Power Attenuators: Don't be Confused Any Longer

[DannyB]

There's been a couple threads about attenuators, and I think there was some confusion about them. Here's a nice article about attenuators. It covers the basic designs, uses, cautions, etc. and defines the terms as used.

"UNDERSTANDING POWER ATTENUATORS FOR GUITAR AMPLIFIERS"
http://aracom-amps.com/info/attenuator.html

 

[mountain man]

That's a long article. I'll have to read a bit about my Jetenuator to determine what kind of attenuator it is. All I know is I like it and it works well.

 

[DannyB]

Yes, its a bit long, but it has to be. They cover a lot of ground and do a good job of staying on point while not being wordy. I found it interesting, I hope you do too!

 

[CaptainMoto]

Deep!

I've used several attenuators over the past several years.
Of those I've tried and currently own, the Rivera RockCrusher Recording is my favorite.

 

[Rancid Rumpboogie]

I'm not confused at all ... I don't play tube amps, don't need one.

 

[Cleotis]

When you first mentioned the Aracom in another thread, some research was done on it. That Pro-150 seems like it's one of the best. I settled on a $499 RockCrusher on pricing comparison alone. Wish I did have an Aracom as well. The RockCrusher is pretty OK. But actually, I have a 25 foot Mogami Gold cable and when standing a little off-axis from the 4x12 cab, the JVM410HJS is bearable just about fully cranked up on either the Crunch-red or the OD channels on green, orange, or red. Hard to beat the sound of a dimed Marshall.

 

[aleclee]

Not a huge fan of attenuators. If I was, I wouldn't have converted to digital some time ago. I did get my best results re-amping running my THD Hotplate (running as a load) into a Crate Powerblock into the speaker. Using the Hotplate (or my Weber Mass) by itself gave me overly squished results. YMMV of course.

 

[DannyB]

Protect your hearing!!

I have a Rockcrusher, and I like it. I also have the Pro150-DAG, which is about the same price as the Rockcrusher Recording. As good as a Rockcrusher is, the DAG is head and shoulders above it.

I wish the Powerblocks were still in production. I'd love to have one.

I've tried Bias and Ampltude and settled on the Laney Pulse for recording straight into a DAW. The Pulse comes with JJ tubes which are good ones. No Sovtek junk. JJs have a metalish tone to them whcih a lot of folks like. Mesa tubes are rebranded JJs. I replaced them with Rubys (same as TAD 7025s) and instantly I had everything from country cleans to blues to blues rock to rock to molten metal. It's awesome!

Back in the 90's I used a Marshall Power Brake. I remember using it on a 100w Hiwatt. I cranked the amp and turned down the volume. It sounded like I wired up to an old fashioned box springs. Boing! Boing! Boing!! It sounded awful!!



It was my intent to help folks understand power attenuators. This article helped my understand why some sound good and others, like the Power Brake, sound so bad!!

 

[Silicon Valley Tom]

As for power attenuators, I have a simple and direct approach that works every time. I just turn down the amplifiers volume! It makes me happy.

Tom

 

[Norfolk Bill]

just on the tube point Ruby dont make tubes just relabel them so they could even be sovtec lol

 

[DannyB]

just on the tube point Ruby dont make tubes just relabel them so they could even be sovtec lol

They are not Sovteks. Groove Tubes, Ruby and TAD typically contract for spec tubes, heavily test and grade tubes, even those made in their own factory like JJ. They do much more than just re-label. Tubes that don't pass testing are returned to market on the cheap. Typically, but no always, these companies use CZ in the nomenclature for JJ tubes, C for China and R for Russian built tubes.

 

[Norfolk Bill]

there are only four factories producing valves in the world for all different "companies" two in Russia one in china and one on Slovenia,,i doubt very much they have different tooloing and production lines for different "companies" ,, i know they are graded/tested etc before they are restamped

 

[CaptainMoto]

When you first mentioned the Aracom in another thread, some research was done on it. That Pro-150 seems like it's one of the best. I settled on a $499 RockCrusher on pricing comparison alone. Wish I did have an Aracom as well. The RockCrusher is pretty OK. But actually, I have a 25 foot Mogami Gold cable and when standing a little off-axis from the 4x12 cab, the JVM410HJS is bearable just about fully cranked up on either the Crunch-red or the OD channels on green, orange, or red. Hard to beat the sound of a dimed Marshall.

I can't disagree.
It's just not a good idea to be in proximity to that much sound.

 

[CaptainMoto]

"I have a Rockcrusher, and I like it. I also have the Pro150-DAG, which is about the same price as the Rockcrusher Recording. As good as a Rockcrusher is, the DAG is head and shoulders above it."

