Bugera PS1 Power Soak Reviews

I have 2.

I have 2 Marshall tube amps that in order to get the best out of them need to be loud. I play at home mostly and these attenuators do the job well. I haven't noticed any loss of sound quality. I haven't used the DI or Line Out functions so I can't comment on that. If it's simplicity that you are after to tame your amp then this does it.

Best Value for money,

Just attenuates the output of the Amp without Coloration

One of the best solutions to a loud about. Bought a Marshall sv20 that's way too loud. With the ps1 I can crank the amp and keep the volume on a comfy level. As with every other passive attenuator there is a tonal loss when you attenuate more than 75% of the volume but can be fixed by adding treble from the amp. When you attenuate more than 90% of the signal you can feel the sound more compressed, which can't be fixed. All and all very usable, durable, cheap and effective.

Brilliant piece of kit

I love my old valve amps, unfortunately they are to loud to use these days with out getting arrested. The Bugera PS1 Power Soak has enabled me to use my beloved 100 watt amps again. They are still loud but bearable.

Perfect match with Marshall SV20

I use it with my Marshall SV20. I bought it after seeing a lot of recommendations. I am quite satisfied with the performance of PS1. Very affordable and portable attenuator.

Tames my Marshall 50W tube amp

I bought a lovely 4x12 cab and vintage Head amp. I just couldn’t turn it up past 2 in my house without the windows rattling.

This solves that problem allowing me to get those tubes glowing at volume 6 /7. It’s sounds amazing!

It does get very hot it you use maximum reduction, but that’s just because of the power it has to dissipate to work.

Highly recommended.

its for all outputs.

easy to use, you can use for all cabs.

may have better than it but its price/performance product.

Resistive load

It works as a dummy load or resistive attenuator. The line outputs are a pretty bad joke. The rheostat causes noise when operated. Construction is sturdy, though and the price is low. You get what you pay for, it does what it says on the box.

No much to say, do the job and its affordable

No much to say, do the job and its affordable

If only...

If only I had known about this solution earlier and didn't have to part with my 20 watt tube amp because it was too noisy for a block of flats... I know now and I'm not going to do the same mistake. Keeps your volume at bedroom levels and does not affect your sound. I am pretty sure there are other brands out there, that more expensive and with more features but I went to this as a budget solution and was not disappointed.

Muddies sound

All works fine, but could do with a quick true-bypass option. There is a significant degradation in sound, in particular from the top-end, as noted by others. A bypass would at least allow a quick switch-back to non-attenuated mode when volume not an issue.

Nice product

Works beautifully, build quality is 100% metal (only the knobs and feet are plastic). Finish is matte. This should last for decades.

Bugera PS1 tames a Marshall VS100

WORKS LIKE I HAD HOPED.

I can finally play Marshall 100w Combo without worry, but sounds great!

Hot tones

Got it for my 1976 Silverface Fender Twin Reverb and my 1972 Fender Bassman head.Great to crank up the amps.They reveal the beauty of power tubes on heat.

Colours the Sound

These units sound like a bandpass filter to my ears. There is a big loss of high end, leaving you with a resonant honky sound. I tested the unit against my Captor for comparison, and it's night and day. The sound discolouration doesn't appear to be linked to the attenuation level either. I can't recommend one these unless you want your valve amp and cabinet to sound like a 6'' combo amp.

Just the job

fabulous unit at a great price. Great for driving a Marshall JCM 800 to the max without permanent ear damage

Good attenuator for the money!

For this amount of money i think is the best choice ,thats my first attenuator and does the job pretty good so far ,also i connect the line out straight to my sound card and i can record my tube amp very easly without mics on the cab nothing! i just use an ir loader plugin on my computer to use as a cab and thats it! and it sounds amazing! it does 2 things in one box! definitely recommended!

Amazing little piece of gear

I can finally crank my Dual Rectifier to its sweet spot without shaking the whole house lol

It does the job Ok and it's dead cheap

Great attenautor to get you started.

Sound is Ok, but if you like the result maybe consider getting a more expensive one.

Good for me, great for the neighbour

I use this with two different amplifiers. A small 5 watt and a 50 watt. They attenuate the sound alright, which is what I wanted the machine to do. Tonewise I can make the most of both amplifiers at any level--so I can keep the same settings and sound for home, studio, rehearsal and stage.

The information provided with the machine is rather deficient.

I do not use the line and emulated outputs, so I don't have anything to say about that.