L-pad vs Attenuator

[static0verdrive]

Hi gang. Can someone please explain the difference between an L-pad and an attenuator for a tweeter? I read that an L-pad is like a poor man's attenuator, but the L-pad is more expensive on the Crazy8 build I'm considering (maybe because it's an L-pad or an attenuator switch, which is perhaps simply on/off?). Any insight would be great. Cheers!

 

[beans-on-toast]

I like to have a level control and off switch on a tweeter.

This link provides some insight: Invalid Link Removed

 

[Bassamatic]

Well - an attenuator is a general term meaning a device that reduces level. It could be a simple potentiometer that dumps some of the power to ground and absorbs the rest. The problem with a simple pot is that the resistance to the source changes as you turn it. That is why your pickups sound different when your V pots are at full volume.

An L-Pad is made differently, so that the load to the source remains constant as it attenuates the signal. The L-Pad value is specified, such as 8 Ohms, so that it always presents an 8-Ohm load to your amp regardless of the setting. If it were a pot, it could go much lower in value and damage your amp. Am L-Pad is also necessary when using a crossover, so the crossover frequencies stay correct.

Since an L-Pad attenuates by absorbing the energy rather than sending it to ground, it must be able to handle the power you will send to it, so the spec for an L-Pad may be 8 Ohms, 50 Watts.

 

[static0verdrive]

Awesome guys thank you so much. This explains very clearly why the L-pad might cost more, and in the case of the Crazy8 from gigmaster.biz the L-pad is definitely the way I'd like to go. Cheers!

/thread

 

[beans-on-toast]

It's a good investment to do it right.

 

[static0verdrive]

It's a good investment to do it right.

Words I live by. I watched my parents endlessly pay a little less for the cheapest <whatever> only to replace a year later again and again. Even as a child I thought "but if you paid $100 instead of $85 you'd have it for life!" and swore I'd try to make wise decisions... not necessarily the most expensive, but the best value counting how long any given product is expected to last. Online reviews have made that life quest so much easier than it was in the early 90's!