Dude stop exaggerating lol. It's not even that bad. All that matters is that they used a good pot and that it's soldered well, right?

I usually keep mine around 9-10 o'clock, around quarter volume. How low was yours set when you heard issues?

I've been using an easy workaround solution to the low volume issue with these units. Simply turn down the output volume from your sound card/ interface in your operating System or DAW, thus the the volume knob will need to be turned up a little higher which avoids the problem area.
__________________

This will affect your bitrate .

Your soundcard software should be at unity gain.

Cheers

There is a reason that all the very fancy controllers are active. It is to deal with the impedance problems induced by a purely passive designs. I am no electronic engineer but as I understand it a passive pot with a piece of cable following it forms a very basic low pass filter (somebody please correct me if I am wrong) The frequency of which is determined by the impedance of the pot, the position that the pot is in and the length and type of cable after the pot.

The idea of a passive controller is nice in "common sense theory" but doesn't work in actual theory.

Yep, I use the Mpatch 2 every day. In between my audio interface and range of monitors. I have my main monitors fed by output 1, and then an avantone mixcube out of output 2 L (the mono sum switch is handy for this!). I then feed some little shitty pc speakers out of the headphone out. 3 different references out of a little box!

edit - I've just remembered I actually had some problems with this when I originally bought it, the output 1 button crackled like mad and the volume was dipping, they fixed it for me pretty quickly though.

i urge everyone who thinks it sounds transparent to put it off the signal path and listen to music when the speakers are directly connected to the soundcard. i cant believe that im the only one who thinks it really changes the sound in a bad way!

OK, well it seems like you guys have a point about passive pots affecting the sound. I just remembered that that's what happens on a passive guitar or bass, that's why you always keep the volume pot all the way up. Makes sense.

It seems like SM-Pro is hip to the problem though. This is from the manual to the new M-Patch V2:

"The best way to setup the listening environment you are in is to have the MPatchV2 at full volume and then attenuate your speakers (or amp) to the maximum listening level."

I guess if I just start with my DAW at 0db (which I already do), crank M-Patch all the way up, and adjust the speakers to the max I would probably listen, it should be fine.

I have had the Gelelecs at 12 o'clock (they go from like 7 o'clock to 5 o'clock), and the M-Patch around 9 o'clock. If i change the Genelecs to 9 o'clock, and keep the M-Patch set higher, that should solve any issues, right?

I may be way wrong, but I though the volume knob on even a high-end stereo amp was just a passive attenuator...

Sent from my GT-I9300

Have a look at this Products

On Gearslutz A new passive studio monitoring control - New Old Sound's McOne... ???

Any idea where to get one in the US?

Hi All,

A couple of things to consider here.
1. Cable length and what type of cable you are using between a passive controller and your Speaker. As you add more resistance (attenuate more) if you have a long cable, the cable capacitance will react with the resistance and you have a filter.
2. Mpatch2 (not v2) standard 2, has 4 resistors which need to work together, balanced stereo, so that is 4... there is always going to be SOME kind of difference in resistance between the 4 resistors, it is quoted at 2-3-4-5-% what ever it is.. then the HIGHER the resistance the more difference is going to occur. Although these are tested to the said tolerance I would measure this with a simple multimeter and see what the actual resistance difference is and if it is too high you need to swap the pot.
3. Mpatch V2, uses discrete resistors which are match, so even in high attenuation (low volume) the difference is the same as in Low attenuation (hi volume). As it is a switched attenuator.

Hi All,

A couple of things to consider here.
1. Cable length and what type of cable you are using between a passive controller and your Speaker. As you add more resistance (attenuate more) if you have a long cable, the cable capacitance will react with the resistance and you have a filter.
2. Mpatch2 (not v2) standard 2, has 4 resistors which need to work together, balanced stereo, so that is 4... there is always going to be SOME kind of difference in resistance between the 4 resistors, it is quoted at 2-3-4-5-% what ever it is.. then the HIGHER the resistance the more difference is going to occur. Although these are tested to the said tolerance I would measure this with a simple multimeter and see what the actual resistance difference is and if it is too high you need to swap the pot.
3. Mpatch V2, uses discrete resistors which are match, so even in high attenuation (low volume) the difference is the same as in Low attenuation (hi volume). As it is a switched attenuator.

This post sounds like it is from the manufacturer. Thanks for the clarification.

I remember you vfxau from somewhere.

I own the Mpatch 2 and I think it is a solid piece of kit.

