When using a tube amplifier, you should always connect it to a speaker cabinet before turning it on – or a loadbox. The speaker cabinet (2, 4, 8 or 16 Ohms) must always be connected to the corresponding speaker output of your amplifier. Not doing so can lead to partial or complete destruction of the output stage of the tube amplifier. Most tube amp designers protect their products with fuses etc, but some amps do not have sufficient protection in place. Our general moto is that “It is impossible to predict the behavior of all the amplifiers on the market in case of use without a load (a speaker cabinet or a load box)”.
The electronic term that describes the speaker cabinet with respect to the amplifier is the “load”: we say the cabinet “loads” the amplifier. The term “load box” fits any product that embeds an electronic load. The main parameter of the load box is its impedance, and that is rated in “Ohms”. An 8-Ohm load box must be plugged to the 8-Ohm speaker output of the amplifier.
When using a Torpedo load box, the power sent to the load is turned into heat, so please follow the cooling recommendation of the load box – failure to do so may cause overheating which can lead to damage, both to the load box and to the amplifier. The Torpedo Reload, Live, Studio, Captor and Captor X are load boxes. This term indicates that these products feature a load which can electrically replace the speaker cabinet while safely dissipating (transforming into heat) the power coming out of the amplifier.
The embedded load in the Torpedo products is reactive: it embeds a specific circuit to simulate the complex impedance of a real speaker. This kind of system is widely used in the industry to silently test amplifiers.
Is the use of a loadbox totally silent?
We usually talk about “silent recording” when a load box is involved. If we compare the load box solution to a traditional cabinet miking solution, it is obviously several orders of magnitude quieter, but you will still experience some minor sounds, noises, that have to be taken into account:
- Your guitar or bass strings can be heard. This is obvious, but it can be disturbing, depending on your environment if you are not used to it.
- You may hear some noise coming out of your Torpedo when playing, like there is a tiny speaker inside the box. This is perfectly normal and there is no reason to worry. The sound is produced when power goes through the coil of the reactive load embedded on the Torpedo. The vibration is related to what power comes out of the amplifier connected to the Torpedo and to the signal’s frequency content (notes played are heard). Your amplifier may also produce similar noise, at the output transformer’s level. Such noise is usually not heard, simply because it is normally overcome by the sound coming from the loudspeaker.
- The Torpedo embeds a fan, as there is quite a lot of power dissipated into heat inside the box. We selected a “silent fan”, but as it is running fast, it is never entirely silent. This said, you can consider that, in normal use (hearing your guitar through monitors, or headphones), you can barely hear that fan.
Care should be taken when using a load box
The correct use of your amplifier with a load box requires some precautions. Because of the fact that you may be playing “silently,” it is much easier to accidentally run your amplifier beyond the reasonable limits set by the manufacturer than when you are using an actual speaker cabinet. This can lead to faster tube wear and, in some cases, to more serious issues.
Keep in mind that the “sweet spot” — the perfect running point of the amplifier, the one that will give you the tone you are looking for—is rarely obtained at maximum volume. In addition, the volume control of the amplifier is usually logarithmic, which means that the volume goes up quickly on the first half of the potentiometer’s rotation, reaches its maximum at 12 o’clock, and will not change much beyond that point. Therefore, you can
reach the maximum volume of your amplifier even if the volume potentiometer is not set at maximum.
By reaching the maximum output power of your amplifier, you will hear a lot of distortion, which may not sound as good as you could hope. In fact, most amplifiers do not sound great at maximum volume. Always keep in mind that your amplifier may not have been conceived to be used at maximum volume for a long time. Running an amplifier at high volume will cause premature wear of the tubes and possible malfunctions or damages to the output stage.
- When first testing the amplifier at high volume, monitor the color of the tubes and the general response of the amplifier. Red-glowing tubes or any appearance of smoke are signs of a problem that may result in partial or complete destruction of the amplifier.
- The fact that the volume control of your amplifier is not set at maximum doesn’t mean your amplifier is not running at maximum volume. A good habit is to keep the usual volume setup you would use in rehearsal or on stage, rather than just following what the volume potentiometer indicates.
Which two-note device is best for a Fender Super Reverb?
Hey Michael, any of our load-boxes / attenuators will work!
Hello, I use my captor X 8ohm to a Princeton reverb head 8ohm. Can I then connect a speaker 16ohm to the Captor X to use it as an attenuator? Would it be considered a mismatch? Thanks
This would be a mis-match – as the Captor X is looking at what the speaker is going rather than the amp (set in that way) – you should be fine, but take it easy!
Hello,
I have a peavy artist 240 – instructions are mentioned that the speaker and ext are 4 ohms – which captors could fit with that amp ?
