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Gig Report: Aracom DRX Power Attenuator

Posted in Guitars, tagged , , , on December 17, 2013| 1 Comment »

DualRoxI’ve been using an Aracom DRX attenuator in the studio for the past couple of weeks and I have been absolutely blown away by its ability to tame my volume just as well as my now-retired PRX150-Pro. But this past Friday, Jeff delivered my own DRX that I had him build based upon my tests, and I just had to gig with it to try it out in a live-audience situation.

I do have to admit that the DRX is a little less convenient than the PRX150-Pro in that I have to hook up a couple of more things: The foot switch and power supply (for the footswitch). But that inconvenience becomes negligible when the DRX is in action!

First of all, the boost feature is an absolute god-send! With all other attenuators – and this includes my venerable PRX150-Pro – once you hit the volume limit, that’s it. You can’t go louder. But with the DRX, that’s no longer an issue. It was great to use this feature to boost my volume when I was doing leads and not have to worry if I had hit the limit (or set up my volume so that I stayed under the limit). With the boost feature, which is essentially an attenuation reducer, I can add a few or maybe even several dB of volume with the flick of a switch. It’s absolutely amazing!

But it doesn’t stop there. The Variable Dynamic Control, which varies the reactance between the attenuator and speaker, helps dial in my tone so I have the right amount of highs. While not an EQ, the VDC adjusts the reactance and acts like a very subtle high-cut filter. Fully right is full reactance, and as you move through the next four positions, the reactance is slightly reduced, resulting in more highs being cut. For my particular setup of an R8 Les Paul through my Aracom VRX18, I felt that the sound was just a tad bright, so I went down one position on the VDC, and my world was absolutely right. My tone was still bright and had plenty of bite, but not so bright that it was like icepicks in my ears.

For purely clean work, I completely defeated the attenuation, which was possible from the front panel. On previous versions, the bypass was on the back, and in tight spaces, wasn’t practical to reach around. But with it on the front panel, defeating the attenuation is a simple matter of turning a dial.

All in all, everything about this attenuator is a huge improvement over earlier generations of attenuators; Aracom and others. It comes at a premium, but we spend thousands upon thousand of dollars on guitars, amps and pedals, so I see no problem justifying the cost of this unit. It makes it possible for me to play an overdriven amp in ANY venue. Yeah, yeah, you can argue all you want that you can do the same with a clean amp and overdrive pedals. But diode or a even tube overdrive pedal will never be the same as the overdrive from a cranked amp.

To say I’m happy with this latest acquisition is an understatement. For the last few years, I played the best attenuator on the market. But it pales in comparison to what the DRX brings to the table. The funny thing though is that unlike other gear that makes a sound, this doesn’t produce any sound, so it’s difficult to put into words what it actually can do beyond helping me control my volume. But it controls volume better than anything else on the market, and provides versatility that none other can. And as far as “transparency” goes, well, arguments abound, but with the Aracom attenuation technology, you can rest assured that the tone and the dynamics that you expect from your gear won’t be lost. I can’t say that about any other attenuator I’ve tested.

This is the real deal, folks, and this is the future of attenuation!

For more information, check out the DRX product page!

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Gear Review: Aracom DRX Power Attenuator

Posted in buying gear, effect pedals, Effects, GAS, gear, gear reviews, guitar, guitar gear, overdrive, pedals, tagged , , , , , , , on November 27, 2013| 2 Comments »

5 Tone Bones - Gear has stellar performance, value, and quality. This is definitely top of the class, best of breed, and it's a no-brainer to add this to your gear lineup!

DualRox

 Aracom DRX Power Attenuator

Summary: Truly an evolution of the attenuator, Jeff Aragaki has once again upped the ante with the DRX attenuator. This dual-level attenuator not only will tame your volume, but it will give you the ability to use two different volume levels; and with the optional foot switches, will give you flexibility not offered by any other attenuator on the market. Furthermore, the adjustable reactance allows you to tame your tone on top of controlling your volume.

Pros: The Aracom attenuation technology is the most transparent that I’ve tested – and I’ve tested and used several over the years. Nothing comes close. But the dual-level attenuation (normal and boost modes) blows away the competition in my book. Then add variable reactance to the mix, and there’s nothing that can even touch what this attenuator can do.

Cons: Is a little on the pricey side, but the capabilities are worth it to me. I’m having one built.

