Ultimate Attenuator Q for BillyB

NY Chief · Post by **NY Chief** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 11:35 am

Dan, What options did you go for on yours and are you still happy with it?

Thanks!

http://www.ultimateattenuator.com/purchase.html

Billy Batz · Post by **Billy Batz** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 12:47 pm

I got the plexi switch and the line out. Im happy as hell with it. Right now John from Stone Age has it and he's pretty impressed but maybe he'll post about it.

Flames1950 · Post by **Flames1950** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 12:52 pm

I'd get the 300 watt Super UA for a 100-watter for sure.......I got the 200-watt upgrade with mine and my Super Bass has those resistors stinkin' like hell in twenty to thirty minutes. It may not ever blow, I dunno; and it sounds great, just makes you look at it funny and run for another fan to put on it just in case.

I think the resistors really should have been mounted up better with more thought to heat sinking/heat dissipation. They only get indirect airflow from the unit's fan, which blows at the power amp heatsink.

They're just sandwiched in there between three plates of metal........

Also, I would not order the regulated AC outlet for any extra money without some research......the transformer inside has a terminal for neutral and a terminal for 110 that the AC wires hook to -- with another terminal labelled 93VAC!! I can't seem to get a voltage reading on it but surely that tap is all you use to hook up the regulated outlet yourself?????

Flames1950 · Post by **Flames1950** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 12:53 pm

I also kinda wished I'd gotten the wattage doubler for a little two-cab full stack action, but I could still put the two cabs on stage and look cool, right?

NY Chief · Post by **NY Chief** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 1:36 pm

Hey, Thanks for the feedback guys!

Dan, are you pulling two tubes as UA suggests?

I wasn't sure about the 100V option seeing as how I have George's "virtual variac" in the Metro 12000.

Guess I'll need the plexi option, the 200 watt option and the maybe the doubler. But, if playing anywhere I can plug in another cab do I need an attenuator at all

Flames1950 · Post by **Flames1950** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 1:38 pm

Dan told me he thought the plexi option was pretty useless, kinda shrill sounding; I have to agree. Don't waste the money on that one unless you think your amps are too dark as is.

62sg · Post by **62sg** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 2:11 pm

Billy Batz wrote:I got the plexi switch and the line out. Im happy as hell with it. Right now John from Stone Age has it and he's pretty impressed but maybe he'll post about it.

Definitely impressed. Dan knows how I dislike attenuators in general.... never heard one that didn't sound like absolute #$%&, ....until I tried the Super UA.
This thing stays very true to your amps original tone at moderate 'liveable' volume settings. Even sounds good on the lower settings....not "boxey" like others I have tried...[pb etc.] The only drawback is , when rolling back my guitar volume, overall tone is not quite as clean as without the UA....and, the overall deep lows are not quite as defined. Still...an overall major improvement from other attenuators I have tried. I'm giving serious thought to getting one of these.

NY Chief · Post by **NY Chief** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 2:19 pm

Flames1950 wrote:Dan told me he thought the plexi option was pretty useless, kinda shrill sounding; I have to agree. Don't waste the money on that one unless you think your amps are too dark as is.

too late...

Billy Batz · Post by **Billy Batz** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 4:44 pm

NY Chief wrote:Hey, Thanks for the feedback guys!

Dan, are you pulling two tubes as UA suggests?

I wasn't sure about the 100V option seeing as how I have George's "virtual variac" in the Metro 12000.

Guess I'll need the plexi option, the 200 watt option and the maybe the doubler. But, if playing anywhere I can plug in another cab do I need an attenuator at all

The pulling 2 tubes thing and the 100V thing are both listed on the site as an answer to using a 100W marshall with a stock UA IIRC. I have a 200W UA so I mostly dont pull any tubes. Pulling 2 tubes seems like it would totaly solve the mismatch problem though. Id like to know how much wattage your really lowering running a 500V plate amp out of the 100VAC outlet thingy. Im guessing your still close to the 100W limit on 10. I wouldnt do it. Seems like its playing with fire.

Flames1950 · Post by **Flames1950** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 4:49 pm

I think I'd rather build a second load box to solve the mismatch problem (which hasn't been a problem yet anyway.) I've got all the stuff saved in a project on my Mouser account in case I decide to do that.

Billy Batz · Post by **Billy Batz** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 5:06 pm

You could try and mount 2 extra 50W 64ohm arcols in the UA somewhere too. Parallel on the input.

Flames1950 · Post by **Flames1950** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 5:10 pm

Naw, there's enough heat packed in there already. I may still just look at fans with more airflow or a second fan inside drawing air through the resistors.

Is it just me, or is everyone getting a crapload of "page cannot be found" "DNS error" type shit here today?

Billy Batz · Post by **Billy Batz** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 5:14 pm

Man with Gas · Post by **Man with Gas** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 10:01 am

Guys -Any idea on the Motherload unit? (www.motherloadusa.com)

At the moment I run a 100watt SL (on ten) into a Weber Mass 100watt (with speaker motor) take the line out option (Use no cab) into the power amp in of another 100watt SL with a cab and control the overall volume this way.

Anybody else doing this? How does a UA stack against a Motherload or Richter scale attenuator?

Regards,
MWG

Billy Batz · Post by **Billy Batz** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 10:23 am

Well for one the motherload isnt an attenuator. Unless you plan to go all DI its the richter you want but I hear as a DI the motherload sounds pretty good. Im not overly impressed by the sound clips recorded with the ML on the site but thats only one recording(s). Like other DIs it has all the speaker/cab emulating filters and all that jazz. There are 2 users that I know of here who have bought a Richter, one sings its praises and one sent it back to keep a UA. So it seems to me theyre on par at least and if your interested a richter is lightyears better then a MASS Im sure. I used your setup for quite some time. Doing almost the exact same thing only I used a SS poweramp.