I can just imagine the heat from the flames I’d get on the forums if I said this, but this is something I just can’t hold back any longer after reading so many threads on the Ultimate Attenuator. I’ve spent a lot of time studying how different attenuators work, and I’ve come to the conclusion that despite its popularity, this is not an attenuator that I’d even consider getting, even if it’s at a reasonable price – which it isn’t. I have a lot of different reasons for not liking this attenuator, but the biggest issue to me is the fact that with the UA, the amp is no longer reacting with the speaker and vice-versa. The UA has a cheap, solid-state amplifier built into its circuitry to re-amplify the amp’s signal after it has passed through the 32 ohm fixed resistor. At that point, the speaker is interacting with the solid-state amp. How that can pass for transparency is beyond me.
Then there’s the fixed resistor. Don’t even think about running a 2 or 4 ohm output into that attenuator. You’re risking serious damage to your amp if you do that. The impedance mismatch there is so high, it has the potential to fry your power tubes or worse. As an add-on, you can get the 16/32 ohm switch, or get one of Ted Webber’s impedance matchers. But then you’ve already spent $750 – that’s just nuts!
I use the Dr. Z Airbrake which uses a rheostat type of resistor to provide variable attenuation. People have complained that at high attenuation levels it sucks tone. It does indeed, but for normal usage, just above loud conversation volume, it is very transparent, and I would daresay that it’s much more transparent than the UA because the amp and speaker are still reacting to each other as there is no “middle-man” solid-state re-amplifier.
I’m probably going to piss people off with this little rant, but so be it. I freely admit that I’m no electronics expert, but I do have the intelligence to understand a thing or two about amps, and a re-amplified attenuated signal – at least to me – isn’t going to be transparent.
Guitar Gear 
There are a couple promising methods to attenuate volume that make all resistance methods inferior (at the expense of higher costs). One of them is London Power Scaling by Kevin O’Connor http://www.londonpower.com/, which reduces the voltage in the power supply to attenuate volume without being hard on the power tubes. This power scaling can be found on amps such as the Fargen Mini Plex MkII http://www.fargenamps.com/ampminiplex.html and the Suhr Badger 18 http://www.suhrguitars.com/badger.aspx. Check out the Fargen Mini Plex audio and video clips about halfway down the page. Awesome! The newest and most expensive method is FluxTone Speakers http://fluxtone-speakers.com/. I first heard of them in an article by Premier Guitar, and it seems their method of controlling volume by varying the electromagnetic flux through the speaker while allowing the entire guitar signal to pass through really works! Now if only I could come up with $850 to test it out for myself…
Three of the links in my first reply have somehow incorporated the closing parenthesis into the URL address, so just remove them and the links should work.
Yikes! $815! Looks like they’re using that old field coil method from way back when. That stuff really works. Very nice. But man! That’s a HUGE price to pay, and will only work with one speaker at a time. I suppose in a studio, that’s just fine. The advantage of an attenuator is that attenuation is on the total output, not just a single speaker.
I believe the challenge most attenuator manufacturers face is impedance matching through the range of attenuation. Since many use a single fixed resistor, there’s only so far they can go.
Just my 2 cents here, but i’ve used the Ultimate Attenuator for about a year and it crushes the Hotplate and Power Brake for sound quality. I’ve had no problems at all in use and it’s fantastic for small club gigs. I use it with a JCM 800 2204, 2203x reissue, 2205 dual channel reverb, and a 1987x reissue. All the amps work exceptionally well with it.
When playing this at really low volumes (bedroom levels), i do turn the treble and presence up a bit. At higher gig volumes i roll it back a bit as the perception of the high end becomes louder at louder volumes.
Either way, the sound does not sound veiled. It isn’t identical to using it without the UA, but it does not add anything that clouds the sound. The amps sound so good with the masters (or not with the amp that doesn’t have a master), you can’t believe it, if you haven’t turned your volume all the way up. It is a wonderful investment, and if you shop around (i bought mine from Mark’s music in NH), you can get a loaded model significantly cheaper than ordering direct.
kristian,
Thanks for sharing your insights! The two I tested really colored my tone, and not in a good way. But I’ve since come to understand that the UA sounds different with different amps. Glad to hear you’re having success with it!
