Now, while playing through the amp, try turning the Volume control up and down a bit.
You will see how slight changes in the Volume control will make the tone more or less
distorted, but won’t have much effect on the volume level in the room. The reason for
this is that the output stage of the amplifier is already generating maximum output
power even if the amp is only just on the edge of breakup. As you turn up the Volume
control past this point, the output stage cannot produce any more power – it just
becomes more overdriven.
After trying that experiment, set the volume control back to 4, where you started, and
try adjusting the attenuation knob. You will see that the volume level in the room
changes, but the amount of overdrive and distortion does not. This is the purpose of
the attenuator.
The integrated Ironman contains special compensation circuitry to adjust the EQ curve
and theamount of compression/presence progressively as the Attenuation knob is
turned from 0 to its maximum setting of –36db. The HF Comp switch allows you to
select between two different levels of compensation, HF and OFF. The HF setting will
give you a bit more presence and a brighter sound. The OFF setting will give you a little
more compression, and a smoother top-end.
The purpose of this switch is to help you match the sound of the amp to the acoustic
properties of your room. The characteristics of the room have a much bigger influence
on the sound when you are attenuating down to a low volume than they do at high
volume. By having two levels of compensation, you have the ability to tailor the amount
of presence and compression to complement the characteristics of your room.
For example, if you are playing in a very bright sounding room, then you might choose
the Normal setting. Alternatively, if you are playing in a larger, more reflective room
that tends to muddy the sound of an amp, you might prefer the Max setting.
The proper setting is a matter of personal preference, so you may want to try both and
pick the one that appeals most to you.
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