PEC Pots - Expensive and Scratchy

[Whoops]

I have bought PEC pots in the past for LA-2A builds.
They were really expensive but what the hell the LA-2A deserves the best.

Thats what I thought as my experiences with this pots have been really disappointing, all the PEC pots I bought (different suppliers) started to be scratchy very early, the pots were never abused and had a normal use, not left untouched for weeks but also not turned every minute.

This happened to me in 2 LA-2A builds, then i talked to a friend who had the same problem with Scratchy PEC pots.

I changed these pots to the affordable Alpha brand, and the feel is great, and no more scratchiness even after some years.

Would like to know your opinion on this and if you also had the same type of problems?

 

[radardoug]

Yeah, PEC pots are crap. The original Allen Bradleys were fantastic, maybe they sold their production to PEC, PEC certainly turned that around! UA were using PECs, I have had to retrofit several with scratchy pots.
The Bourns blue pots are good but much lighter turn feel.

 

[Whoops]

Yeah, PEC pots are crap.

Really? thats the general feeling people have around here?

I've seen them recommended and praised in some many places,  that I never tought I would have this experience.
And the prices are really really high.

Check this 2:

http://www.banzaimusic.com/PEC-MIL-MO-LOG-250k.html

http://www.banzaimusic.com/Alpha-24mm-mono-250k-log.html


The price difference is astonishing and the Alpha pots have a great feel and never have given me problems, they just work well

 

[radardoug]

Those Alphas are probably carbon so wont last as long, but then they are cheap enough to replace every few years.
The Bourns are conductive plastic or cermet, they will last longer, but much more expensive.

 

[Whoops]

But PEC are also carbon, and are really expensive, more expensive than conductive plastic Bourns or Sifam.

 

[emrr]

The few PEC I have in anything will be scratchy if they sit in the same spot long.  It works out with exercise no problem, but really shouldn't be there at all on anything so new. 

 

[radardoug]

The original Allen Bradleys were hot moulded carbon with a proprietary process that worked.  PEC presumably bought that process, but maybe didn't implement it properly.

 

[Whoops]

The few PEC I have in anything will be scratchy if they sit in the same spot long.  It works out with exercise no problem, but really shouldn't be there at all on anything so new.

Yes, thats what I feel also, specially when much cheaper  (more than 10 times less) alternatives don't have the same issues.

The original Allen Bradleys were hot moulded carbon with a proprietary process that worked.  PEC presumably bought that process, but maybe didn't implement it properly.

Maybe,
I really don't know whats the reason for this, but for the price of a PEC pot I would expect much better performance.
As I'm starting to see it know it that PEC pots are overpriced and over rated,  but even worse than that a scratchy pot mode than over rated is something thats not useful at all.

Was recording  a jazz band 2 days ago, the 2 microphones on the double bass were being compressed in two DIY LA-2A with PEC pots, I love the LA-2A on double bass.
Dynamics changed from song to song so it was a mess every time I needed to adjust the compressors settings the scratchiness was also going to the headphones mixes of the musicians which was distracting to them,  not nice make the professional studio seem like an amateur garage, also it meant that I could never adjust the compressor in a middle of a take otherwise the scratchiness would be recorded.
I think I had enough but still wanted the opinion of fellow forum members

 

[warpie]

The few PEC I have in anything will be scratchy if they sit in the same spot long.

Really? Is that the case with all pots?

I have a bit of gear that hasn't been used in a while and now I wonder whether I should start moving the pots so as they won't become scratchy.

 

[emrr]

Most any pot will be scratchy if it sits unmoved long enough. 

 

[AusTex64]

Read where EveAnna Manley said something along the lines of "the blue square enclosed Bourns pots are bulletproof, we've literally never had one go bad yet. People complain about the floppy feel but we're not willing to trade that kind of reliability".  Pretty much my feelings too. I think the PEC pots have the feel of AB pots but unfortunately not the same performance. I'm using the Bourns pots on my builds.