Hi Marbles,
My system target is to generate a convincing illusion of a live performance from the music I listen to, given suitably well-recorded music of course. So far LDR volume control has given me the best illusion of a live performance of all the volume control methods I have tried. This includes transformer volume control and even a bulk foil resistor ladder attenuator built on solid silver switches with Teflon wafer boards.
I hear no downsides musically and I have been using them for years in the simple L-pad arrangement with a fixed series resistor and a shunt LDR. I have also been using George Stantscheff’s Lightspeed volume control configuration with both series and shunt LDRs for several years and I developed an infra-red remote control system for use with the these LDR volume controllers.
The only real down side is matching LDRs for consistent control. This is a pain in the **** as they have such wide resistance tolerances.
Regards
Paul