Most "power attenuators" have a load built in, so that the load is distributed between the attenuator unit and a guitar speaker. This "attenuator" is different; it has no build-in load, but strictly serves to adjust the balance between an external dummy load and guitar speaker.
Reviews of Soundsmith Products
The Attenuator, features a multi- tapped transformer. It is designed to convert the Silent Speaker into a reactive load box inserted between your amp and speaker cab.
Tested with a Fender Princeton and Matchless Clubman, the pair sounded excellent at all reduced levels - detailed, dynamic and musical. Kolbe has some fine voodoo going on here.
Guitar Player. August 1993.
The Silent Speaker and The Attenuator - "The Attenuator is designed to compliment the Silent Speaker or any of the of the other dummy load devices. It eliminates the need for an external amp/speaker system. The Attenuator/load combination makes it possible to use the speakers in your combo or head/bottom system. The Attenuator allows you to ajust the signal developed accross the load to any volume from zero to 90% of full volume and feed it to the speaker system. In keeping with design goal for the Silent Speaker: to build a device that imitates a speaker system accuratelly, The Attenuator is built around a custom designed tapped transformer. This approach, although expensive and complicated, is the only one that preserves the amplifier speaker interaction."
Soundsmith, Inc 27 West 20th St. NY NY, 10011. eric at soundsmith.com or harry at soundsmith.com. (11 AM -- 6 PM weekdays, EST), 212-627-2740
Harry's article about attenuators
Randall Aiken wrote: "I have no idea how good the Kolbe unit is; I believe you have to buy two different units to get both attenuation and a load/line out feature." [one is for attenuation, one is for reactive load and line-out]
There is a 1-column comparative review in Legends of Guitar: The Quest for Ultimate Tone. Best of Guitar Player. Sonic secrets -- Hendrix, Clapton, Van Halen, Stevie Ray, Slash, & more. Distortion tips. Eq- craig anderton. Decoding distortion. R. Aspen Pittman. Eric Johnson. Tone factors in solidbody guitars. 1995. Has a review of soaks, which appeared in Guitar Player Aug 1993. Covered:
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