Passive Speaker Attenuator for Low to Mid Wattage Tube Amplifiers
2, 4, 8, and 16 Ohm versions available
The Cardinal was designed with the low to mid wattage amplifier in mind. Detailed attention to the preservation of high frequencies, at low volumes, was the key focus of my design. Many hours of design/research and testing have yielded fantastic results! Even at the lowest volume settings, (90db typical at speaker), most of the high frequency content stays intact. There are no switches to flip or buttons to push. Simply plug the output from your amplifier into the Amp in and your speaker into the speaker out and dial in the volume you are looking for. A true bedroom volume practice amp from your stage rig!
Now, to move on from my sales pitch, let’s talk reality. This is a PASSIVE / Non-Reactive speaker attenuator! At anything other than wide open, 100% volume, speaker is not a true reactive load on the amplifier. That being said, ANY passive speaker attenuator will never sound and feel as good as an active attenuator with a reactive load (i.e… Weber Mass/Mini MASS). Especially at critical recording volumes in the 100db – 115db (at Speaker) volumes. While my passive attenuator does sound fantastic at these volumes, simple things like feedback from the amplifier does not propagate as it would without a static/passive load between the amp and speaker.
While the passive load is rated at 100W RMS/200W Peak (8/16 Ohm), 125W RMS/250W Peak (2/4 Ohm), I do not recommend use at high attenuation levels and extended periods of time with Amplifiers over 65 Watts (8/16 Ohm), and 85 Watts (2/4 Ohm). This allows for some headroom for sufficient cooling and component longevity. With all of this being said, if you are looking for the perfect low volume recording situation for your current stage rig, I would spend the $200+ on a Weber Reactive load attenuator. The Physics behind Ted’s design are solid and well worth the $$ they garner. However, if you are looking for the BEST sounding passive attenuator for low volume practice/rehearsal and writing/recording demo tracks, or to tame your stage volume, look no further!
$70 – $75
Disclaimer: The Cardinal must be connected between the amp and speaker using the proper jacks (i.e… Amp jack goes to Amplifier Output and Speaker jack goes to the Speaker). While holding the Cardinal with the volume knob facing you and the jacks toward the top, the amp input is to the left and the speaker output to the right. Connecting the Black Bird in reverse can seriously damage your Amplifiers output transformer! DON’T DO IT! I will not accept responsibility for any damage associated with not following the included instruction for safe and reliable use. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
