Can a damaged speaker cable/crap attenuator cause really bad tone issues?

[frthib]

Hello,

I have an eminence 2x12 cab that you buy unloaded.. I put in 2 celestion lynchback.. Since I had that cab, the tone was always hollow and somewhat phasey, no real high end present.

Today, I noticed the speaker cable I used forever with it stopped working (cutting, volume loss, etc..).. i also used a Bugera PS1 attenuator as a way to lenghen my speakers cables (attenuator on desk as a handy volume knob).. I have amps with master volume.. dumb but yeah..

So, I threw it away, stopped using the attenuator and used another cable I had. I can't recognize the cab.. The cab now sounds like I always thought It should sound.. Great, full, rich.. My speakers shine in it now!

Am I completely crazy to think the damaged cable (or the attenuator) may have caused some kind of phasing, microphonic or filtering issue?

I always double mike, but i'm aware of the phasing of both mikes.. The problem was audible in the room

 

[ZEN Amps]

Am I completely crazy to think the damaged cable (or the attenuator) may have caused some kind of phasing, microphonic or filtering issue?

No, far from crazy. Anything subpar in the chain can have an audible affect, often a huge one. You've proven it yourself!

 

[Racerxrated]

I'd be very wary of that attenuator.....If that is failing, you could fry your OT in the amp.

 

[frthib]

yeah, its in the "for sale" bin now.. i could have fried.my amps with that thing.. worst is they arent clear if it can be used as a dummy load.. the combinaition of both made.my amps sound like they where underwater

lesson learned, good reliable low price attenuator don't exist

no amps were harmed

 

[dave74]

Exactly right,,,,,,,the words reliable and Bugera should never be in the same sentence, maybe not even on the same page.

 

[7704A]

Anything subpar in the chain can have an audible affect, often a huge one.

Too true. Most often I have problems with a subpar player in my chain making me sound bad.

 

[311boogieman]

yeah, its in the "for sale" bin now..

Please do not sell that to another human being. Straight to metal recycle center please.

 

[Music&Chaos]

I had a cabinet with a built in attenuator. Played it for years. Recently disconnected the attenuator from the circuit and am going direct to the speakers. Much less background noise and much fuller tone!! So crazy

 

[frthib]

actually, those devices are really good for the MI industry..

"loses all the high", swap speakers, buys different overdrives, eq pedals, change tubes, modify the amp, change cables, change pickups, buffers

all for a shitty 100$ attenuator from a different century made as cheaply as they can

 

[napalmdeath]

yeah, its in the "for sale" bin now.. i could have fried.my amps with that thing.. worst is they arent clear if it can be used as a dummy load.. the combinaition of both made.my amps sound like they where underwater

lesson learned, good reliable low price attenuator don't exist

no amps were harmed

I'd put it in the garbage bin. But then again, could have been a shitty cable all along. I just went through a similar situation with a new amp.. It started exhibiting microphonic preamp tube behavior.. White noise, crackle, volume swelling, etc.. Drove myself batshit crazy looking for the culprit.. Then I happened to inadvertently bump the patch cable to one of my pedals out front, there it was. A goddamn patch cable. Swapped it out, and threw it in the trash.. Problem solved.

 

[Racerxrated]

yeah, its in the "for sale" bin now.. i could have fried.my amps with that thing.. worst is they arent clear if it can be used as a dummy load.. the combinaition of both made.my amps sound like they where underwater

lesson learned, good reliable low price attenuator don't exist

no amps were harmed

It's interesting, that attenuator is similar to what I have, a Pulse...which is a copy of the Jettenuator, your Bugera is also a clone from what I've read. I actually like the tone of that Pulse better than the PS 100 that I used to have. But, ultimately I don't like ANY attenuator so I sold the PS and haven't used the Pulse in a few yrs. But I do remember it would get super warm when I used it for 20-30 minutes.
I use a distortion pedal in front of my NMV Marshalls now, and the cool thing is the Vol on the pedal acts as a Master Vol...so I can crank the amp and 'attenuate' the signal ...but it comes with distortion of course.

 

[frthib]

It's interesting, that attenuator is similar to what I have, a Pulse...which is a copy of the Jettenuator, your Bugera is also a clone from what I've read. I actually like the tone of that Pulse better than the PS 100 that I used to have.

The PS1 I have is really a clone of the jettenuator, a reostat with a bunch of huge ceramic resistors.. Quite a rudimentary circuit without any trace of impendence correction... yes I can get quite hot. Not reassuring.

The unit have his own "tone" who -could- be used to darken a really bright amp used with a bright cab, like a EQ. (ts808 with amarshall 2203 into a new cab with T75) but heh.. not my thing. The response of the amp is altered too.. some kind of compression..

Thing is, I always found my amps too dark.. I use JJ tubes, it doesn't help.

(harley benton, clone of the clone of the clone)

 

[Racerxrated]

The PS1 I have is really a clone of the jettenuator, a reostat with a bunch of huge ceramic resistors.. Quite a rudimentary circuit without any trace of impendence correction... yes I can get quite hot. Not reassuring.

The unit have his own "tone" who -could- be used to darken a really bright amp used with a bright cab, like a EQ. (ts808 with amarshall 2203 into a new cab with T75) but heh.. not my thing. The response of the amp is altered too.. some kind of compression..

Thing is, I always found my amps too dark.. I use JJ tubes, it doesn't help.

(harley benton, clone of the clone of the clone)
View attachment 278636

Grab some Chinese B or 8th/9th gen 12ax7s.....guaranteed to brighten with more snarl than the JJs.

 

[7704A]

Maybe first pull out the power resistors, rheostat, and other useful stuff for use in another project, and then trash it. Well, e-waste it. Come to think of it, you could probably re-use the enclosure as well.