I have a Blues DeVille and it's great for playing outside at venues and in large spaces. Problem is I can't get that natural clip in my house without shattering the windows. So I read about the Dr. Z Air Brake and I guess it limits, ( I don't know if that's the right word) the power, or at least backs it down a bit, so you can play a crazy loud amp at comfortable volume without the voulme knob being at 2. Maybe I'm missing some important caveat, but it seems like what I'm looking for. Of course, the Air Brake was only an example. If there's anything better out there, let me know. Could somebody please give me a description of an attenuator in conjuction with and amp in layman's terms? Since I don't know much about the nitty gritty of electronics. Thanks!

Can of worms alert!

I guess in layman's terms, the attenuator converts the amps power to heat. Make sure the attenuator is the correct impedance for your amp - the Air Brake is listed as suitable for 4-, 8-, and 16-ohms I believe.

There's lots of different attenuators out there, I'm still trying to find "the one". I'm just a play at home type, so my needs may be different than someone who gigs. I have a Dr Z Brake Lite which is similar to the Air Brake but fewer features and lower power rating. It sounds real good on the first 2 clicks, okay on the 3rd, but the fourth click is not very pleasing. My understanding of the Air Brake is the set positions are different than the Brake Lite. The bedroom setting on the Air Brake looks good for home use, but I've never tried one. The Brake Lite just uses two big-ass resistors with taps at different points for the click settings.

I am currently waiting for the arrival of an Aracom attenuator I found for a decent price used; it seems like an extremely flexible unit (different input and output impedance settings are possible). I'm hoping it will be the end of my search for an attenuator. (Just like the end of the guitar search, the end of the amp search, etc... )

Basically, an attenuator lets you run your amp at levels where the pre-amp tubes and the power tubes and the transformer are performing at levels where they are clipping. You put it between the cabinet and the speaker and it decreases the output to the speaker, converting the unused power to heat, like Jeff says. I've been looking at the RockCrusher. There is a good tutorial on the link. The RockCrusher can reduce the volume by 20dB. If I remember my physics, a 3dB reduction means half as loud, so a 20dB reduction is something like 1/10th the unattenuated volume, but with the full distortion. There is also something akin to a Loudness button, because you don't hear the high and low end as well at low volumes. They ain't cheap (~$500), but it might help keep your relationship with both your wife and your neighbors intact...

I sometimes use a Weber MiniMass and there's an attenuator built in on my Savage. The attenuated signal tends to lose some high end and the low is decreased because you are under-powering the speaker; the Weber definitely has sweet spots and dead spots through the range. It allows you to run the tubes fuller, but keep in mind it will not have the effect of higher volumes on the speakers (no chugging or speaker compression). I like it for chime and it works pretty well for distorted lead. It works GREAT for taking a little off the top if your amp is marginally too loud. Its less satisfying if you are knocking a 40 watter down to bedroom level.

Consider it like screaming in a pillow.

The power tubes are working hard, because you cranked volume up. But the connected attenuator is eating most of that energy. There is either a resistor making heat or a speaker without cone doing a dance. The power that's left, goes to the speaker you connect. You'll hear the amp at crunch but not that loud.

There is also a very good attenuator which uses transformers, but that is $800 or so. I forgot the nrand. It sounds more neutral. Attenuators always sound slightly different from the pure amp.

A good part of the fun with cranked amps comes from the speakers being pushed into their limits. You won't have that with a attenuator.

I find that when I use my minimass with headphones, I like the sound a little more when I run it through a cabinet simulator (guitar amp modeller with the amp-bit turned off).

FWIW, the minimass has a tone switch that lets you roll off some highs when playing over headphones. The same switch boosts some highs when playing over speakers.

I'd love to read what Tavo has to say.

I have a 80s Tom Scholz Power Soak that worked fine when I used it a few years ago.

Hi, I'm an electronics technician who deals with this kinda stuff all the time as a product designer.

Can I suggest you read the article below that I wrote some time ago for just this kinda situation. It's really an FAQ!

Link...

Hope it helps. Good luck.

Cool, a proper answer.

Bad!

Welcome to the GDP, Mr. Ward. It's an honour.

Thanks for the link. I don't think those devices are good for bedroom level use. I own a nice 30watts EL84 equipped Laney that sounds best in the fine line when clean goes crunch. Dialing in that sound and taming the volume with the Tom Scholz Power Soak worked fine. It still was loud, btw.

Welcome to the GDP, Mr. Ward. It's an honour.

Thanks for the link. I don't think those devices are good for bedroom level use. I own a nice 30watts EL84 equipped Laney that sounds best in the fine line when clean goes crunch. Dialing in that sound and taming the volume with the Tom Scholz Power Soak worked fine. It still was loud, btw.

Thank you Sascha... you're too kind! And it's Stewart BTW!

The good way would be to have a BZ MultiWatt circuit installed so you can adjust the wattage of the amp, but that involves shipping the amp out here and back. It's not something a regular tech would know how to do.
BZ

Would that be variable B+?

Good to see the flight home went well btw.

All these atenuators may help but none of them has give me satisfaction. Nothing compares the real "open up" voice of your amp. That's the reason a prefer to push low wattage amps. I'm also very lucky with my neighbours who-til now-never called the cops when I crank my amps for a few minutes.

I use a Hotplate w/my AC30. Works pretty well. Also has a treble and bass boost for use at the lowest setting. Probably works best when you're only cranking the attenuation a few clicks rather than all the way (in so far as preserving amp's actual tone). But, to me, still sounds better than using a pedal to do it.

Sadly, the human hearing doesn't work like most think it does. Some players think that Power Attenuators sound OK, whereas other don't. So you just have to try them out and make your own minds up... no choice.

They're not for me... I can hear what they do to the sound! But then I'm a 100% solid state guy and have no need of them. I'm am into 'old school' sounds (classic sounds), but I don't use valves/tubes any more to create them!

I've tried a marshall powersoak & a hot plate. Didn't like either, strangles the tone. If you want overdrive sounds at low volume get a micro cube, cheaper than either.