GoofyDawg
I have a Komet Concorde Amp which is absolutely amazing and currently have a UA which is temporary only until I can get something better (Phanotom or Aracom). For those of you familiar with the Komet, there is “Fast Mode” which just wails with great touch sensititvity and “Gradual Mode” which is a bit smoother, less gain but such dynamics, wow! I found myself playing live more in Gradual Mode simply due to the fact that I felt in Fast Mode the UA was completely wrecking the tone. It almost felt like I was playing through a compressor that was flattening out the tone. The responsivness was just not there. There was slightly more clarity while playing in gradual mode but that suffered too. As I said, this is temporary. The UA is a goner hopefully soon.
I’ve played the UA (owned one for a couple months), Aracom & Faustine Phantom.
No contest. The impedance mismatch of the UA and the re-amped tone were a deal-killer. Tone was not bad but not at all transparent. Impedance mismatch a serious concern IMO unless all you have are 16 ohm amps/speakers, in which case a 2:1 ratio may save you, but on an 8, 4, or 2 ohm setup a UA will be a killer over time IMO.
The Faustine is the cream of the crop IMO/IME & worth the heavy price for the quality, tone, & utility.
The Aracom also sounds very good & has the benefit of separately switchable input & output impedance. But it’s a big box to haul around and figure out where to put, etc.
The Phantom & Aracom are worlds above the rest. The UA is one of the also-rans.
Absolutely. But I’m not sure if I’d ever pay $949 for the Phantom. $749 was a consideration, but this new price – I don’t see the justification.
if you do studio work or have a studio, or it replaces an OD pedal or 3 the cost, while very high, is not out of line with the quality …
“value” v. “cost” … it’s certainly not for everyone.
Here’s my 2 cents. I’ve been playing concerts and clubs for almost 40 years. I play blues, swing, boogie and blues/rock. I have owned and used the Ultimate attenuator regularly at rehearsals and club dates for the past 3 years. With it, I can play any venue with my Fender 57 Twin Reissue cranked to it’s sweet spot (8 or 9 on the amp volume knob). The 57 Twin expects 4 ohms from the speakers, but absolutely no problems at all with the Ultimate. My well-repected amp tech in Atlanta, after looking the ultimate over and taking some measurements, says: ‘Just play it man’. My power tubes have been lasting a year or more. After that I change them, not because they have gone bad, but just for reliability insurance. The tone is the same as it is when not using the Ultimate at all (admittedly I don’t do “bedroom” levels”, but I play some smaller clubs where my amp on 8 would be WAY too loud). I DID NOT like the tone with a Hot Plate. I get consistent compliments on my tone. I plug my old strat or old Les Paul straight into the amp, and let it rip. Before getting the Ultimate, I bought a couple of boutique drive pedals, looking for that natural tube overdrive and touch-sensitivity at a lower volume. Those pedals have been in the closet for the past 3 years. I suppose it is possible that playing through the Ultimate could be putting strain on my amp. But I truthfully tell you – three years of daily playing through it and NO problems. I am totally satisfied with this unit.
That’s great to hear a contrasting view. Thanks!
It all began at the end of 2010. I’ve decided to buy me the most talked about attenuator in the market.
Unfortunately, no one worn me of what is about to happen.
After searching all over the net, I’ve decided to buy the Ultimate Attenuator. I’ve decided to invest a lot, as you all know this is the most expensive one out there.
So I’ve contacted Mark, who is the owner of this brand. Of course he was very polite and answered within a day or two to every mail I wrote him.
After few question I had that Mark had answered, I’ve made the order. Transferred him the money and so the waiting begins.
The package arrived after about 17 days, and when picking it up, the package looked really small.
I’ve arrived home from the P.O and opened the package, which was POORLY packed, and this is an understatement.
Unfortunately, I’ve discovered that the front volume knob is broken and so is the front panel, the entire metal cover is dent and smashed (I guess this is what happens when you don’t pack it as needed).
When connecting the attenuator to the amp and speaker, of course it even didn’t turn on.
I immediately contacted Mark notifying him about this issue.
He told me “I got your phone message and emails. I am sorry about the problem. I wish we could package better but it’s all we can fit in that box. If we used a different box, shipping would cost twice as much so we know that occasionally there may be shipping damage. So far, this is the worst.” – So this is how they work, they ship with as less packing as possible hopping for the best. He also said that he will replace all broken parts, and he will send them right away.
Meanwhile I went to technician who fixed the problem of the attenuator that didn’t turn on. It was due to the massive impact it had suffered. But the crackling noise that came from the knobs, I guess I just had to learn to live with it as is.
After about two month of almost begging Mark for answers and refund for the electrician fixing the problem, I just gave up, and then the replacement parts had arrived (24 Mar).
