Recommend me a reasonably priced attenuator

[BackwaterJunction]

Hi everyone, hope I'm posting in the right place.

I've got a few small combos and heads in the 5-15W range, and whilst these are of course quiet compared to a full stack, they're still very loud at home with family about.

I'd love to find a decent quality attenuator - preferably with a line out to send audio to a DAW to add an IR too later - at a 'reasonable' price. I'm aware everyone's take on that is subjective, but I can provide context that a UA Ox Box is going to be way out of budget, but I'd happily upgrade on my existing Harley Benton PA-100 which in particular seems to have quite a noisy line out. So I suppose anywhere in between!

Thanks in advance for any help.

Minor edit: got the name of the HB attenuator wrong, corrected

 

[archetype]

What's the maximum you'll spend?

I don't think the Harley-Benton PA-100, Bugera PS-1, Jet, and Multicomp Pro PMATT are known for noisy line out. Are you referring to the unbalanced 1/4" line out or the balanced XLR line out? Have you eliminated the possiblilty of a noisy cable? Schematics seem to be impossible to find, but the balanced line out has 2 capacitors, 5 or 6 resistors, and a transformer. It's likely that the unbalanced out taps the balanced circuit at some point. Do you have the skills and a bit of equipment to troubleshoot?

My guess is that all those attenuators are repackaged versions of the OEM Multicomp Pro PMATT.

https://www.newark.com/pulse/pmatt/power-attenuator/dp/78Y7684

The next step up from your H-B is the Weber Mini Mass, which starts at around $190 dollars. I've got one and it works well on my amps. The two levels of treble boost are handy. If you're patient, and on their mailing list, they very occasionally go on sale.

MiniMASS 50w Attenuator – Weber Speakers

www.tedweber.com

 

[uriah1]

Dr Z brake Lite is a great value., however, it doesnt have all the bells and whistles you
are looking for.

 

[BackwaterJunction]

What's the maximum you'll spend?

I don't think the Harley-Benton PA-100, Bugera PS-1, Jet, and Multicomp Pro PMATT are known for noisy line out. Are you referring to the unbalanced 1/4" line out or the balanced XLR line out? Have you eliminated the possiblilty of a noisy cable? Schematics seem to be impossible to find, but the balanced line out has 2 capacitors, 5 or 6 resistors, and a transformer. It's likely that the unbalanced out taps the balanced circuit at some point. Do you have the skills and a bit of equipment to troubleshoot?

My guess is that all those attenuators are repackaged versions of the OEM Multicomp Pro PMATT.

https://www.newark.com/pulse/pmatt/power-attenuator/dp/78Y7684

The next step up from your H-B is the Weber Mini Mass, which starts at around $190 dollars. I've got one and it works well on my amps. The two levels of treble boost are handy. If you're patient, and on their mailing list, they very occasionally go on sale.

MiniMASS 50w Attenuator – Weber Speakers

www.tedweber.com

You might be into something here, @archetype - it could well be that last night when noodling I plugged into the unbalanced output which might have been a bit noisier than the XLR out. I'll also have a check with different cables - perhaps I'm jumping the gun!

 

[68goldtop]

Hi!

...
I'd love to find a decent quality attenuator - preferably with a line out to send audio to a DAW to add an IR too later - at a 'reasonable' price...

There's a guy in Germany who runs his own amp-line, and also makes very good, and (almost) reasonable attenuators.
He will also work with you (for a modest up-charge) to provide you with what suits YOUR needs.

Check it out here:

MUSIC GEAR

I can also recommend the various Weber-offerings - but they're not as easy to come by in Europe...


cheers - 68.

 

[Highway 49]

I sold my Ironman II Mini as, with my Princeton Reverb at home volumes, amp distortion from cranking the amp through the attenuator, didn’t really sound any better than using an ordinary cheap overdrive pedal - also a faff having to plug it in and work out where to set it, and also where to set the ‘presence’ setting.

 

[northernguitar]

An attenuator is not something I'd cheap out on.

 

[northernguitar]

Is the Two Notes Torpedo Captor X in your budget. It's so much more than just an attenuator. You can use it with headphones, it's an audio interface, impulse response (IR) loader, stereo expander and more. I have the V1 version, which has far fewer features, but has given me much use and joy for years.

