This is a low-level high impedance signal directly off the power amplifier. This signal is NOT
a recorded compensated signal and is generally used for several types of stereo setups.
The Royalist is designed so that, when driven into overdrive and distortion, most of the
distortion is generated in the output tubes (and the phase inverter). Output stage
distortion has a different sound and feel than distortion generated in the preamplifier,
and this is big part of why the Royalist sounds the way it does. The problem with this
sort of design is that the only way to generate any overdrive or distortion is to push the
output stage to the maximum output power, which means it will be very loud. This
level of volume is impractical for many circumstances, so it is necessary to find a way to
lower the volume level while still maintaining the great sound of overdriven power
tubes.
The best solution to controlling volume level while still allowing the output tubes to
generate maximum output power is to use an attenuator. An attenuator is a circuit
which allows you to divide the power generated by the amplifier between the speaker
and a specially designed load circuit. In doing so, you can adjust the amount of power
sent to the speaker, with the rest of the remaining power being absorbed in the load
circuit, as shown in the diagram below:
As you can see from the illustration on the previous page, the attenuator controls
consist of one rotary knob to select the attenuation level per channel, and one HF Comp
mini toggle switch.
On the Attenuation dial, 0db is the loudest setting. In this setting, the attenuator is
fully bypassed, and the speaker is connected directly to the output of the amplifier.
The –36db setting is the quietest setting. In this setting, most of the power generated
by the output tubes is absorbed by the attenuator, and only a few dozen milliwatts of
power are sent to the speaker.
First, lets start with the basics of how to use the attenuator. For practical purposes,
the Attenuation knob can be thought of as providing the same function as a “master
volume” control. This means that you will use the “Volume” controls to adjust the gain
of the preamp and the amount of overdrive/distortion you wish to dial in, and you will
use the “Attenuation” dial to set the volume level that you wish to produce.
To Next Page
Loading...
Need help?
General
