Master volume
- Thread starter Wayne27
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FuseG4
Our Neighbor Totoro
Re: Master volume
other people don't mind the sound before the power tubes kick in, but at low volumes I find the gain weak and kinda flat sounding plus it harder to make the shared eq work for both channels when it's loud everything seems balanced
Depends on what you want, but imo the DSL in particular likes to be loud. When the master is high the amp compresses, the power tubes add a lot of crunch that sounds way better than just increasing preamp gain. I sold my DSL50 head cuz it sounded ok at conversations volume but paled in comparison to the cranked glory.
other people don't mind the sound before the power tubes kick in, but at low volumes I find the gain weak and kinda flat sounding plus it harder to make the shared eq work for both channels when it's loud everything seems balanced
Gtrjunior
Well-known member
Lewguitar
New member
Re: Master volume
There’s a switch on my handwired AC30 to disconnect the master volume from the amp entirely.
The amp’s voice with the master removed is slightly more open and lively than it is with the master on 10.
It also gets too loud so fast that I usually switch right back to using the master volume again...even when the amp is in its 15 watt mode.
There’s a switch on my handwired AC30 to disconnect the master volume from the amp entirely.
The amp’s voice with the master removed is slightly more open and lively than it is with the master on 10.
It also gets too loud so fast that I usually switch right back to using the master volume again...even when the amp is in its 15 watt mode.
Last edited:
Lake Placid Blues
New member
Re: Master volume
It's true that any tube amp will sound its best loud, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they can't sound good, or good enough, at lower volumes. DSLs were certainly better at sounding good at lower master settings than the 800s were. The JVMs are better than JCM2000 DSLs at sounding good at lower volumes. There has been a progression to sounding better at lower volumes with the latest DSLs, and from many other amp companies.
Its an age old problem. First there were conventional master volumes in 70s. Next attenuators became popular. Then post phase inverter master volumes. All of these solutions worked to greater or lesser degree, but still the amp sounded better cranked. For example, a PPIMV makes the phase inverter tube distort which is part of power amp distortion and compression, but it also kills negative feedback at low settings, which usually make the amp have fizzier highs and flubby lows. It sounds good with the PPIMV turned up, but then its still pretty loud. Sometimes a combination of these volume mitigation strategies, each used in moderation, can yield better results.
EL84s to get low watts have a different sound than big bottle tubes. We are now seeing new designs of 25 watts or less master volume amps that use EL34s or 6L6s. For example, the Soldano 25 watt, the PRS Tremonti, and the Marshall mini Jubilee and Origins.....
It's true that any tube amp will sound its best loud, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they can't sound good, or good enough, at lower volumes. DSLs were certainly better at sounding good at lower master settings than the 800s were. The JVMs are better than JCM2000 DSLs at sounding good at lower volumes. There has been a progression to sounding better at lower volumes with the latest DSLs, and from many other amp companies.
Its an age old problem. First there were conventional master volumes in 70s. Next attenuators became popular. Then post phase inverter master volumes. All of these solutions worked to greater or lesser degree, but still the amp sounded better cranked. For example, a PPIMV makes the phase inverter tube distort which is part of power amp distortion and compression, but it also kills negative feedback at low settings, which usually make the amp have fizzier highs and flubby lows. It sounds good with the PPIMV turned up, but then its still pretty loud. Sometimes a combination of these volume mitigation strategies, each used in moderation, can yield better results.
EL84s to get low watts have a different sound than big bottle tubes. We are now seeing new designs of 25 watts or less master volume amps that use EL34s or 6L6s. For example, the Soldano 25 watt, the PRS Tremonti, and the Marshall mini Jubilee and Origins.....
