Aracom Amplifiers Crank it up! Power Rox PRX150-Pro Power Attenuator

The Power Rox PRX150-Pro attenuator utilizes ARACOM's innovative, patent pending "Speaker Reactance Thru" Technology to provide highly transparent power attenuation.

The Power Rox Power Attenuator (Model: PRX150-Pro)
The PRX150-Pro is a power attenuator designed to be used with tube amplifiers and it allows guitarist to achieve the much desired "fully cranked up" tone from their tube amp, but at more practical volume levels. Utilizing its unique and innovative "Speaker Reactance Thru" (SRT) technology, the PRX150-Pro allows the speaker to fully maintain its natural reactance. As a result, the PRX150-Pro allows the amplifier's original, "cranked up" tone to be maintained at reduced volume levels.

The PRX150-Pro can be a valuable tool for any guitarist. During practice time, when recording, or when rehearsing with the band; you can enjoy the cranked-up power tube tone of your amplifier "the way it was meant to be heard", but at lower volume levels, while pleasing your ears and at the same time not upsetting the neighbors. When playing live you can turn up your tube amp until the cherished power driven tone is reached, then "click" down a notch or two via the Power Rox Attenuator to please your sound man. Everyone will be happy with your tone, most importantly your audience.

Product Highlights:

* Proprietary SRT Power Attenuation Technology

* Six levels of step attenuation, plus a continuously variable attenuation control (bedroom mode)

* 150 watt power rating

* Independent input and output impedance selector switches:
  - from the amplifier and into the attenuator, select from: 2, 4, 8, 16 ohm
  - from the attenuator and to the speaker cabinet(s), select from: 2, 4, 8, 16 ohm
    Uniquely allows 16 possible Input and Output impedance combinations

* Features a Load setting and is equipped with a Line Out Jack and Line Out Level Control

* Handwired in the USA

PRX150-Pro - Details:
The PRX150-Pro is a "boutique" product that is handcrafted in the USA. Each PRX150-Pro power attenuator is carefully, handwired, one at time by craftsmen that are concerned more about quality rather than quantity. The PRX150-Pro utilizes high end components, including those that are customized specifically for the Power Rox's advanced attenuation technology. The PRX150-Pro is designed to be "Road Ready" with its heavy duty, ventilated, aluminum enclosure.

The key to the PRX150-Pro's natural sounding attenuated tone, lies within its patent pending SRT technology. Unlike the competition which alters, significantly reduces or completely isolates the speaker's reactance, the PRX150-Pro has NO impact on the speaker's reactance, allowing the speaker to respond naturally to the tube amplifier's complex signal.

Utilizing the proprietary SRT technology, the speaker is not loaded down and it is allowed to "breath" normally. Therefore, the speaker can react to the harmonically rich signal generated by the tube amplifier. In doing so, the speaker and tube amplifier are able to naturally interact. This adds up to a highly transparent, "cranked up" attenuated tone, that is natural sounding and full of dynamics.

Since the SRT technology allows your speaker's reactance to remain intact, the PRX150-Pro does not utilize an artificial reactive circuit or speaker emulation circuit. After all, what could be more natural than using your speaker's unaltered reactance to develop the tone from your tube amplifier?

Also, the PRX150-Pro does not utilize any EQ circuit nor does not require one. The SRT technology attenuates the amplified signal in a very linear fashion across the entire frequency spectrum. The PRX150-Pro is also a wideband device, allowing the full audio spectrum produced by the tube amplifier to pass through it. The tone you hear is not altered or "tweaked" by an internal EQ. What you hear is purely the tone generated by your tube amplifier, passing through the attenuator, to the non-loaded speaker. The tone you hear will be very natural sounding with the dynamics preserved. You will notice that the full bandwidth of the signal is maintained, with bottom end, mids and highs fully intact.

The SRT technology also allows for a smooth transition from the Step Attenuation mode to the Continuous Variable Attenuation mode. The tone and dynamics remains consistent throughout the entire attenuation range. You do not get the dulling effect or detect any unpleasantness in the tone, when switching from one step to another or from the step mode to the variable mode, as you do with most other attenuators.

Guitarists will also find the PRX150-Pro very useful in getting more power tube involvement in their cleaner tones, which can add depth to their slightly broken up cleans and a greater purity to their lightly overdriven tones, while still maintaining the desired volume. Therefore, blues and jazz guitarist will also find the PRX150-Pro a very useful tool.