Torpedo Captor X - Two notes

For tube amp lovers Torpedo Captor X is a compact reactive load box, tube amp attenuator, miked cab simulator (DynIR Technology), Dual-IR loader and stereo expander for home, live and studio use. It comes with a lifetime licence for GENOME and 32 DynIR Cabinets. Register your Captor X with Two...

www.two-notes.com

 

[VintageSG]

Have you considered a DI between your amp and attenuator?
I have the Harley Benton model that's basically the Bugera PS-1/Jet City and while it's OK as an attenuator, I find the XLR and line-out to be a bit gash.

Amp -> DI -> Atten. -> dummy load or cab.

The PS1/Jet City/H-B can be run without a cab attached, but I feel safer with a cab or dummy load on it.

An active DI could be the solution you're seeking. Living in the cheap seats, I have a Behringer Ultra-G and Ultra-DI. The 'G' has a tone-slope cab emulator that can be switched in. It's rather good. The plain DI lacks this. Both can give a clean, lively signal. They need phantom power. They can run from a battery, but the battery compartment is fiddly.

Pretty much any basic active DI will get the job done, but ensure it can be used inline with the cab/load. Buy one with signal pads too. It's easier to make up gain than address clipping. Apply your impulse responses and voila!

 

[abcdefghijklmnop]

Look for a used Powerstation PS2 which you can find for about $700 online, maybe a bit less. You can pay $300 for a cheapo Behringer or whatever, but its worth it to pay a few hundred more and buy the best. The PS is not just an "attenuator" its a reamper, that does impedence matching and it has multiple line outs, effects loop and tone shaping. its the best invention for guitar amps in the last 20 years.

 

[goonie]

My Torpedo Captor is great, seems transparent to my ears. Though for multiple amps you may need to buy one for each impedance.

 

[kbold]

I'd recommend a weber attenuator.
If you want a cheaper option, get a 2nd hand one.

 

[Dukex]

I use a Weber.

 

[jdl57]

Hi everyone, hope I'm posting in the right place.

I've got a few small combos and heads in the 5-15W range, and whilst these are of course quiet compared to a full stack, they're still very loud at home with family about.

I'd love to find a decent quality attenuator - preferably with a line out to send audio to a DAW to add an IR too later - at a 'reasonable' price. I'm aware everyone's take on that is subjective, but I can provide context that a UA Ox Box is going to be way out of budget, but I'd happily upgrade on my existing Harley Benton PA-100 which in particular seems to have quite a noisy line out. So I suppose anywhere in between!

Thanks in advance for any help.

Minor edit: got the name of the HB attenuator wrong, corrected

You just missed their sale, but you might want to check out Weber.

Attenuators – Weber Speakers

www.tedweber.com

 

[RockyRules]

Nothing under $800 imo

 

[Tim S]

Nothing under $800 imo

I would tend to agree with this. But I have head good things about the DIY “M2” Attenuator created by JohnH on the Marshall Forum.

Simple Attenuators - Design And Testing

Background Passive attenuators are wired between the amp output and the speakers. Their function is to absorb most of the output power of the amp, feeding a smaller amount to the speaker itself. This allows the amp output stage to run at higher power, letting the glorious tone of a good valve...

marshallforum.com

It looks like Fromel Elctronics is selling a commercially-built 60w version of the M2 that’s under $350 (& there’s talk about a higher wattage model in the works)

Lotus JohnH M2 Simple Attenuator 60 Watt

Over the years I have tried just about every attenuator made and tried my hand at a few original designs. They all exhibited the same problem, the more attenuation is added the more the tone suffers. Long story short, my search is over, I found the JohnH Simple Attenuator on the Marshall forum...

fromelelectronics.com

 

[aux8]

I got persuaded that Weber Mini Mass was a good option. It's expensive to ship from USA, and they don't seem to come up for sale very often on this side. I stalked some used gear sites for a few months till I got one.

 

[Fiesta Red]

I second the recommendation of the Dr. Z’s Brake Lite…it works great in my ‘63-reissue Vibroverb—but doesn’t have the options you’re looking for…

If you look closely on the right side, you’ll see a small black box with a silver knob.

 

[Back at it]

If you can get a ps2 that’s the best but if you only need -6 ish db reduction most any attenuator will work

I believe a hotplate has a line out

 

[gonzo]

Weber Mass Lite for me,
has been flawless for 15 years.

$160 back in the day.