Thought this would be the end of this story, but again I was mistaken. Got the knob and the metal case housing for the attenuator, but NO front panel (reminder – it was completely broken).
Again, the emails between me and Mark had started again, when I was the one “Begging” him to send me the panel and him not responding.
After month of begging, the panel had finally arrived (27 May), and guess what. You were right; it was poorly packed again and came totally in pieces. I guess his mailing system has not changed.
Since then, I’ve been writing Mark on a monthly basis begging him to send me what I only think is rightfully should be sent. Once every two or three month he respond with excuses like “I’m back ordered on those parts. I’ll take one off of an existing UA” or “Sorry. Please resend address and I will pack and ship.”
I’ve just had it with this behavior!!! This is not the first time I buy things On-line, but it is defiantly the first time I encounter this poor and unfair behavior from someone I had paid him so much money.
I just had to share this story with you all, beware of such on-line sellers!!! I guess I’ve learned my lesson here. I will NEVER do business with him again and hope you as well!
Regards,
Boidek.
Thank you so much! I really many thanks for article, in reality I think you deserve a thumbs up.
Hi Boidek. Call me direct and I will send a new attenuator. 760-969-2634.
To the original poster, the UA does not use a cheap solid state amp. It incorporates a proprietary buffer that makes it unique. 32 ohms is perfect for a 16 ohm amp and actually sounds better and is safer than a 16 ohm load. As far as transparency, you’ll need to prove that to yourself. Also, the two large 16 ohm resistors can be configured to 4 ohms, 8 ohms 16 ohms or 32 ohms easily. So if you have some sort of psychological issue with the doubling of the impedance, you can match if you wish.
Mark, I did head-to-head comparisons with several attenuators in my search. Obviously, a lot of people use your attenuator, so they’re pleased with what they have. But in my signal chain, I felt that it sucked my tone a lot as compared to the Aracom and even the Phantom (which is long gone). But to each their own.
My original rant 5 years ago was in response to forum discussions on attenuators where, as you know, people have almost a religious devotion to their gear. 🙂 Admittedly, I lost my cool.
But in the ensuing years, I’ve come to realize and live by the words of the great Duke Ellington: “If it sounds good and feels good, it is good.” So more power to those who love your attenuator. I’m not a fan, but far be it from me to say it’s bad. It’s just not for me.
Thanks for commenting!
Excellent blog here! Also your web site a
lot up very fast! What host are you the use of? Can I get your associate
link on your host? I wish my site loaded up as quickly as yours lol
Re Mark Gregg…hey mang, glad to see you stepping up with the new attenuator…thumbs up!! I’ve actually known the designer?maker of the ultimate attenuator for 30 years now, and was worried that his build would get marred by something as small as crappy packaging….we all gotta learn by trial an error…nice to see the product is being taken care of….the builder who shall remain nameless, has been modding my marshall, mesa’s, fenders forever….we’d be in his private shop and he’d be tweeking while we played, and he really use to work endlessly with all the local bands…some very famous then and today, and he really knows his stuff, but ultimately…wants to save you and mostly himself the headache by doing something right….that’s where and how his antenuator evolved over the years….i’ve had all his stages….just a real honest guy who’s shop was always full to the ceiling with everyone’s amps, just waiting for that special guru to tweek….custom he has always been, and a real gentleman….i just heard about him when i was 18/19 years old, going on the road with cover bands touring 6 nights a week…all throughout these years he has made special gear…we all always thought he was our best kept secret…our “in” for the tones of the stars…..thanks for taken care of his build, it’s cool that he has let your be the owner to sell these boxes…probably cause he just wants to build, stay quiet as usual (everyone wants him to do his magic on their gear), and enjoy his family…….cheers
David, nothing against Mark at all. I’ve never had the opportunity to interact with him, so I’ll take your word that he’s a great guy. I found that most of the guys that do these special types of equipment are pretty cool folk. As for the attenuator itself, since I wrote that rant a few years back, I’ve taken a much more live and let live attitude about gear. If it works for you, great! If it doesn’t, go elsewhere. At the time, the UA just didn’t do it for me, and admittedly, I let my emotions get the better of me at the time, as I was hanging out in the forums quite a bit back then.
In any case, thanks for the history lesson!