Hey Danny,
I'm interested in your assessment.
Please elaborate.

 

[DannyB]

Tubes are built by hand with the aid of the machines. Spec'ing a tube is about the metallurgy of the elements, spacing, amount of vacuum and other "settings." No retooling. That why 4 factories can build so many tubes that sound different. The 12BH7 is a good example. To best of my knowledge, "Tungsol" is the only new 12BH7 name brand on the market. However, TAD also has one. Physical inspection reveals they are not the same tube.

The old Mullard machines went to China, yet "new" Mullards are made in Russia. The short plate 12AX7 Sovteks are a prettty bright tube. If you have an amp that sounds too dark to you, it is a good one to try. If your guitar/amp combination tends to get ice picky real easy, these may not be the tube you want. The long plate Sovtek 12AX7LPS is a very smooth sounding tube. That smoothness makes it a great driver for most amps. I've used it a number of times. I love it in my Mesa.

 

[DannyB]

Hey Danny,
I'm interested in your assessment.
Please elaborate.

I'll try. Please view the image. You can see the the DAG setting on top of the big Marshall, and the RC on top of the Mesa. I'm not just being a "parrot."


I don't believe my comparison was very scientific. It was several months ago when I did this but here's what I remember. It wasn't the stack as I had not purchased the 1960B yet. I did this with the half stack version. The 100w amp had the exact same settings with MV set to 3 o'clock. Nothing was changed except the attenuators. I swapped them around once to get the volumes about the same, around 50% reduction. It was loud! As I recall, a minute or so of "I don't need No Doctor" and it was feeling pretty righteous! I hit standby and swapped in the DAG. Turned the standby off and right back to "I don't Need No Doctor." It seemed a bit richer, more Marshall and even more righteous. I had to make myself stop as I was not wearing my Westone plugs. I have hearing damage from fighter jets and I don't want to make things worse. I wish I could give you a description like "the highs were pinched and mids were smudged." But I've never been real adept at that type of description.

Was it bias that made me hear the difference? It's possible but I don't think so. I wasn't sure if I had wasted money (again) or if I made the right decision for me. I tried to be open minded. As it is, I don't regret the purchase. I would not advise anyone to sell their RC just to buy the Aracom. But I would say that if your thinking about a RC Recording, do yourself a favor and consider the DAG.

The surgeon says two weeks after surgery on my hand, in January, I'll be able to play again. I look forward to that. The wife, ehhhh, not so much!

I hope I was of some help.

 

[CaptainMoto]

OK Danny,
Think I got it.
I'm not getting anywhere near a 100 watt anything!

All my amps are low wattage.
I've had several attenuators and settled in on the RCR.
For my purposes it serves me well.
The EQ gives me the opportunity to tone shape what I record.

You're cranking a 100 watt Marshall and you have a wife!

Are you attempting to even the playing field by damaging her hearing as well?


BTW, that's a pretty impressive stack of stuff

 

[DannyB]

OK Danny,
Think I got it.
I'm not getting anywhere near a 100 watt anything!

All my amps are low wattage.
I've had several attenuators and settled in on the RCR.
For my purposes it serves me well.
The EQ gives me the opportunity to tone shape what I record.

You're cranking a 100 watt Marshall and you have a wife!

Are you attempting to even the playing field by damaging her hearing as well?


BTW, that's a pretty impressive stack of stuff

CM, thank you! I started gathering gear around 2007, looking at retiring in another 15 years or so. I had no idea that I would be forced to medically retire in 8.

I have hung several heavy cotton flags in the room, not just the Union Jack, in an effort to kill the flutter echo.

There are a number of good choices with various options, that can be confusing, and I'd say you chose very wisely!

The most "easy to hear" example is likely Blackmore in Deep Purple and Rainbow. Listen for the "openess" in his tone. All that openess comes from the 200watt Marshal Majors. 200watts each!! And non-master volume, too! I prefer a more balanced sound, and that equals the 100W. The 50w JCM800 I used to have, had very little openess to its sound. Fortunately, with the RC or DAG, I can bring the roar down some or even to bedroom levels. For me, it's about the sound, not volume. I played around with mostly the new tubes since the mid-90s. They are important also in how an amp sounds. These are my opinions, based on past experiences.

My #1 is the 20watt Laney. #2 and #3 are the Marshalls. #4 is the Fender BDRI. #5, the Mesa is for sale on Craigslist. I'll list it on Reverb after the turn of the year.

Ya done good CM!!