The VK-50SE employs an electronic shunt volume attenuator, which "bleeds" some of the signal to ground. One hundred forty steps of 0.5 dB resolution are available in this proprietar y BAT design. Only a single Vishay Bulk Metal^® foil resistor per phase—the most precise and thermally stable type—is in the signal path. Discrete metal film resistors are used to bleed the unused signal to ground. The advantages of this method of volume control are obvious. The circuit is very short; only one component is in series with the signal. The 140 steps give precise repeatable volume settings that sound continuous to the human ear. You can always get the volume just right.