Two Notes Torpedo Captor Reactive Loadbox DI and Attenuator - 8 Ohm

I use this in conjunction with a Radial Reamp Box using my Peavey 6505+. It does take some time to get all the levels correct, but once you do, it works extremely well.

I was looking for an attenuator for tube amplifiers, also called Valve guitar amplifier. I didn't want to distort the output or change the tone, and the recommendations are that I should consider reactive attenuators and not only one resistive.In the search, I found this product from two notes as an excellent option. Although it incorporates many more tools, I only needed it to attenuate the output power.It is essential to consider that you need to have the same ohms of the amplifier with this device, the output does not require the speakers to be the same, but the attenuation is modified according to the ohms of the speakers.I handled several cabins and tested them; if the ohms are respected or equal, we obtained a reduction as the documentation promises. It attenuates in 20 dB; in this, it fulfils what it promises.I have not detected that it modifies in any form the tonality of the output; I made several recordings in the study, and comparing the two signals, no perceptible changes are detected more than the evident attenuation.Another positive point, as it works as a load box and does not require a speaker to be connected to the output, we can use it to make recordings in silence.An important point, this equipment only attenuates 20 dB, it is not variable, and handles up to a maximum of 100W; in my case, I use it in amplifiers ranging from 10W to 50W, with good results, of course with 50W, reaching 9 or 10, the attenuation is there but is not as noticeable as with the 20 to 30W range. I selected the 8 ohms because one of the amps has no selector or other output option, other than 8 ohms, it is a Fender blackface; the others like the Marshall's, Randall's Line 6 and Vox's have variable outputs that had the choice to handle 8-ohm cabs.With a 2x12 Marshall cab, we detected a change in the output, but I adjusted it with the amplifier's balance. We found the same note or tone without the Captor. As this cab has a mix of speakers, it generates a different output curve, which I adjusted by lowering the bass notes in the amplifier; the speakers are the Celestion Vintage and Heritage, both 12 inches with 8 ohms, 70 and 80 Watts.TWO NOTES has another product that attenuates variably. Still, it has a much higher cost, more than double the price, and we must admit that it has many more options; it attenuates variables 32 dB, 20dB and 0dB, but it targets a different set of needs.I give it five stars, plus I've been browsing its features. The cabinet simulations are a plus; it brings analogue cabinet emulations for guitar and Bass, which are default. You can also include 16 free Dyn IR cabinets through the wall of sound supplement, and it comes with a lifetime license of Torpedo Wall of Sound, but they go with a DAW plug-in with this; there are more than 400 variables. Which we've been testing, and it works very well.

I'll talk about the cons upfront - one of my amps is a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe IV which is a 40 watt amp. When you turn an amp of that size up to about 5 (the Hot Rod Deluxe gets loud fast and 5 is right around the sweet spot even for live performances) you may start getting some unnatural distortion when using this as a load box for silent recording. I know that this is supposed to handle up to 50 watts but for some reason I get some distortion that is definitely not coming from the amp. I know because when using the amp without the Captor it's still relatively clean at that volume and any breakup you do get is the natural, nice sounding kind. This is not an issue with software or interface or anything like that. I've had the issue with over 20 IRs and two different interfaces. The solution to this is just to fiddle with the output on the Captor, the volume of the amp, and the knobs on your guitar and in your DAW. I can generally get this to go away and still maintain the desired volume level on my amp.Other than that this has been great for recording. I've only had slight, intermittent issues with my Hot Rod Deluxe and no problems whatsoever with my AC15 (you have to set the Ohms switch on the back to 8ohms or whatever matches your captor though). The sound that comes from the Captor when you record using it as a load box is the same sound you get when you play the amp out loud. The IR package that comes with it is nice though I wish that the amps available would just be what they are instead of rebranded versions of real amps that only hint at what they're supposed to be. I generally use my own IRs that are based off the amps I own and use a different IR loader to use them.Depending on how loud your amp is set you can hear what you're playing coming out of the captor at a low volume. It's not very loud at all but technically it's not silent. This generally only happens when playing with a lot of gain. I've been using this since my daughter was less than a year old in a room that shares a thin wall with her room and in over a year using it the Captor has never gotten loud enough to disturb anyone's sleep. Not even close. I only mention it so that anyone who reads this isn't surprised when they hear some faint sounds coming from the Captor. It sounds like a mechanical sound. Kind of like a fan and sometimes like a reverb spring is having music pumped through it.Bottom line is that you can get the exact tone of your amp while playing silently. It's awesome. You can power it using a 9v DC input but I prefer to use the phantom power from my audio interface over an XLR cable. Saves the amount of cords I have lying around. I know there are a few ways to get output on this (DI, loadbox for direct recording, or just as an attenuator to make your amp quieter while still getting the power tubes hot) but I only use it as a load box for direct recording. That said, the DI feature is actually great to have. No need for a separate DI box if you don't already have one like me.

I've never tried a product like this (reactive load box) so I have nothing to compare the Captor with. I also didn't know what to expect. I've been entirely reliant on amp modelers in my home studio (Line 6 HX Stomp, Joyo amp sim pedals).What got me started thinking about this was my Quilter Aviator Cub solid state amp, with a line level out (as opposed to an output for external speaker cab). So I can just plug the Quilter right into my HX Stomp or other pedals for effects, and record direct. Sounds great!What surprised me when I started trying out the Captor load box was which amps sounded best through it. My favorite amp at home is my FSR Tweed covered Princeton Reverb with a 12" Jensen P12Q Alnico speaker in it. It just sounds so sweet, bouncy, and smooth in the room. My Vox AC10C1 VS with Celestion Junior V-Type speaker is just a different animal. It has lovely cleans and raw, snarly overdriven tones.While the Princeton Reverb is my favorite in the room, the AC10 sounds amazing through the Captor with headphones! The Princeton Reverb needs some fiddling and added EQ to sound it's best through the Captor. It's a little dull at first. It makes me wonder if the Vox is being held back by it's speaker.Anyway, being able to record these amps directly is really cool, and does sound great. More rich, organic, and natural compared to modeled amps. No regrets at all. More expensive options, some over $1,000, add a lot of features, but for the simple purpose I needed, the Captor works great!