Hi all,
I'm curious if anyone here knows if there have really been advances in attenuator technology or if the new offerings are simply packaged better and/or are really just snake oil.
What are attenuators such as the aracom,Alex, etc using that older attenuators like the weber mass, airbrakes, and powerbrakes are not?
Attenuator technology advances
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chickenbop
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AJW
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Re: Attenuator technology advances
I don't know what the difference might be, but I don't think it's "snake oil". I used the old Scholz Power Soak back in the eighties (still have it), and I never liked the sound of it. Later on I tried the THD Hotplate, and was happier with that. It was better, and was necessary for me with a cranked plexi Metro clone I built. It did the job.
Now I have an Alex's Attenuator. It is markedly better sounding to me compared to the Hotplate. I'd built a 45/100 clone, and I decided to buy the Alex for it. The amp is much fuller sounding with the Alex. I was using the Hotplate with my Metro clone which I had modded into a 2203. I thought the amp sounded thin and unappealing after the mods, but then I thought, 'maybe I should try it with the Alex'. Wow! The amp sounds great. The Hotplate...not so much.
There is something better in the Alex attenuator. It's not perfect, but it is way closer. The same is (or was in the case of Faustine) probabably true about the Aracom, Faustine, and maybe Rockcrusher.
Now I have an Alex's Attenuator. It is markedly better sounding to me compared to the Hotplate. I'd built a 45/100 clone, and I decided to buy the Alex for it. The amp is much fuller sounding with the Alex. I was using the Hotplate with my Metro clone which I had modded into a 2203. I thought the amp sounded thin and unappealing after the mods, but then I thought, 'maybe I should try it with the Alex'. Wow! The amp sounds great. The Hotplate...not so much.
There is something better in the Alex attenuator. It's not perfect, but it is way closer. The same is (or was in the case of Faustine) probabably true about the Aracom, Faustine, and maybe Rockcrusher.