Price: Starts at $850.00 direct

Features:

  • Dual-level attenuation
  • True bypass, minimum attenuation, variable (which goes all the way to load)
  • 5-position Variable Dynamic Control – varies the reactance between the attenuator and speaker, acting like a high-cut filter.
  • 3 optional foot switches (boost only, boost + channel switch, boost + A/B)
  • Weighs only 7 lbs.
  • Line out with level control
  • Will handle 4, 8 and 16 ohm

Tone Bone Rating: 5.00 ~ A few years ago, when Jeff first showed me his prototype attenuator mounted on a pine board, I never thought that

Jeff Aragaki is a genius. I knew it from the first moment I met him. I started out by first being blown away by his “more Marshall than Marshall” amps and now the proud owner of three of them to witnessing his attenuator technology go from a project box, demonstrating to me a way to throttle output volume that was unlike anything at the time (and still no one has been able to duplicate what he has done), to now three iterations of attenuators (Pro, DAG, and now the DRX). The DRX is by far his most incredible riff on his unique attenuation technology. And no, if you think you know how it works, you’d be wrong. I’m no expert, but I’m familiar with the basics of traditional attenuation (read: everyone else’s attenuators), and the Aracom technology is like nothing on the market.

As I mentioned above, the DRX (short for DualRox) attenuator takes that technology to a new level by offering two modes of operation: Normal and Boost; at least if you’re just using boost mode (Type A foot switch). It opens up more possibilities with the Type B and Type C foot switches which provide the capability to switch channels (Type B), or use an A/B (Type C), perfect for two-channel amps that don’t have channel switching. These features alone had me completely sold on the unit, and I had only originally tested it with the Type A foot switch! My test unit which Jeff lent to me for review included the Type B boost and channel switch (which I’ll demonstrate in a clip below). But irrespective of the type of switching, being able to boost my volume under attenuation just blew me away!!! Here’s a clip that demonstrates only switching between normal and boost modes:

From a performance standpoint however, having both the dual attenuation levels, plus the ability to switch channels is absolutely HUGE! For instance, I can go from clean to full-on overdrive with the click of the foot switch; much like engaging an overdrive pedal. But there’s no pedal involved. Without an attenuator, going from clean to dirty on the amp usually involves a huge jump in volume. But with the dual-level attenuation, I can set my cranked up volume to just a bit over the clean volume. Again, this is just having an overdrive pedal, but this time, it’s only my amp, so I don’t have to worry about dialing in another device’s EQ to get the right tone. Check this clip out:

I used my Aracom VRX22 for that, which is another Plexi clone but with 6V6 tubes. This amp is notable for its haunting clean tone, and monster overdrive, which comes from 1950’s NOS 6V6’s that I have biased a little hot. I also had it customized with channel switching, so it fit the bill for testing out the Type B foot switch. I just can’t wait to gig with this come Sunday! It’s gonna be fun!

But it doesn’t stop there. In addition to the dual modes is a feature that no one else has, and that’s the Variable Dynamic Control. While it acts essentially as a subtle high-cut filter, it’s not an EQ. Instead, it changes the reactance between the attenuator and speaker. Fully right is full reactance, and as you move left to the leftmost position (there are 5 positions), the reactance is reduced, producing the effect of rolling off the highs. But it’s very subtle, and you can really only tell a difference between the most extreme settings. This is an incredible feature in that it allows you to dial in your tone; especially your cranked tone. For instance, my Aracom VRX18 (18-watt Plexi clone) produces lots of highs when cranked. They’re not entirely undesirable, but they do get piercing, especially at gig levels. So by slightly reducing the reactance between the attenuator and speaker, I can get rid of the super-super highs while retaining my fundamental tone. In a word: Killer. Here’s a clip that demonstrates the Variable Dynamic Control:

As I said, it’s subtle. The fundamental tone doesn’t change much, but going from extreme to extreme, you can tell when the highs roll off a bit.

For those who are familiar with the previous Aracom attenuators, one feature that set them apart was the ability to mix and match amps and cabs with different impedance settings. For instance, you could match an 8 ohm amp output with a 4 ohm cab. But that came at the price of a huge transformer that made those units weight 18 lbs. The DRX requires that both amp and cab impedance settings match. But that’s not really a loss at least for me because all my amplifiers have multiple output impedance jacks, so it’s really not a big deal. And for what I get in return from the DRX, that loss of flexibility is not a very high price to pay.

Overall Impression

When I first tested the prototype of this unit a couple of years ago, I actually thought that Jeff had changed the circuit technology. But in fact, he didn’t, which is a good thing because when you have this unit, you’re assured of getting the most advanced attenuation technology on the planet. Yeah, I’m raving about it because for the past few years, this technology has afforded me the flexibility to play in ANY venue, large and small, indoor or outdoor, and not ever have to sacrifice my tone; something I can’t say of other attenuators I’ve used and tested. I can crank up my amp as much as I need, confident that my tone hasn’t changed, but never having to worry about pissing someone off about my volume.