Also I have a spider 330 bass amp with 2 speakers output at 4 ohms and one XLR DI output- same questions which models of captor will fit –
I guess the answer is 4 and 8 ohms model – please confirm or precise
Regards
Michel
Hey Michel!
Having read the owner’s manual of the Peavey Artist 240 – this amp is rated at 4 Ohms.
As for the bass amp, I assume it is the Ashdown 330 Spyder amp. If so, its power amp is solid state and is rated for a minimum of 4 Ohms. With this in mind, the best choice is the Torpedo Captor 4 – you will have perfect impedance match in all cases.
If you wish to have DynIR cabinet simulation for better tones, headphones output, you can use a Torpedo Captor X, 8 Ohms version. You will have an impedance mismatch, albeit the tolerable one. This article will give you all the information and precautions you need to take when using an amp and a Torpedo product that are mismatched impedance-wise:
https://www.two-notes.com/en/knowledge-base/can-i-mismatch-the-impedance-of-the-amp-and-load-box/
Thank you very much Jason for your response. Really appreciated
Have a good one
Michel
Hi Jason,
I did buy a captor 4 ohms. I want to use it in a silent mode to record my guitar and bass. Unfortunatly, this mode is not working ! I have to connect one of the two output to the speakers (thru output or -20db) for the DI – XlR output (with phantom power) or the Line TRS sends some input to my soudcard. Whwn I connect an external speakers both are working – but in silent mode -none are working . I have try every possible configuration – Since the manual indicate that ‘If you connect a speaker cabinet to the THRU output, the internal loadbox is disconnected waht i I understand is that the internal load box is not working since there is no sound in both output. The silent mode is simply not working. Please help or confirm that the unit is defective .
Thanking you in advance
Michel
Sorry to hear this, can you send a message to the help desk please – support.two-notes.com
Hello
I use a Torpedo Captor X, 8 ohms. It’s possible to change the attenuation from 20db to 10db in which I use a different resistor?
Regards
Markus
Hey Markus, I would speak to the guys on the helpdesk about this – support.two-notes.com
Does Captor X need to be powered from the mains to work?
The basic attenuation doesn’t, but all the fun stuff does!
What is the best way to connect Captor X to my USB interface (AXE I/O Solo)?
Via the XLR out!
Hey! I recently bought the new Diezel Vh Micro (solid state amp) and i would like to use it with the torpedo captor, but the Diezel‘s manual says: do not use with s load box, only with a speaker …. What do you think? I read the article that you guys have, which says it‘s not a problem, but now im confused and not sure … but i would really like to play the amp silently! … Please help, thanks a lot!
That’s not something I’ve heard of before, I can’t see why it wouldn’t work – have you asked Diezel why they specify that?
Upon reading more about it, and seeking advice from a colleague, our load boxes work fine with Solid State amps, there will be no ground issues that cause other SS amps to act weirdly with other load boxes!
Which Two notes captor x will I need for my Marshall Origin 20 head and 1960A 4×12 cab?
It all depends what you want it to do… if you want complete silence and recording, or to DI you signal, the the original black Captor. If you want all the speaker emulation etc, then the Captor X… if you want continuous attenuation then it’s the ReLoad!
The Captor X can load third-party IRs as well as those purchased from the editor’s integrated Two Notes store. You can also assign effects.
Hi, i have an ampeg pb250 that puts out 250 watts at 4 ohms and my 210 bass cab is 8 ohms. I don’t want to add a second 8ohm cab to have a total of 4 ohm load to get max watts out of amp. Can i add a 8 ohm load box to my 8ohm 210 cab to get 4ohms?
If your cabinet has an output to link another cabinet/a load box in parallel, an 8 Ohms load box will bring the load to 4 Ohms. This way your amp will output the maximum wattage out of the speaker output.
I am using a Captor 8 with my Supro Comet for silent operation, running the speaker out into the Captor, then the XLR into the mixer (so no speaker at all).
The Captor is using the phantom power from the mixer but if I accidentally powered up my amplifier without the phantom power being on, does the Captor still provide a load even when not powered? I don’t plan on running it this way but I’d like to know for safety reasons. Thanks
Hey SCott! The load-box element of the Captor does not requite external power 🙂
Hoping to get some insight on which Torpedo Captor version to purchase (16ohm or 8ohm), and a best setup with my current gear for live playing (interested mainly in the attenuation aspect to play in the sweet spot). Currently running a Marshall DSL100HR head, with two 16ohm 4×12 cabinets plugged directly into the back (2 separate 16ohm outputs, both cabinets set at 16ohm mono). Besides the proper Captor ohm version, any advice on the signal chain from head/Captor into the two cabinets would be great. Cabinets are a Marshall 1960B & Crate GX-412S. Thanks!
