TC ElectronicLevel Pilot, High Resolution Computer-Independent Analog Level Control

In Brief:- Does one thing and does it well- Silent "passive" control for analog audio in the last stage, from source to monitor (speaker)- Well weighted and a rubber pad help it stay in place on your desk surface- Smooth, silent and stepless volume control- Pretty dang cheap but not cheaply made- Short output cables mean you need to add your own XLR patches to the speakers- Cable on the bottom is stiff and may cause the unit to rise of sit at an angle if it passes over other objects in the desk environment. (see photo)My Use: A volume controller from a Parasound Zdac digital analog converter to 2 JBL LSR305 studio monitors in a video edit suite. Without the Level Controller, the Zdac does not have volume control and the JBL studio monitors adjust from the back of the speaker. To complete this hook-up required the addition of 2 short XLR male to female patch cords. The Level Controller cable passes through a small shelf on my desk which caused the Level Pilot to sit askew. (see photo) The fix was to allow 3" of the cable (enough to "flex") between the Level Pilot and 3/4" shelf.I cannot speak to the concerns of an audiophile but, in my application, I detected no loss in audio quality. It solved my issue (no convenient audio level control) in an attractive, high quality manner.

This thing really is a fantastic piece of hardware, works like a charm, feels like a dream and it's minimal and attractive enough to look great while doing it. The build quality is solid, it feels "heavy", and the action is smooth.Had I been able to leave the review there, this would have been a 5 star product easily, but life ain't simple enough for that.Unfortunately, after a few weeks I experienced the static that many others mentioned when changing volume. Purely a cosmetic thing, and something that I could have lived with indefinitely and still thought of it as a 5 star product, but unfortunately it goes a bit farther than that.After a year or so, using the knob would cause one speaker or the other to cut out almost entirely when changing volume. Whenever I want to change the volume now, I have to turn the volume up and down over and over again until it functions to where both speakers receive the same level of output.Listening to music now is a little more like "Where's Waldo" mixed with "Deal or No Deal", desperately trying to find the point where the knob works as expected (it's never the same point) and is also close to the target volume I want. Awful.I've isolated every component and tested replacing everything but the knob to no avail. No bueno.That said, I will most likely be replacing my defective pilot knob...with another pilot knob. Make of that what you will.

Revising me review - a month after purchasing and it's already developing a static sound on the left channel.I tried to contact tech support but the website took me to an error page after submitting the form.I really wanted and did love this thing, but I can't handle the static. Going in the trash. :(

The knob is great. Its nice that it's footprint is so much smaller than the Mackie big knob or presonus stuff. It can fit right in next to the keyboard and the mouse. Makes it very seamless.The turning operation is very smooth and the knob has a really nice tactile feel to it. Sound quality is great and the volume seems very linear from low to high. I love it.As others have said, the xlr leads are definitely too short to plug directly into powered monitors. But I prefer this, as I think it will actually add to its durability in the longrun. Longer cords would be more fragile and are going to wear out and get mucked up a lot quicker.I think its better to think of this as a breakout cable and extend them as needed. But it's not a problem for me, as I'm just going from my converters to my amp.

Update: It slowly developed static noise when moving the knob. After a year the noise is very loud and one channel or the other cuts out. Why? They are using a very cheap rotary volume fader. Read the other reviews, don't expect this to last more than a year.I have an Allen & Heath mixer for my KRK sub and monitors. It is taking too much space on my desk so decided to try this item. I was worried about the sound quality since AH are the best of the best. I can't notice any difference.Built quality is above expectations. The knob has some resistance to movement which gives it a solid feel. Both ends, the lowest and highest point have rubber ends so when you crank it all the way up or down you feel a rubber or soft feeling. Cables are nice and long.

Pros:Does what it says it does and it does it well.Volume goes up and down smoothly.Does not color the sound.Wide range of volume control.Simple and elegant.Cons (and the only reason for 4 stars instead of 5):The cables are way too short. Unless your speakers are less than 7" - 8" apart (which is ridiculously close together), you will need extension cables. Your main output will also have to be very close to your speakers. In all likelihood, you will at least need 2 XLR extension cables. All in all, you may need up to 4.I also expected for the knob to be heavier.Conclusion:If you have 4 male to female XLR cables lying around (Believe me. You'll need at least one. Probably 4.), you'll be happy with this volume control. If you don't and you have to buy them, well then the cost of this item just went up considerably.Despite the cable length problem, I highly recommend this product.

If only ALL knobs were this incredible and well-built! I purchased this because my Event PS8 monitors are extremely loud, and even though I could control the monitor output volume via my MOTU Ultralite MK3, I wanted a cleaner, more elegant solution.It took seconds to connect, looks sexy on the desk and is a JOY to use. It is heavy, rock-solid and the smoothest knob I've ever turned. I find myself turning it up and down just because it feels so smooth.

Works perfectly.Dry. No noise added and has a wide span of volume. Add the cost of 4 more XLR cables to this when considering the purchase. Definitely worth it

ABSOLUT PERFEKT Superschnell Vielen DankTolles Produkt mit hohem Qualitätsstandard, Lautstärkereglung vom feinsten :)Die Qualität steht in einem sehr guten Preisleistungsverhältniss.Absolut empfehlensert.