The PRX150-Pro is engineered to take the power and the heat. With its continuous 150 watt power rating, the PRX150-Pro is designed to handle the brute power of most fully cranked 100 watt "quad" tube amplifiers, whose output power are often well over 100 watts.

Exclusive to the PRX150-Pro, are the individual input and output impedance selector switches. The user can set the attenuator's input impedance to match the amplifier's impedance and separately set the attenuator's output impedance match the speaker's impedance. This allows proper matching of mis-matched amplifier to speaker impedances.

For example; suppose you have an amplifier with a fixed 4 ohm impedance and you want the attenuated power to drive a 16 ohm speaker cabinet. With other attenuators this is typically not an option, however the PRX150-Pro is specifically designed for this purpose. You simply set the attenuator's input impedance to 4 ohm and separately set the output impedance to 16 ohm. The SRT technology allows dissimilar impedances to be properly matched, providing the correct load impedance to the tube amplifier. Unlike other attenuators that force you to match the input and output impedances, the PRX150-Pro has the ability to "mix" and "match" the amplifier and speaker impedances. This allows 16 possible Input and Output impedance combinations, while other attenuator products offers only a single or at the most 3 impedance combinations. With the PRX150-Pro, as you add or change amplifiers and speaker cabinets to your collection, you no longer have worry about buying another attenuator to match the impedance of your new gear. Therefore, the PRX150-Pro will be compatible with your entire current and future collection of tube amplifiers and speaker cabinets.

The PRX150-Pro also features a Load Mode and Line Out with Level Control. The features allow you to send the amplifier's signal to sound system, recording system, rack mount effects, slave into another guitar amplifier or an external power amplifier. In the Load Mode the Line Out can be used with or without the guitar speaker attached.

A "true" bypass switch is also provided that allows you to completely bypass the attenuator without having to disconnect the cables.

Click below for:
PRX150-Pro's Advantages - Article
PRX150-Pro Control Layout Picture
PRX150-Pro's Audio/Video Clips Page

We believe the PRX150-Pro's SRT transparent attenuation technology speaks for itself, click here to see what customers are saying about the PRX150-Pro:

PRX150-Pro's Testimonial Page

Features and Specifications:

- Rotary Switch provides (6) Step Attenuation Levels
*Approximately 3dB per step (step positions A-E), with an additional 1dB of attenuation
    when position "F" is selected, for a total of 16dB of attenuation within the step mode.
   16dB cut in power translates into the speaker receiving less than 3% of the amplifier's power.

- Variable Mode provides additional attenuation and allows continuous variable control of
   "bedroom" level adjustment

- 30dB of overall attenuation
* Attenuates 100 watts down to well under 0.5 watt

- 150 watt (continuous average) power rating

- Independent Input Impedance Switch: 2, 4, 8, 16 ohm
- Independent Output Impedance Switch: 2, 4, 8, 16 ohm
* Uniquely allows disimilar amplifier and speaker impedances to be used.

- Attenuator Bypass Switch (True Bypass)

- Load Mode

- Line Out with Level Control (unbalanced, 1/4" phone jack, approximately 30k ohm -mid range)

- 2 Speaker Jacks (wired in parallel)

- Passive design, does not require AC power

- Rugged, black anodized aluminum housing

- Heavy duty, steel reinforced handle

- Handwired and Handcrafted in the USA
  * Each PRX150-Pro attenuator is constructed and tested "in house" at ARACOM Amplifiers.

Weights and Dimensions:
- Weight: 17 lbs (7.7kg)
- Dimensions: 13"w x 7"h x 8"d (33cm x 17.8cm x 20.3cm)
8" (20.3cm) tall including feet and handle

Pricing:
PRX150-Pro $649.00 ^* (see notes at the bottom of this page)

The product is sold direct by ARACOM Amplifers (USA).
Contact us at info@aracom-amps.com or by phone at: (1) 408 778 9597

Custom Vinyl and padded Cordura Nylon covers are available for the PRX150-Pro,
click here for details

Vinyl Covers prices start at $28.

Warranty:
The PRX150-Pro comes with a limited 2 year warranty.
Click here for the warranty details

The gearwire.com PRX150-Pro press release

* California Residents add 8.25% sales tax.

* International customers are responsible for any Custom Charges, Duty or VAT.

Pricing and specifications subject to change without notice.

Power Rox PRX150-Pro is a trademark of ARACOM Amplifiers.