The Kingfisher was built on the success of the Tweedy Bird and Black Bird
attenuators with the low to mid wattage amplifier in mind. The color of the
Kingfisher will fit right in with fans of the AD30, OR15, TH30, Rocker 32, Dual
Dark 50, and Custom Shop 50 amplifiers from one of the legendary British valve
amp kings! Same quality build at a lower price without the tweed or tolex covering.
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. Also, while the passive load
is rated at 100W RMS/200W Peak, I do not recommend use at high attenuation
levels and extended periods of time with Amplifiers over 65 Watts. 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 is 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!
Included: Rubber Feet
WARNING:
Because the Kingfisher does not have the Tweed or Tolex covering it will
be HOT to the touch after long and/or heavy attenuation. Allow unit to
cool before disconnecting or moving.
Disclaimer: The Kingfisher 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 Kingfisher 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 Kingfisher 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!