Harley Benton PA-100 Power Attenuator

552

Power Attenuator

  • Useful tool for rehearsal room, live and recording applications
  • Tube amplifiers as they sound best - high output level with reduced and controlled volume
  • Can also be used as a dummy load
  • Input power up to 100W
  • LED with overload indicator
  • Quiet fan
  • Controls: Speaker Level and Line Level
  • Inputs: 4/8/16 Ohm
  • Balanced speaker output
  • XLR DI output with speaker simulation
  • Dimensions: (W x H x D) 190 x 140 x 110 mm
  • Weight: 1.5 kg
Available since June 2017
Item number 406679
Sales Unit 1 piece(s)
Impedance 4, 8, 16
Noise Supression No
DI Interface Yes
Speaker Simulation Yes
Dummy Load (usable without cabinet) Yes
879 kr
Including VAT; Excluding kr200 shipping
In stock
In stock

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Standard Delivery Times
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552 Customer ratings

4.3 / 5

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400 Reviews

S
Fantastic for recording
SvBvBvBvBvB 27.08.2021
Like the majority of people who buy this, I wanted a way to record my amp silently. I didn't want to pay over 200 euros for a "reactive" load which isn't really reactive (to get reactive you have to pay a lot more than 200, the closest popular "reactive" competing product is actually not properly reactive but uses it more as a marketing tool). It turns out this HB attenuator does a fantastic job at providing a clear line out signal. Running a Laney Ironheart at 60 watts at high volume, the attenuator doesn't seem to heat up at all. It's completely silent. Also, the actual attenuation (which for most people is just a side bonus feature) is great! Now I can have my master volume cranked up, my channel volumes cranked up, and the overall speaker output down at 0.5/10. I was afraid this might change the tone too much, i.e. remove a lot of high end, but no, it is minimal - it sounds a LOT better than just having the master volume turned down. The amp now sings. A great purchase.
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22
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T
Great device, marginally better than the Bugera PS-1 IMHO
Tommyshell 03.05.2023
I purchased both this and the Bugera PS-1 to see which was better for me. It was a very tough call but I ended up keeping this one. It seems to functionally be pretty much the same device, and despite looking a bit less neat (the black powder coating on the PS-1 is nicer IMO than the smooth and shiny grey panels here) and bigger (I think due to the inclusion of the fan the HB PA-100 is about 1.25x the width of the PS-1) it definitely has some pros over the PS-1:
First, the Mic output on this device doesn't feature the muddy and IMO unusable "amp simulation" that the Bugera has. Yes it's a little bright here, but you can always tame that how you like it on the console.
Second, the chicken head soak knob is much easier to tell where you're at than the big black round almost featureless knob on the PS-1 (though the look of the PS-1 is "nicer").
Third, this device's manual explicitly states that you can use it without a speaker connected as a dummy load as long as the line out volume is set to anywhere between 2-3, whereas for the PS-1 this may be possible but isn't stated explicitly anywhere so I'd err on the side of caution.
Fourth, the fan is truly silent and seems genuinely useful, whereas the PS-1 would only radiate heat with no additional airflow.
Add these to fact it's about £30 cheaper and I'm sold on this one.

Things to bear in mind: With a speaker connected and the line level on max with a line output to your recording device you will still need to allow enough volume through to the speaker to bring up the line level, since this is picked off after the attenuation. For some amps this will mean a considerable non-silent volume. However, since there's the dummy load option you can just use that for "silent practice", allowing the attenuation and therefore line level you choose to not be limited by room sound levels.
Another thing worth mentioning is that I found higher amp volume levels to feature a clearly audible top end distortion when listening through the line out on my audio device, which I couldn't hear in the room through the amp speaker. I'm hesitant to call this a problem with this device as it could simply indicate that my amp needs a power valve refresh or a lower bias, and this might be inaudible through the speaker simply because of the speaker response. Either way, the exact same behaviour was heard through the Bugera PS-1 so it's either some previously inaudible behaviour of my amp, or it's an unintended consequence of how these power soaks are constructed, and not specifically a flaw with this over the PS-1. My money is on the former, that it's down to my specific amp. Which by the way is a very loud Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue 40W.
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6
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SM
Tames the power like a beast
Sigurður Már Gestsson 31.01.2022
Use this thing on my peavey 6505 during band practice and it really helps tame the aggression while cranking it. It's a passive attenuator so no power cables necessary. I use the amp at 8 ohms into the PA and then into my cab. Line out and XLR out could really help with studio recording and the fact it can be used as a power soak is super helpful
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2
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Pt
Great value
Phil the blues 19.01.2022
I already had the Bugera power soak, but this is a much better unit, it does exactly what it is supposed to and gives great sound at the attenuated volume you require, allowing the sound you want from the amp.
Used it to record through as well via the XLR port with no change in volume or loss of sound quality, so I cannot complain about that.
Great product for the price.
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