But on top of that, with the ability to have two levels of attenuation, plus the ability to dial in my highs, I couldn’t be happier, and I can hardly wait for Jeff to finish constructing my unit.

And yeah, as I mentioned above, it’s a bit on the pricey side. But how much is great tone worth? I’ve spent countless hours and thousands upon thousands of dollars on guitars, amps and pedals over the years – especially the last few years – and with each one, I justified my expense. The DRX is a tool that will let me ensure that I keep the tone that I’ve worked so hard to achieve. It may not make sense for the solo bedroom player, but for working musicians like myself, the DRX is an investment in my tone that I’m willing to make.

For more information, go to the Aracom DRX product page!

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Aracom DRX Power Attenuator: First Impressions

Posted in Guitars, tagged , , on November 24, 2013| 6 Comments »

DualRoxI’ll say this first: The Aracom DRX power attenuator is everything a power attenuator should be!

Biased? Perhaps. After all I’ve made no secret about owning and preferring Aracom equipment, and Jeff Aragaki is a good friend of mine. But irrespective of my ownership of Aracom products and my relationship with Jeff, if you’ve followed this blog with any regularity at all, I don’t say things like that lightly. There’s too much competition in the marketplace to crown a “best” or make a claim like I just did without experience. Luckily, experience is on my side, and having kept tabs on the various attenuators that have hit the market over the years – especially the last few years – I can confidently say that no other attenuator on the market does what the DRX can do.

I was going to save this for the end, but yes, it’s bye-bye PRX150, once Jeff finishes construction of a DRX for me. But I will say this: For basic attenuation requirements, the PRX line of attenuators are fantastic. My PRX150 has been a stand-by on stage and in the studio for years, and has served me quite well. The totally transparent passive attenuation technology combined with the Aracom input/output impedance matching that Jeff invented has no match on the market. And if what you’re looking for is straight-up attenuation, you can’t ever go wrong with a PRX attenuator.

Every year, I write an article on game-changers for me. The PRX150-Pro has always made the list because I just can’t do without attenuation and get the high-gain sounds I need at a reasonable volume. But the DRX will unfortunately AND fortunately supplant it on the list.

So, with the preamble out of the way, let’s get down to brass tacks…

In evolutionary science, there’s a term called “disruptive selection” (aka diversifying selection) wherein extreme traits are selected over intermediate traits within a given population. A good example of this is the evolution of the peppered moth in England (yeah, I was a biology major at university and genetics and evolution were part of the curricula). In this study, the light-colored peppered moth population was severely decreased due to predation; in large part because of the environmental changes brought on by soot covering the foliage, thus making the moths stand out. On the other hand, dark-colored moths increased in population because they could conceal themselves much better against the darker foliage. Darwin also observed this on the Galapagos islands with the finch population (this is a cardinal case, as it is known, and it is mentioned in the article to which I provided a link).

So what does disruptive selection have to do with the DRX? Well, first we have to start with the PRX. Jeff’s attenuation circuit technology, while functioning in basically the same manner as other attenuators; that is, attenuating output power was actually a disruptive event in attenuator technology when it first arrived on the scene. Every other manufacturer at the time was basically using a variation on the same attenuation technology which, while effective, were tone sucks. So to get their transparency, they had to add EQ circuits to compensate for the high-end frequency loss inherent to the traditional attenuator design. Jeff, on the other hand, figured out circuitry that retained transparency and dynamics without the need for an EQ circuit. It truly was a game-changer, and sparked some heated debate on the forums. But with time, things settled down, people picked their attenuators, and the discussion moved on. Enter the DRX (I really wanted to say “Dragon”).

I had worked with a prototype of this a couple of years ago. It was on a pine board. 🙂 And even at the time I told Jeff that this was going to change everything in the attenuator market once he came out with the real deal, and now that I’ve had a chance to finally play with it, I wasn’t wrong. This attenuator changes everything for me!

I finally got to try out the DRX at Jeff’s workshop over the weekend. I was taking my PRX150 in for a bit of servicing because after hundreds of hours of use, I started noticing some weirdness in it that I wanted to have him check out. Also, Jeff wanted me to test a VERY special, new 100-watt amp that he was shipping to Australia before he packed it up. This amp will be his flagship 100-watt Marshall-style amp. I say “Marshall-style” because it has circuitry in it that will give it voicing for three different Marshal amps: Plexi 100, Plexi PA, and JCM800 – all in one amp! It’s absolutely killer, and I will be writing a review of it in the coming weeks.