I have tried the Ultimate attenuator ages ago and I would NEVER use that thing on a vintage Marshall. I used to own a Marshall 1987XL reissue and I used the UA on that. First time I plugged it in I knew something was off. Basically found out it damaged my OT upon plug in. Still tried it giving it the benefit of the doubt thinking it had something to do with my amp. Followed the instructions carefully.. After replacing the OT I plugged it in. Played for about a week. Blew the OT on that one as well. I had to replace the OT twice because of it. This thing as good as the reviews are doesn’t do it for me in that it WILL put a lot of load on your amp. I had a ’67 Marshall Superlead (owned by Eric Johnson) and I would NEVER use this thing on an amp like that.
Since then as a previous poster posted. I got into the amp building hobby and built myself a 5f1 Champ, 5E3 and a couple of heavily modified high gain amps based on the JCM800 2204 platform. I have installed London Powers power scaling. For about $80, soldering skills I ended up installing this into my high gain amp. It IS a tricky to install as you have to know what you are doing. Never had a problem with this and in fact now when I think about it the UA was absolute garbage and will in fact damage your amplifier and not just a filter cap but one of the transformers which is VERY costly especially if you’re using a vintage amp. The power scaling is the best I have come across so far as it in fact extends tube life and doesn’t overload the PT or OT. First you bias the amp properly and the power scaling does the rest. I can get that compressed sag that you get only when you crank it up at very whisper volumes. Doesn’t colour the sound, can play for hours on end without damaging your OT. This is the real deal. I just want to say that I DON’T endorse London Power, only that this guy Kevin knows his what he is doing.
UA is ultimately inferior to power scaling. In fact it was Ultimate Garbage for me. Should call it the UG. Doesn’t even come in the same class.
I honestly didn’t know what to do with this thing as I spent like over $800 on this thing. Guy wouldn’t return it. I was too scared to sell it to someone as I might get heat if this damaged their prized amp. I didn’t EVER want to risk blowing a tranny on another amp. What I DID do was tell my amp tech that this thing blew two of my OT’s in a reissue Marshall and since the amp tech could probably make some use if this I ended up just selling to him for $200.
I wish I had known more about building amps back then and knew about power scaling as these “attenuators” are in fact inferior and can damage your amp for good.
Just my two cents venting. And it’s awesome someone out there knows about Power scaling and some well known and amps builders have used it on their builds.
…man that must have sucked…like i said in posts, the ultimate attenuator is a mimic of the real one that Ho from Ho’s electronics in Burnaby British Columbia designed and still makes to this day…but he doesn’t call it the ultimate attenuator…the guy does calls his the ultimate attenuator bought the rights from Ho to build it and sell it…Ho sells his for like 275 to over 300 canadian…ive used his attenuation box on an early 71 mashall super lead, a dr z maz 38, a 66 bassman, and they all have been perfectly unaffected…that guy who charges 800 for what he calls his “ultimate attenuator”, is doing something different to it…he must be, because must of us old pros around Vancouver B.C., Canada know that Ho’s box is awesome for using at smaller venues. i feel sorry for all the people who have been buying the knock off…the guy is obviously doing something different to Ho’s design…just think about it…the guys buys the rights to build Ho’s awesome attenuator, then mucks it all up because of his ego i am guessing….he bought something that Ho sells at a rock bottom price, then figured he could alter it maybe, just to stroke his own ego as the “builder/designer”….please lol….anyways, yeah the london power amps scaling is pretty wicked, but everything that i have read especially back in the day when he first started to shop his scaling around was….everyone who bought his scaling components never got exactly what was in the london power amps…he had his website up way back then like 14 to 16 years ago, and stated that….there was another good amp builder mark stephenson i think here in B.C. who used london power amp scaling in his amps…i think he was in Hope B.C. at the time, and might be on Vancouver Islandi think,,,,don’t know if he is still using london power amp scaling though…….back to the schmuck who is ripping people off with the ultimate attenuator…sorry, but if you tried Ho Electronic’s (from Burnaby B.C. Canada) original design, none of your amps would have been damaged…i’m not saying Ho’s is the best, like anything, everything alters tone…why didn’t fender put effects loops in their old amps?…because they were perfect….doesn’t mean it can’t be done and still sound great….i feel bad for all who bought that rip off guys product..he really did have the ability to take Ho’s great design and do well with it….some people’s kids eh!
you guys do know that this Mark Gregg guy is building something different than what he had bought from Ho of Ho’s Electronics shop. Ho makes a superior design, and this Mark guy is trying to piggy back from it. He worked out a deal with Ho to be able to make Ho’s attenuator and package it as his own called “the ultimate attenuator”….but it’s not the same, people are paying twice as much as what Ho sells his for Canadian, and obviously isn’t made the same because Ho’s works awesome…has for like 30 years now….period….last reply for me, anyone arguing these facts are not on an honest path…..cheers.
