Stepped switches alternatives

[dagoose]

I'm looking for steppes switches alternatives.
We know the elma's (too expensive and I dont like them for some reason), the cheap chinese ebay switches (nope..) and I have been using blore edwards switches (great switches) for a couple of years but the company seems to be a mess now. Which is a real shame.
What other alternatives do we have? solid, 23/24 steps, 1 or 2 pole choice, a decent price and decently fast delivery?

 

[ccaudle]

Grayhill has a long heritage in switches, worth considering.

 

[warpie]

Grayhill has a long heritage in switches, worth considering.

AFAIK, grayhill don't do 23/24 steps. Or in fact I think they do but it's almost impossible to find them and ridiculously expensive.

 

[s2udio]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/15533554...ZrVpLMEt1RAAK4CGe00IZR9KOcY=|tkp:BFBMhMeZ39ph
Yes its ebay china !
However used these in many builds, some now 8yrs old
Your choice
But never had any problems with them, .....100% reliable

 

[gyraf]

..why the dislike for the chinese switches?

edit: s2udio beat me to it..

/Jakob E.

 

[s2udio]

..why the dislike for the chinese switches?

edit: s2udio beat me to it..

/Jakob E.

Dunno maybe it says "China"
Fitted in my 2 x LA2A, 2x 1176 and 12x custom discrete preamp chanels API , SSL9K etc
Not a single fail in many years off use.......go figure !

 

[Tubetec]

Ive used those blue China wafer switches also , good sturdy construction , I highly reccomend them .

 

[s2udio]

They dont have the "sexy" feel of the expensive ones
More like my old cossor scope.....but IMHO who cares unless you have lots of cash to spare !

 

[ccaudle]

AFAIK, grayhill don't do 23/24 steps. Or in fact I think they do but it's almost impossible to find them and ridiculously expensive.

Yes, I think I had used 12 step in the past and did not realize that is the largest number of steps either that they make, or at least that is available to purchase with reasonable effort.
May not be any cheaper than Elna if you buy in Europe anyway, I'm not sure.

 

[warpie]

Do these chinese ones come in MBB?

 

[Tekay]

Do these chinese ones come in MBB?

Yes they are shorting and also available with gold contacts.

 

[amplexus]

Electroswitch makes some great 23-24pos in both 1 and 2 deck rotaries... They are spendy, but perhaps not at much so as the Elmas:

https://www.digikey.ca/en/products/detail/electroswitch/C7D0124N-C/514090
They are quite large tho, so you have to have the panel space to spare.

 

[Dorin Bodea]

I made this (stereo) TVC with the blue chinese switches and it feels like any other high-end switch, plus I can fit the whole circuit in a relatively small shield. To see if it was only luck I repeated the experience in several makes with the same success; 1:1&1:2 gain mostly and even 1:10 variants, which are able to drive, say, a pair of 2A3 in a spud amp using line level directly. Maybe this "luck" can be explained by the good original design of the switches and a set of minimal burn-in tests before assembly.

 

[chrisenglish]

G. Milani ...Not sure about this Italian company still being active. I contacted them in July 2021...I did not order due the the size not fitting my face plate.

 

[dagoose]

..why the dislike for the chinese switches?

edit: s2udio beat me to it..

/Jakob E.

I have been using these switches for years, but mechanically they simply don't feel good. They don't click into place like they should. I don't know.. I just don't like them.

 

[gyraf]

You should really try a couple of brands other than what you have at hand - I'm well aware of some of the discount manufacturers making almost-identical-looking crappy products, but this general type of switch actually is really reliable - much more so than what they're credited for in common understanding.

A company like SC&T does some very good stuff - they have taken over most of my all-time-favorite switch manufacturer "Chiefdom" that made the famous parallel-port switches for Data Switch Cooperation back in the days - old link CHIEFDOM ELECTRONIC CO., LTD. | CENS.com

The SC&T version of e.g. the RCL370 is really good - Rotary Switch for Audio Volume Control RCL370 | SC&T

And yes, some of them have a lot of variation in tactile feeling - but this can most often be fixed in the individual switch. And on average still much better than e.g. recent Blore-Edwards and such "high-end" types

/Jakob E.

 

[warpie]

Has something changed recently in the BE quality?

 

[Lampie519]

http://jos.vaneijndhoven.net/switchr/design.html

 

[Tekay]

http://www.soundwell-cn.com/en/ makes some nice 1 and 2 pole / 12 position switches as well, both vertical and horizontal. Got a box of samples two years ago and they are shorting with a nice feeling. Think you can get small quantity through alibaba.

 

[Disco Volante]

Gyraf, where do you buy the sc&t switches? Seems like they have dealers in Germany and Norway...