After I played with the amp for quite awhile, Jeff hooked up the DRX to show that to me as well, then spent several minutes explaining its operation to me. As I listened to him, I started chomping at the bit to test it because it had everything that I had wanted in the PRX150! I also knew that based upon my experience and knowledge of other attenuators on the market, the DRX would be an ass-kicker.

I won’t bore you with technical details, as this is an “impressions” article, so you can read about the features here. But I will highlight the three most major features that get me so excited about this attenuator:

Dual-level attenuation. For clarity, Jeff has this labeled “boost” on the attenuator. But it’s not a boost in the traditional sense in that it doesn’t add input gain to your signal, which would result in a bit more compression from the power tubes. This is actually an attenuation reducer. In that sense, it is a boost as output power increases and you get more volume. But unlike input boost, no compression takes place, thus your tone stays the same. This is an absolutely HUGE feature for me, especially when I’m playing in overdrive and need to get into a lead break. If I’m already slamming my amp with input gain and my tubes are pretty well saturated, adding more input gain to do my leads doesn’t change my volume much. But with a “boost” mode on the attenuator, I can reduce the attenuation to increase the output power at the back-end of my amp and will get the volume boost that I need. Then switching back to “normal” mode, I can easily go back to rhythm volume.

This is the very first feature I tested on the DRX, and that feature alone sold me on it, and I asked Jeff if he’d build me one. This is something that I’ve wanted on my PRX150. The secret behind this feature is the foot switch; actually foot switches available for the DRX. I won’t go into detail about them here – because I only know about what mine does – so you can read about what each different type does here. I have a “Type B” foot switch which allows me to not only switch back and forth between normal and boost modes on the attenuator, but also allows me to switch channels on my two-channel amps. I could actually use this on my DV Mark Little 40. While it’s not a two-channel amp, the foot switch provides 6dB of gain boost. So I could have the amp set up in normal mode at just the edge of breakup, then when I engage the “boost” on the attenuator, I’ll simultaneously add the 6dB boost on the amp to take it over the edge.  OMG! Looks like I’ll have to test this. 🙂

You might be thinking “so what” about the foot switches. Well these are what set the DRX apart from the competition. Actually, you could do without a foot switch and in that case you’d have to switch between normal and boost by hand; still much more than what the competition offers. But combined with one of the Aracom foot switches, it suddenly opens up a bunch of possibilities, and further distances the DRX from the pack.

Variable Dynamic Control. As if Jeff’s attenuator technology and dual-level modes weren’t enough, Jeff added another feature to the attenuator that to me, simply decimates the competition. VDC is a subtle feature (actually less subtle if you switch back and forth between extremes) that adjusts the reactance between the DRX and the speaker. The result is a smoothing out of the high-frequencies as you change the reactance. This is NOT an EQ, but it does act like a very subtle high-cut filter. For instance, when my Plexi-style amps are cranked, they produce a ton of bright tone (and no, I’m not talking about those undesirable high-end transients that some in the past have imagined hearing – I think it’s their tinnitus. 🙂 ). With the VDC, I can roll off a bit of that so my tone isn’t quite as piercing. In my test of the DRX, we had the 100-watter cranked in the Plexi channel with minimal attenuation (oh yes… it was LOUD). With Jeff moving from extreme to extreme, the sound went from piercing (no roll-off), to much smoother. The sweet spot for me was a couple of clicks down on that amp.

Why is this an important feature? One of the complaints that people had about the PRX line when it first came out was that when they cranked their amps, they’d hear these high-end transients or their sound was piercing. I don’t think they ever totally cranked their amps up before. A cranked tube amp takes a little getting used to because it transforms at higher-gain, with many amps seemingly producing more highs when cranked (or they’re just not as apparent when slightly overdriven). For some like me, I love those high-frequencies. But for others, they’re undesirable. So now, those complainers have nothing to complain about. If they don’t like all the highs their amp is producing, they now have a way to dial them down; without adjusting the EQ on their amp! How f-in’ cool is THAT?!!!

It only weighs 7 lbs!!! As much as I love my PRX, it weighs 18 lbs, and is about the height of an amp head. The DRX, on the other hand weighs less than half that, and has a lower vertical form factor than the PRX, making it much more easily transportable. For as much I gig, the less weight I have to lug, the better.

I could go on and on and on, and it looks like I’ve done a good job of that already. 🙂 But the DRX represents yet another turning point for me. I will be releasing gig reports and a studio test (with clips) in the near future. Jeff graciously lent me his first production model while my DRX is being built. Stay tuned!

For more information, check out the DRX product page!

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