It’s amazing after all these years, the attenuator discussion keeps popping it’s head up… David, thanks for the insights. I never had the chance to use a Ho attenuator, so I can’t comment on it, but I did test the UA on a number of amp and cab combinations. I just couldn’t get a decent tone out of it. On the other hand, there have been people who’ve been well-aware of the high-freq loss who’ve loved that, so go figure. As I said above, if it sounds good, it is good.
i here ya there….i think people need to understand that any input into a signal change is going to alter something…whether it’s tone or feel. when a 100w is turned down, no matter how many tone pots injected for our ears pleasure at small room volumes, is never gonna make up for the fact that the “feel” just wont be there the same as something pushed…..so today i push smaller hand wired amps to simulate the same…but it never is. here’s something funny…i sold a fractal audio axefx2 after enjoying the simplicity of recording with it, and later bought one of those atomic amplifier pedals…well, the tones are okay, but when mixed in with a band, it feels so darn good, that it makes up for the tones…it’s a useful tool….still not the same, but a guy has to have toyz!! haha
cheers!
Hey David, Thanks for the insight on the Ho attenuator. Yes I have heard he was the original designer/builder for it. I have honestly never tried it myself as I guess Mark markets the UA very well and when you type in attenuator his thing pops up all over the internet. I think once I popped into Ho’s site and it was very low-key. Which must be for a good reason but I honestly think Ho should try to market his attenuator more since it does sound like his (original) is in fact ALOT better than what this Mark Gregg guy is selling. I have heard many similar posts about Ho’s attenuator that his was the original. Man I wish I had knew back then more about it and not gotten sucked into this marketing mumble jumble of the UA. I could’ve saved several hundred bucks plus a couple of OTs.
As for the power scaling I find it very useful and there are a lot of amp builders out there that are incorporating it into their builds. Just to name a few more: Stephenson, John Suhr, Egnator .. to name just a few.
One thing I do have to say is to have power scaling it’s best to get an amp that already has that incorporated into it. Or.. to incorporate this into an amp that you build from scratch.. Which is what I did since I have too much time on my hands haha.. But I’m assuming most are musicians that wouldn’t have that time. Of course there are licensed installers that London Power has approved.. But I wouldn’t incorporate this into a vintage amp that might lose value if holes were drilled in etc. But I have seen some amp owners that have in fact installed this into their pre-exising amp and it worked out great.
For me though, I wanted to get the best out of power scaling so that meant installing a separate bias adjustment for each power tube (which means I can use almost any power tube–have used 6V6 to KT120’s in mt 50W amp), and a separate bias supply. Man am I happy with it though. and had so much fun using all the different power tubes while cranking it up at low idle current for each tube.
Whatever the case I sound like I’m endorsing London POwer haha which I’m not but I am really happy with what I can get with this power scaling.
As for the UA (Not Ho’s design).. I want to spread the word that this thing can and will overload your amp. It is a total rip off for the kind of money you are spending on this thing.. It IS just a well marketed device and that’s all it is. It might work for some time but over time this will eventually toast your OT. Like I did mine. And thew worst thing is you don’t know what to do with this thing.. As the guy won’t return it. AND you can’t sell it (as you don’t want someone else’s amp to get damaged). It was the worst $800 I ever spent. Unless I hope the guy “fixes” what he did to it. And make it into something that actually is not dangerous to an amplifier at LEAST.
But then again I wasn’t too happy with the tone I got from this either. Of course you won’t be able to as a full output with speakers pumping (as you should expect), but even then it sounded way too “thin” and I lost alot of the high end (I remember). I’m sure the guy modified the original version which is why I’m not the first person to be critical of it.
I’ve used a UA for maybe 10 years on my 50 Watt plexi reissue, playing it constantly, often at near bedroom levels of attenuation, and have never had a problem with my amp. I’ve also never changed tubes in it. I also think it sounds very good. But now I am wondering how the others compare.
…i say if it works…dont change it man. theres always gonna be someone hating tones and the next loves em….the world will tell us if they want us to be the next great tone king….but i say. #^#^ that, and carry on my wayward son!
cheers
“Then there’s the fixed resistor. Don’t even think about running a 2 or 4 ohm output into that attenuator. You’re risking serious damage to your amp if you do that. The impedance mismatch there is so high, it has the potential to fry your power tubes or worse.”
You might want to have a look at the impedance graph of a speaker. The impedance mismatch gets so high, you will never ever connect your amp to a speaker again. 😉