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07/12/26 at 23:48:01

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ZP3 gain not as loud as it used to be (Read 91 times)

attym

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ZP3 gain not as loud as it used to be
07/09/26 at 02:50:24

I might be imagining this but I feel like I have to turn my amp up much louder than I used to for it to be at playing volume. It still sounds good, no hum just seems like a lack of previous gain. I’ve always ran a Dynavector DV20x2H which always required me to turn it up a bit more than if playing a CD.
Could it be a tube going? I’ve never had a tube go and still sound clear.
My preamp is a McIntosh c47. Volume is at 30-35 for good volume listening. Typically I listen to CDs at 16-20 and I feel like records used to be a bit higher at 25.

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Lon

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Re: ZP3 gain not as loud as it used to be
Reply #1 - 07/09/26 at 10:36:56

I hope someone with more experience with the ZP3 will weigh in. It's been years since I've had one. . . .

My guess is that if you haven't made any other changes to the system that a tube may be getting old. It's true that usually there is sonic degradation. I once had a rectifier begin to go bad and just seem less "powerful" with no real sonic balance changes that I experienced for a spell. . . .

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attym Verified Member Offline Posts: 31	Re: ZP3 gain not as loud as it used to be Reply #2 - 07/09/26 at 11:32:25 Hi Lon! Ok, I’ll swap in a different rectifier tube and see if that makes a difference.
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hdrider

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Re: ZP3 gain not as loud as it used to be
Reply #3 - Today at 16:10:44

attym - Our phono systems (ZMC1>ZP3>CSP3) always runs at a higher level than the CD system. And every cartridge runs at a different gain setting on our Preamp. Is this a new cartridge install? If you have a spare tube for space #1, try swapping it using the same record/track. If it been a billion years for that tube set and you use your phono daily....might be time for a new set. Or as Lon said, the rectifier is always the something to consider when things get wonky in tube world. It is the heart of these great products. Keep us posted and let us know how it shakes out. Happy listening, Chris.

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