Any THD Hot Plate users?

Posted on Apr 07, 2006 02:04 pm
Tadpui
I am not a crook's head
Member Since: Mar 14, 2003

[edit]
Oops, title should be "ANY THD Hot Plate Users""
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So after months of playing my all-tube combo incresingly louder and louder to get the "sweet spot" of power tube distortion (and oh my it is sweet!), my ears have been telling me that its time to find a better way to enjoy this sound without shaking the house apart and/or destroying my already somewhat impaired sense of hearing.

Enter the THD Hot Plate. I spent a gift certificate and some cash and bought their 4 ohm model for my YCV80. I've had it for over a week now and I've finally started to scratch the surface of its features.

Now, I know not to expect beautiful distortion at bedroom levels so my expectations are realistic. But man, at the 16db and below attenuation, there's a fizzy, buzzy overtone to the distortion that I just can't ignore. This level of attenuation would solely be used for late-night practicing, but it would be nice for it not to sound like a hornet's nest...I could just turn down the master volume on the amp and get the same effect...and I'd have $300 in my pocket to spend on other things.

So do any of you use a Hot Plate at extreme attenuation levels?

I think that MinkusMaz said he used one with a Marshall half-stack in his dorm room.

Am I doing something wrong to make it so darn fizzy? I'm talking like cheapie solid state Crate cranked up all the way kinds of fizzy. That's totally not the character of my amp.

Now at more moderate attenuation levels, I love it. I can have my 80-watt combo pretty much cranked and still be in the same room with the amp, although its still pretty damn loud. I'd only have it that loud for recording, and then I'd have a pair of headphones on which provide some attenuation for my ears, making it tolerable.

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