Scholz soak vs. THD, Weber

[59paul]

Ok, lookin for opinions here. Now, assuming that they are hooked up correctly ( with SPEAKER cables and the correct impedance LOL I've heard stories of guys using guitar cables and the wrong impedance ) Is the Scholz pwr soak still a good attenuator ???? What would be some advantages of the THD Hot Plate or the Weber ??? Are there any serious disadvantages to the Scholz??? Is one any "safer" than the others ( in other words, is one easier on the amps components??? ) Does one provide for better tone over the others??? Just lookin for advice from those of you that use these . I know the THD and Weber come in individual impedances , and the Scholz is selectable between 4, 8, and 16 ohms. All replies and tidbits of info are welcome. Thanks !!! ps. The Amp it will be used on is a stock 1982 JCM 800 2204

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Scholz soak vs. THD, Weber

Ok, lookin for opinions here. Now, assuming that they are hooked up correctly ( with SPEAKER cables and the correct impedance LOL I've heard stories of guys using guitar cables and the wrong impedance ) Is the Scholz pwr soak still a good attenuator ???? What would be some advantages of the THD Hot Plate or the Weber ??? Are there any serious disadvantages to the Scholz??? Is one any "safer" than the others ( in other words, is one easier on the amps components??? ) Does one provide for better tone over the others??? Just lookin for advice from those of you that use these . I know the THD and Weber come in individual impedances , and the Scholz is selectable between 4, 8, and 16 ohms. All replies and tidbits of info are welcome. Thanks !!! ps. The Amp it will be used on is a stock 1982 JCM 800 2204

Hello Rob..I've read some horror stories that the Power Soak isn't the correct impedence match that your amp is supposed to see from the speakers...I've also read that the Power Soak can take an output transformer along with it? The THD,Weber Mass,and PowerBrake are supposed to be built to show or introduce the "correct" load to your amp and these are the most modern products for this task..I know there are some other great units out today from Kendrick,Alessandro,and Trainwreck but the one's I Mention I'm a bit more familiar with...I'd stay clear of the Power Soak if it were me buddy..I Like the THD and the maxed out version of the Weber mass..

John

 

[59paul]

Re: Scholz soak vs. THD, Weber

Cool. Thanks, John. These are the kind of things I need to know.

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Scholz soak vs. THD, Weber

Cool. Thanks, John. These are the kind of things I need to know.

Anytime for you brother! :burnout:

John

 

[Alvin Lee Fan]

Re: Scholz soak vs. THD, Weber

The Weber can be ordered with multiple impedance switching. I have a 50w MASS that has a 4/8 ohm switch. I know Ted will put every combo he has on one for like $20 extra. You can get 2/4/8/16 ohm capabilities from one unit.

The MASS is a great sounding attenuator, I highly recommend them. I've got a bunch of clips recorded with a MASS if you care to check it out

 

[mrid]

Re: Scholz soak vs. THD, Weber

The power soak is the oldest attenuator of the ones you mentioned, and, IMO, now obsolete.

 

[59paul]

Re: Scholz soak vs. THD, Weber

Cool, cool. I'm takin all this in, guy's. Best way I know of to educate myself on these . Keep em comin, I'm listenin to y'all. Thanks !!!

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Scholz soak vs. THD, Weber

The power soak is the oldest attenuator of the ones you mentioned, and, IMO, now obsolete.

As mentioned earlier in the post to Rob...I totally agree with you MRID and there are much better attenuators available to us today..I had the Marshall PowerBrake but it wasn't getting much use,so I sold it...Sometimes I wish I still had it,but that's normal anytime you part with anything.. :smack:

John

 

[Fresh_Start]

Re: Scholz soak vs. THD, Weber

I haven't tried any of the others, but I recently got a Weber mini-MASS for use with a Blues Jr. The basic design of the Weber just made sense to me - it's an actual speaker without the cone.

My only knit is that I paid extra for the "treble boost" switch. It doesn't do anything noticeable above "4" which is ok, but if I max out the master volume and crank the MASS down to "3" or less I still lose too much treble even with the switch on. (The switch does reduce the treble loss some)

Chip

 

[simonbarsinister]

Re: Scholz soak vs. THD, Weber

I used a Power Soak once and it set my 71 Marshall 100watt Superlead on Fire, Actual Fire like in flames.....

I just bought the THD Hotplate and it is pretty decent. It performs way better than I expected.

SBS

 

[JfromHouston]

Re: Scholz soak vs. THD, Weber

I have a hotplate and In my opinion it is one of the best out there. The ability to boost both bass and treble to compensate for those two frequencies, which get robbed under heavy attenuation, is worth the higher price of the hotplate. Couple that with a built in noise reducer (kills a little hiss, but not all) and you've got a great attenuator. One thing to keep in mind is that you still have to push air for them to sound good. Wisper volumes on any of the attenuators will leave you with a dull muted tone. The only negative I can think of with the hotplate is that you can't change loads like you can with the Weber. Stick wiht THD or Weber and you will be happy.

J