I have not seen much chatter about power cords for the Virtue amps, but the Synergistic Master Coupler made a huge improvement to the soundstage - images were clearer with a significant improvement in layering.  Other cords may be great too - I'm curious about the new Shunyata Venom v3.

Enjoy.

[eclein]

Very cool...enjoy, that was one of the best tweaks I ever made, glad you did it!!! 

[Nuuk]

Free, easy, and worth and hour of your time.  Do it now!

Providing you have some other way to control the volume. 

[scoobysteve]

Does anybody have any experience using a Passive preamp with a Virtue 2 Classic in Power Amp mode? 

I am keen to add an Passive Pre-Amp like the Goldpoint SA4 to my set up but I have a niggling feeling that adding an additional circuit would make the sound worse.

http://www.goldpt.com/sa4.html

Steve
-----

[eclein]

I use a Passive Pre with a TWO.2 in amp mode, sounds great to me, very clean...

[srb]

I use a Passive Pre with a TWO.2 in amp mode, sounds great to me, very clean...

Ed, I thought you were using a Grant Fidelity DAC-09 as a preamplifier.  If so, the DAC-09 may have unity gain (?)  but it is an active tube preamp circuit, not a passive preamplifier or volume control like the Goldpoint SA4. 
 
Steve

[eclein]

Steve...I see what your saying, I stand corrected....somebody told me it was "passive" so thats what I thought, I'll check out unity gain and dig up more info now. Thanks for pointing that out, I learn something new here everyday!!!

[srb]

Steve...I see what your saying, I stand corrected....somebody told me it was "passive" so thats what I thought, I'll check out unity gain and dig up more info now.

Most active preamps amplify the signal and often have a gain somewhere between 9dB and 15dB on average.  Devices like tube buffers usually have no gain, or "unity gain".
 
If the DAC-09, like the Maverick D1, also has an analog input that is routed through the tube circuit, then it would seem that it offers some kind of impedance buffering when connected to a power amplifier as opposed to a standalone passive resistance type volume control.
 
I really don't know where the dividing line is between the volume control and the DAC section of the DAC-09, and perhaps it is really no different than using a standalone tube DAC into a standalone passive volume control.
 
In which case I stand corrected!
 
Steve

[virtue]

>Goldpoint SA4 ...

I'd be reluctant to recommend your spending money on something like this.  Our stepped attenuator on the TWO.2 is great - a passive pre-amp if you will.  Multiple inputs... ok.

Seth

[jtsnead]

or sell your 2.2 and buy a Sensation 901 w/ tube buffer, Best of Both Worlds 

[scoobysteve]

Thanks for the recommendations. 

Mostly I'm after the input switching and I just hate the thought of selling my 2, it's the best amp I've ever owned   

Then again the Sensation is extra .... decisions, decisions 

Steve

[ismarketing]

Due respect to Seth - the volume pot in the 2.2 may be great, but it sounds clearly better with it out of the circuit.  Now - some other passive-pre could also color the sound.

FWIW - I'm controlling volume with an old EAD TheaterMaster processor.  The source is a Squeezebox.

[se-riously]

Due respect to Seth - the volume pot in the 2.2 may be great, but it sounds clearly better with it out of the circuit.  Now - some other passive-pre could also color the sound.

To clarify, the One.2 and Two.2 use stepped attenuators, not pots.

[dvenardos]

The stepped attenuators that Goldpoint uses are some of the best you can get. They are elma with a custom PCB for easier wiring. However, given the cost of the completed version your total cost going with the sensation is probably close. Either way and I think you would be happy.

[Nuuk]

I've tried everything bar a transformer volume control (TVC) and the best is one of these.

http://www.tnt-audio.com/accessories/ph_ldr_volume_control_e.html

[dvenardos]

The lightspeed is excellent.

[ngomez745]

What about this?http://www.audiophileproducts.com/masspreamp

[ngomez745]

http://www.audiophileproducts.com/masspreamp

Sorry 

[passingthrough]

+1.   I bypassed the volume POT on my One.2 also.  I even have a Virtue wraparound case without the volume knob cutout and just need to figure out how to safely push the volume POT board into the unit in order to use that now.

That Firestone MASS preamp looks nice.  If you're open to preowned gear and are looking for a quality remote controlled no-frills preamp for the Virtue One/Two, I've been very happy with the Audio Alchemy DLC.  This can be had for ridiculously cheap prices on that auction site these days. I think mine was around $150 including the matching Power Supply 3 unit and the metal remote.  It has 4 inputs and you can set the balance on each if needed.  There are 2 analog outs which is nice for sending to a sub, but of course with the Virtue that's not needed.

http://www.audioreview.com/mfr/audio-alchemy/preamplifiers/dlc/PRD_118161_1591crx.aspx