Harley Benton PA-100 Power Attenuator Reviews

It works

Good enough if you're looking for a cheap attenuator.

works great, knobs feel a little stiff

Amazing attenuator and line out

I have PRS MT15 amp and live in an apartment with wife and kids. MY15 is a beast so I bought this HB and solved my issue. You can also unplug the speaker and play with line out and headphones at attenuator volume 2-3. Save my life. You don’t need anything else

Excellent pour le prix

Très facile à installer et à prendre en main. Excellente atténuation, utilisé sur ampli Engl 100W à lampe.

Power attenuator

The attenuator for its price and quality is worth to buy, it keeps a good quality sound even at low volume levels. The material it is also quite strong and reliable; the fan keeps the metal cool and you can use it with any type of speaker impedance which it is very convenient for any occasion!

Harley Benton PA-100 Power Attenuator

The Harley Benton PA-100 Power Attenuator is an excellent device designed for guitarists who want to control the volume of their amplifier without compromising the sound. This attenuator offers a wide range of volume control, allowing guitarists to enjoy the full range of tones and feel of the amp at lower volumes. One of the key benefits of the Harley Benton PA-100 is its ease of use. The unit features an intuitive set of controls that allow you to quickly and easily adjust the desired volume level. This makes it an ideal choice for guitarists of all skill levels, from beginners to experienced musicians. In addition, the Harley Benton PA-100 delivers high quality sound even when the volume is turned down. The unit retains the original tone and character of the amp, allowing guitarists to enjoy high sound quality even at low volume. Just as importantly, the Harley Benton PA-100 offers a wide impedance range, allowing guitarists to adjust the attenuation to suit their needs. This makes it a versatile solution for a variety of amplifier types and playing styles.

Cheap enough for the job, but...

I only wanted this to run a 50W EVH head to a Mesa 2x12 Cab at bedroom levels. Of course the point is to push ( 50%+) of the vavles and to keep a decent acoustic sound level. In that matter, the attenuator level knob is down to 0.5, hard to tweek actually between 0.5/0.6 ( old fashion ceramic turn knobs, for the power tweek), but it works and once it does, you can leave it alone. It is a passive device, with a fan feeding on the power of guitar amp signal. That fan goes on and off accordingly. Not very loud, but noticeable, at bedroom levels, I keep turing around because of attention. So it does the job but I wish: Log volume control and regular fan noise. - No idea about Mic/line outputs, i dont care about those... who would at this point of the signal?

An OK fix for a master volume

This piece of kit is a pretty good value for money and built quite nicely but I used it with my sv20h and it sounded quite horrible. I would recommend looking for a reactive load type attenuator for example the iron man 2 mini since it is definitely worth the price.

I own 2 of these. They're okay.

I have two of these, and I'm currently using them in two different set-ups. The first is through my Marshall DSL40, between the 'head' and the Creamback I installed. It definitely works, and lets me push the amp, but keep it quiet. BUT...for some reason when I'm using it, the Marshall 6-switch footswitch acts up and sometimes loses power for a moment. Fine for at home, but I'd never want that to happen at a show.

My other one is set up between a Peavey VK100 and a cabinet with two V30's. Again, this allows me to drive the head, but keep it at a reasonable volume for practice. No issues here, but you can definitely hear the attenuator's fan working overtime on this amp. I was surprised that I could hear it.

Can't fault the value for money here.

Great value compared to all other attenuators. Allows for full-on power amp roar at bedroom(ish) volume with sustain for days! Does suck tone a bit, but even the expensive ones do that - and I'm talking about those costing many times more than this HB PA-100 unit.

Checked the solder work thoroughly because I didn't want to fry my amp and. nothing to worry about, its all neat, tidy and thorough.

Good job, especially at such a low price.

Tone killer

Ik wou mijn Marshall SC20H met de master goed open op een geluidsniveau dat de buren ook aanvaardbaar vinden krijgen met deze attenuator. Het klinkt bagger. Al het leven is uit de amp gezogen en er komt een hol soort klank uit waar je niets mee bent. Mijn allereerste low budget solidstate brol amp maakt een beter geluid. Dan maar gewoon een overdrive in front en het volume van de master naar beneden.

Tone killer

Bought this for using valve amps at a sensible noise level.

Sucks all tone from the amp, sounds like a pillow has been placed over the speaker.

Simple

Super ,good quality.

I m happy)

Simple Product

It can save money, and your ears :) get one if you have a load amp.

very disappointing but still a dummy load

The line out, the xlr "mic" out, and the speaker out all sound absolutely terrible and unusable on my unit. I might have been sent a defective one. That being said, it still does the job of being an acceptable dummy load so I can run a cab sim between the amp and the attenuator (such as the Red Box by Hughes and Kettner or the Friedman Mic-no-MO) without having to use a cab.

Well priced alternative to many more expensive non-reactive units..

If you can’t justify paying many times more for a “Reactive” load box, but want an easy, simple, economic way to avoid upsetting housemates and neighbours, then this does the job well..

I was tempted to give it 5 stars, because it seems unfair to mark down such an affordable piece of gear for having slightly cheap feeling inputs/outputs.. But I wouldn’t want anyone to think they’re getting perfection at this price..

Great device, marginally better than the Bugera PS-1 IMHO

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.

Amazing attentuator

The Harley Benton PA-100 Power Attenuator is a great device that allows you to reduce the output power of your amplifier, without sacrificing tone and sound quality. The attenuator features a robust and compact design, making it easy to carry and transport. With its simple and intuitive controls, the PA-100 is very easy to use, allowing you to adjust the power level to suit your playing style and environment.

One of the most notable features of the PA-100 is its ability to reduce the output power of your amplifier without affecting the tone and sound quality. This makes it an excellent choice for guitarists who want to achieve high gain tones at lower volumes, or for those who want to practice at home without disturbing the neighbors.

In addition, the PA-100 also features a range of safety features that protect your amplifier from damage. These include overheat protection, short-circuit protection, and a fan cooling system.

Overall, the Harley Benton PA-100 Power Attenuator is a versatile and reliable device that can help you achieve great sound at lower volumes. Whether you're a gigging musician or a bedroom player, the PA-100 is definitely worth considering if you want to get the most out of your amplifier while keeping the volume at a reasonable level.

Great product, makes bedroom level play possible

I love that Harley Benton continues to meet my needs for a great product at a great price. Does everything you need, can play my full stack in my bedroom while my kid does homeschool in the next room. <3

Does the job good build quality

Got this as I'm running a hdrx and needed the cranked volumes for the tone I wanted.

Easy to use build quality is solid price was very good

This does the job no noticeable drop in tone and stops my band mates glaring at me all for a pocket friendly price