Cheers

I take this to mean that the V2 has fixed the issue of shifting stereo image at high attenuation settings. Is this correct?

Can anyone else verify that the V2 is improved in this regard?

Because of this stuff they have now a interchangeable volume knob to a 12-step switch attenuator.

Does the "higher resistence" happen at lower or higher settings on the volume pot?

Sent from my Droid

Lower volume = higher attenuation/resistance.

OK thanks, that's what i thought. So the weird sonic stuff that supposedly happens with the M-Patch 2 can be solved by simply keeping the knob at a higher setting, right?

Sent from my Droid

had the mpatch2 for a good while... It's OK, I didn't like the switches! It seemed too much of a hazzle to switch to mono and check on another set of speakers because the switches were so hard. It changes the sound quite a bit - noticed a big change when I bought a monitor station. Much better, but still not as good as directly from the converters. But to me, mixing is mostly a matter of knowing your loudspeakers and how the translate. I have a lot of high-end gear, but I use Genelec 1031As, NS-10s and my first HiFi speakers, that I bought when I was 16 (Dali 102s).
I'd say, spend the extra $ on the Monitor Station or the extra extra $$ on the Kush - it's not a Dangerous or a Crane Song, but you'll get a more reliable image and swithes that you'll love more in your workflow. At least if your setup is of decent quality.

New Old Sound Ltd. McONE


Direct from Evgeny in Israel. $256 shipped to Detroit. Great customer service, great product.

Thanks!

Got an M Patch 2 for sale if anyone's interested. PM me!

https://gearspace.com/board/showthre...errerid=231232

"One potential disadvantage of passive designs is that their high frequency response can be compromised if you connect long output cables to them, since the capacitance of the cable, in conjunction with the resistance of the potentiometers, forms a simple low-pass filter whose response alters with the pot's position. However, I experienced no such problems using high quality low-capacitance cables, and didn't hear or measure any top-end droop at all."

SOS, Dec. 2006

This is where high quality cable matters not by price but but spec and build. I used Belden 400f made to custom length with my MPatch 2. Transparent.!

I just received mine, after 2 defective units..on the 1st two the lights would flash when I plugged it in(?!?) strictly for shits and giggles I had them send a third, and it worked! I decided to keep it after they (my unnamed online musical instrument purveyor) threw in two years of precious metal coverage, so no foul...

I am still on an old digi002 so I hear the diff right away- mine was getting too crackly after 10 yrs. I am also using very short cable runs from 002 to Mpatch and to speakers. Just long enough to reach and be comfortable.
Good for the price- replaces and improves slightly on the 002's monitor section, and buys me time so I can save for either the Dangerous Source or DAC1.
Would I recommend it? I don't know- the switches are a bit tough to push in (I actually did like the ez push buttons on the 002's mon section), but for ME it's what I needed right now.. Also note that these have been sitting around since 2007.

Mine M-Patch 2 has been good, but now, after 2 years, the sound almost disappears on the left side sometimes. If I mess around with the cables and buttons, the signal comes back, but it's annoying.

I’ve owned one for 10 years now. I know this is a bit old but I’m looking at some headphone amps and possibly a new passive monitor control.

So the issue with the volume knob is strange. However if you can’t get something new, the only trick I found to get it to output and a normal level all the time...you turn down your daw or master output, and crank that sucker to 8 or 9 on the dial. When you drop it back down to 1-5 it works fine. It’s very weird and doesn’t always happen. It does drop stereo image and loudness at low levels randomly at the start of a session if not used all the time when this issue happens. So if you come back to this, crank it to 8 or so with music playing back and turn it back down. It all pops back into place

But I find if you crank it loud, and back down it will fix it for the remainder of the session. At first I thought it may be other things, but most likely the meter pot which I wish they would have put more money in and got rid of the cheap headphone amp in it. But I’m about to drop 300-500 on a headphone amp. So I’m going to open mine up and clean it a bit, to see if I can get another 2 years out of it. If not apparently the cheapest option is Mackie makes a passive monitor control now that in the $80-$100 range, but does not have XLR outputs/inputs and is pretty simple small piece without as many options. It pretty much is a knob with quarter inch and that’s it. Very simple small piece that could probably get by fine till it breaks.

To others out there maybe considering buying a used one as they are very affordable. I’d skip it as it’s most likely defective by now as they all were. I’d look else where as there are ones out there now from $80 that are super simple to $360 that have additional headphone out and mono plus extras. Def not worth it, but was highly recommended back in 2010 to me.