Guitarist

sHoulD I get an attenuatoR?

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Maybe. Or you could just try turning it down. You’re only considerin­g an attenuator if you want the amp’s own overdriven sound and feel from pre and power sections, but at lower volume. If you just want it quieter, either turn it down, or buy a smaller amp! An external attenuator sits between the amp speaker output and the speaker, converting the excess energy into heat or mechanical energy. Make sure the attenuator has the required power handling capacity and impedance for your amp and speaker. Once installed, the amp will be working harder, so it’s more susceptibl­e to the stresses of high-volume operation, such as reduced valve life. Some external attenuator­s are better than others at mimicking what a true speaker load does, which has tonal and reliabilit­y ramificati­ons. Internal power scaling on amps that feature it is done in a different way. This reduces voltage inside the amp, rather than attenuates output from the speaker output.

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