Best attenuator for attenuation only?

[Chubbs]

I don’t know about the other simple load boxes but stuff like the hot plate cuts wattage with every level of attenuation. Something to look out for.
Kinda a cop out but look at different cabs. Some handle lower volumes better than others. My blackback 1960 cab sucks at low volume as does my EV mesa cab but my mesa road king cab with cream backs and v30’s sounds great at any volume.
But to answer your question I’d say the power station. While it’s not the most simple it is safe for your amps and very good at its job.

 

[gbsmusic]

Ear plugs

 

[PurityS.L.G]

Ear plugs

Well yeah! LOL Thats what most attenuators filter your tone to make your amp sound like anyway but what about your cohabitants and neighbors?

 

[midgod07]

What kind of amps are you running?

i've got a Diezel VH4 and a Fryette SigX. i've heard time and again a MV amp doesn't need an attenuator. i have mixed feelings on that. the VH4 is hifi and fizzy at lower volumes. the Ox Box got rid of that but did suck some of the tone. kind of a no-win, that one.

 

[ZEN Amps]

i've got a Diezel VH4 and a Fryette SigX. i've heard time and again a MV amp doesn't need an attenuator. i have mixed feelings on that. the VH4 is hifi and fizzy at lower volumes. the Ox Box got rid of that but did suck some of the tone. kind of a no-win, that one.

Fair enough. Lots of attenuators on the market, some colour the signal very little at modest reduction (Rockcrusher, Alex, Aracom) and some quite a bit (Weber, Two Notes, Bugera etc). Even the power station colours the signal, but for a loud NMV amp it's a small compromise and very handy.

For a VH4 or SigX it's unlikely any of these boxes will result in a more transparent tone than just turning down, but they may yield a more pleasing tone to you - very different things.

As I'm sure you know we hear perceive lower volumes sounds differently frequency-wise than an identical louder one. The fact that your VH4 sounds ordinary down low is much more likely caused by this phenomenon than anything else, level-matched clips almost always show this. If you really want to use an attenuator or re-amper, getting one with EQ or variable load switches can let you tweak for a more satisfactory low volume sound, by forgetting transparency and adjusting by ear until the perceived tone is good.

Good luck and let us know how you go.

 

[midnightlaundry]

There's an expectation with an Attenuator but it's not a magic box.
Things are added and taken away when you crank an amp.
Transformers saturate and round off highs, but you're missing the toothy complexity of a speaker that is moving air.
A Unit that has some kind of EQ is probably best so you can add what you think you are missing,

 

[Ventura]

Fryette Power Station. Though you really won't notice a difference with your amps.

Yep.

 

[Ventura]

I have a Captor X, and to my ears I don't notice any tone suck. My biggest gripe is that it's a fixed dB reduction, yet in most cases it's really not a big deal at home.

But as the OP said *just* attenuation with no frills, the PowerStation is the preferred choice IMHO.

Everything else??? CaptorX hands down.

 

[M@tt C]

The best passive attenuator I’ve owned is the Ironman II. Very transparent. Others impact tone after a few dB of attenuation.

Yup. Love mine. The bonus is the foot switchable solo function. It's great for live use.

 

[panhead]

Bugera ps-1 put it beside a $1000 unit and I will bet u will take the bugera unless u just like wasting money.

 

[stephen sawall]

I wouldn't bother with a attenuator with those particular amps other than if you want to overdrive the Clean channel on the Sig X.

I have used both of them extensively with various attenuators. All of them are going to add compression and change the sound / tone. Just my subjective view. It might be perfect for you application.

 

[Devin]

No matter which one you get, the more you attenuate the more the tone suck.

This; them speakers gotta be moving


That said, I'm a massive fan of the Fryette Power Station

 

[Ratou]

i've got a Diezel VH4 and a Fryette SigX. i've heard time and again a MV amp doesn't need an attenuator. i have mixed feelings on that. the VH4 is hifi and fizzy at lower volumes. the Ox Box got rid of that but did suck some of the tone. kind of a no-win, that one.

I've tried a few high end attenuators and Fryette PS2 is by a long shot the best one I've tried (all the other ones only sounded good when knocking off a few db, still too loud for home use). However, for the amps you have it will not help IMHO. I would only recommend it for amps where you need power tube distortion, otherwise the integrated MV of the amp will be better overall for tone and feel. Playing 100W tube amps at low volume is always a compromise (but can still sound good). Speakers not pushing enough air is a big part of it as well, and no attenuator/MV can compensate for that.

 

[Ben Waylin]

This; them speakers gotta be moving

Speakers not pushing enough air is a big part of it as well, and no attenuator/MV can compensate for that.

This is actually not true.

The resonance circuit portion of a well designed reactive load functions as the moving voice coil of a speaker(s).

The output section of the amp "sees" the same type of variable, reflected energy.

 

[Ratou]

This is actually not true.

The resonance circuit portion of a well designed reactive load functions as the moving voice coil of a speaker(s).

The output section of the amp "sees" the same type of variable, reflected energy.

I'm just talking about the tone of the speaker itself. The amp might be seeing the same response from the reactive load but the tone & feel of the speaker itself will vary with volume (and in my own experience it's a big part of the overall tone).

 

[Ben Waylin]

I'm just talking about the tone of the speaker itself. The amp might be seeing the same response from the reactive load but the tone & feel of the speaker itself will vary with volume (and in my own experience it's a big part of the overall tone).

Hence, the function of the resonance circuit..

Have you ever used anything except an off-the-shelf, poorly engineered reactive load ?

 

[Ratou]

Well I have a PS2 (not sure if that qualifies as poorly engineered off-the-shelf reactive load, it is off-the-shelf but I don't have the qualifications to judge the engineering part) and to my ears the overall tone coming out of the cab improves as you drive the speakers up to a certain point (and it's not just due to higher volume, the frequencies do change to my ears).

 

[Ben Waylin]

Well I have a PS2 (not sure if that qualifies as poorly engineered off-the-shelf reactive load, it is off-the-shelf but I don't have the qualifications to judge the engineering part) and to my ears the overall tone coming out of the cab improves as you drive the speakers up to a certain point (and it's not just due to higher volume, the frequencies do change to my ears).

If the reactive load can't/doesn't correctly cause the output section of the amp to respond exactly as if it were connected to the desired speaker load.. which is what is being described here, then yeah.

The problem I see with the devices I've looked at is the builder "cheaps out" on the components' power handling capability.. Some builder's don't even bother to correctly mimic the curve of a 4x12 cab (or whatever the desired speaker load might be).

Case in point : Here's about $68 worth of parts, popularly sold for $350~$400

 

[Jack Luminous]

I won't say anything about Suhr and his reactive load merits because I have no experience nor opinion about it. But I'm sure of one thing, you cannot build the same device with the circuit board, metal enclosure, screen printing, cardboard box etc. for $68. Maybe in huge quantities, much bigger quantities than Suhr will ever sell. Even then I'm not that sure/suhr.

 

[Ben Waylin]

I won't say anything about Suhr and his reactive load merits because I have no experience nor opinion about it. But I'm sure of one thing, you cannot build the same device with the circuit board, metal enclosure, screen printing, cardboard box etc. for $68. Maybe in huge quantities, much bigger quantities than Suhr will ever sell. Even then I'm not that sure/suhr.

The price point his company gets from China ?

Yeah, bro.. $67.89

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