Dr Z mini ...Still too loud for bed room use ...Advice needed

Fingers Mcginty

Howdy folks, Have a mini Z which is 5 watts. Also has a built in attenuator but the sucker is still damn loud. It has lovely tone but just very loud. I have it going through a 12" Celestion. The I/P tube is a GT-12AX7M and the o/p tube is a single EL84. Maybe a different preamp tube? And if so where to buy?

Alanstrainor

I'll just take it off your hands. That's the only solution.

Seziertisch

http://thetubestore.com/gainfactor.html

Dord

Fingers Mcginty wrote: »

Howdy folks, Have a mini Z which is 5 watts. Also has a built in attenuator but the sucker is still damn loud. It has lovely tone but just very loud. I have it going through a 12" Celestion. The I/P tube is a GT-12AX7M and the o/p tube is a single EL84. Maybe a different preamp tube? And if so where to buy?

Get an attenuator. I got a Weber Minimass for my 3watt Harmony amp and it's now much more usable at bedroom levels.

Fingers Mcginty

Dord wrote: »

Get an attenuator. I got a Weber Minimass for my 3watt Harmony amp and it's now much more usable at bedroom levels.

Has a built in attenuator already

Fingers Mcginty

Seziertisch wrote: »

http://thetubestore.com/gainfactor.html

Was thinking about throwing a 5751 in there

Seziertisch

Fingers Mcginty wrote: »

Was thinking about throwing a 5751 in there

You see, my child, there was no need to ask, you already knew the answer ...

Fingers Mcginty

Where to buy though?

Fingers Mcginty

Just bought one...Ta

Seziertisch

Fingers Mcginty wrote: »

Where to buy though?

If you want to go NOS, I have bought quite a bit of stuff from Watford Valves, not the cheapest by any means but the quality and service was good. I have also had good experiences with Tubetown in Germany.

Paolo_M

Fingers Mcginty wrote: »

Just bought one...Ta

Hang on, hang on, hang on!!

Lower gain preamp valves are nice to try out but they do absolutely nothing whatsoever with amp volume. Valve gain and amp volume are not related in any way shape or form.
You'll find that you now have to turn it up louder to get the same gain, which will leave you at the same volume you already are with a 12 AX7!!

All's not lost though, the 5751 is nice sounding valve IMO so the money isn't wasted, but it's not the answer to your original problem.

TBH, the best guitar tone you can get for bedroom use is without doubt software modellers.
I've loads of experience with all kinds of valve amps (and own my fair share ) and for bedroom volumes ReValver (with the right impulse response) is far better sounding than any valve amp I've heard turned that low.
That's including using an attenuator.
Speakers barely moving just should pretty ****, nothing to do with the amp itself as such. A speaker is an electro mechanical device and needs to move to develop it's full frequency response and tonal character.
That can't be done at bedroom volume.

Squidgy Black

If the new tube doesn't work, eminence speakers released a new line that have a sort of speaker attenuation built in, it's a big huge nob on the speaker that when you twist it it attenuates the sound.

Seziertisch

Paolo_M wrote: »

Hang on, hang on, hang on!!

Lower gain preamp valves are nice to try out but they do absolutely nothing whatsoever with amp volume. Valve gain and amp volume are not related in any way shape or form.
You'll find that you now have to turn it up louder to get the same gain, which will leave you at the same volume you already are with a 12 AX7!!

All's not lost though, the 5751 is nice sounding valve IMO so the money isn't wasted, but it's not the answer to your original problem.

TBH, the best guitar tone you can get for bedroom use is without doubt software modellers.
I've loads of experience with all kinds of valve amps (and own my fair share ) and for bedroom volumes ReValver (with the right impulse response) is far better sounding than any valve amp I've heard turned that low.
That's including using an attenuator.
Speakers barely moving just should pretty ****, nothing to do with the amp itself as such. A speaker is an electro mechanical device and needs to move to develop it's full frequency response and tonal character.
That can't be done at bedroom volume.

I doff my cap to your wisdom on the matter, Paolo. I was thinking in terms of reducing gain (presuming that the volume control, even when on its lowest audible setting was just too loud).

Fingers Mcginty

Paolo_M wrote: »

Hang on, hang on, hang on!!

Speakers barely moving just should pretty ****, nothing to do with the amp itself as such. A speaker is an electro mechanical device and needs to move to develop it's full frequency response and tonal character.
That can't be done at bedroom volume.

less efficient speaker do the job then? Like a greenback?
Not really a fan of the modellers

Paolo_M

Fingers Mcginty wrote: »

less efficient speaker do the job then? Like a greenback?
Not really a fan of the modellers

It would tame it a bit, but it will alter the tone a fair bit too.
Which Celestion is already in there?
Normally the efficiencies only vary about 3dB which isn't a great deal really.

Just how much volume do you need to drop? Half?

Fingers Mcginty

Yeah half would be good G12H in there already

punchdrunk

Zvex Nano head is the answer

Fingers Mcginty

Ah that's just more money
I'll let yiz know how I get on with the 5751. Cheers Lads.

i57dwun4yb1pt8

i tell you whats really nice

the blackstar ht 1 , using a ht 5 cab

low vol and lovely .

Fingers Mcginty

Funny you should say that. Was in x music the other day trying the 1 watter out. Sounded nice but some toe rag was trying out an amp at bloody stage volume for ages so couldn't gauge the sound properly. Might go for the ht-1R combo eventually just for bedroom use.
My mini was just about managable before in the bedroom but now seems a lot louder. I'm moving gaff though and there's no furniture in the room to soak up the sound so that could be it.
Wouldn't sell the mini though ...lovely little amp.

Squidgy Black

I have the HT-1, I love it. The sweet spot is just at bedroom level, you know the certain level you have to push an amp to so it sounds half decent, and it can stand up to a drummer through a 4x12 with ease.

Fingers Mcginty

Cheers I might look into that