The Crate GX-412S has a speaker output which allows you to link your 2 cabs together. The best setup in your case is to connect the Marshall cabinet to the Crate’s OUT jack socket. This will create a parallel pair of cabinets that you will connect to the SPEAKER ATT of the Captor.
Regarding the Captor’s impedance you need for your setup – the Marshall DSL100R has all the possible outputs regarding impedance (4 /8 and 16 Ohms).
The impedance seen by the amp when a Captor is in use depends on the speaker output used on the Captor . When the cabinet is connected to the SPEAKER THRU, the impedance seen by the amp is the cabinet’s. The Captor’s load box is bypassed and not seen by the amp.
When the cabinet is connected to the SPEAKER ATT, the impedance seen by the amp is the Captor’s. The impedance of the cabinet does not matter in that case. In your case for the best setup, whichever Captor you choose, you will be able to have the right impedance match by using the right amp’s output.
This is great Jason…really appreciate the walkthrough! Since primary use in my case would be to use the Captor as an attenuator, could you confirm if these signal paths would be correct based on your explanation?
(Signal chain using both cabinets):
Marshall DSL100HR (1 x 16ohm socket) >> Torpedo Captor 16 (SPEAKER IN socket). Captor SPEAKER ATT socket >> Crate GX-412S IN socket (set at 16ohm mono). OUT socket of Crate cab >> Marshall 1960B 16ohm mono INPUT
(Signal chain using 1960B only):
Marshall DSL100HR (1x16ohm socket) >> 16ohm Torpedo Captor (SPEAKER IN socket). Captor SPEAKER ATT socket >> Marshall 1960B 16ohm mono INPUT
If these look correct, then what I’m seeing is that the Captor 16 attenuation capability would work for both setups by matching it to the 1x16ohm output of the head, since you mentioned the impedance seen by the amp would be the Captor’s 16ohm impedance?
Thanks!
I’m new to attenuation and am looking for a solution for my AC15. I use a Line6 hybrid Helix board and would like to use an FX Loop block to send my signal to the AC15 and have it return as a line level signal. I don’t need any cab emulation, EQ, FX, etc., as the Helix will take care of that. What’s the recommended Torpedo box for this?
Hey Josh, your best bet would be the regular, black, analog Captor 🙂
Do your attenuators reduce the wattage that is going to the speaker? If I wanted to use a 15 watt speaker with a 20 watt amp, would it be safe to do because the attenuator is reducing the wattage that goes to the speaker?
Hey Mike, in principle it does. It reduces the output volume of the amp. However, you need to be REALLY careful as you may accidently deactivate the attenuator and send the full signal to the speaker which may blow it out
Thanks for an explanation, I too consider, that the easier, the better …
Not a problem at all – please dont hesitate to let us know if you have any other questions!
Can I run a 500w bass amp that expects an 4 ohm impedance into the Captor 4 or is that too much wattage?
Hi Alex, Thanks for getting in touch. That is certainly higher than the rated wattage and we would not advise actioning this setup with a Captor 4. To a lesser extent you can feed the Captor with a higher rated wattage which we detail in this handy support article: https://support.two-notes.com/knowledgebase.php?article=384
Please let us know if there is anything else we can help you with!
I have a 66 pro reverb with a 4 ohm tranny. Can I plug in two 8 ohm load boxes at the same time into each of the speaker jacks (such as a 8ohm captor x and a 8 ohm suhr reactive load) in order to match the 4 ohm amp requirement? That way I could also send 2 IR different signals to the board. Sounds ok but not sure.
Hi Terry, can we confirm that you are referring to the speaker outputs of your Amp or the Speaker outputs of your loadboxes here? Please confirm and we will be able to clarify!
Hi – I’m having a problem in recording tube amps direct and then using IRs. I use your W.O.S. plugin for the IRs. I don’t need amp attenuation. My amps include Suhr, Splawn, Marshall etc. I currently have 2 loadboxes – the Fractal one and also a Fryette Power Station and whichever one I’m using, is hitting a Chandler TG2 Special Edition preamp which has a 300ohm switch… currently not pressed in. Then into Cubase. The problem is the guitar amp sounds after adding an IR are basically unusable – they are dull, muddy, no clarity at all. I’ve seen a lot of complaints on-line about this dull sound from people trying to record direct. Some people are suggesting the problem is those load boxes have a built-in “speaker curve” which is adding an unwanted tone and might not be playing nicely with whatever IR I then choose to add in Cubase from W.O.S. Is there a Two Notes load box with no speaker curve added or at least one that could be turned off? Which Two Notes load box would you suggest for the clearest and brightest sound? Also – is the best connection from load box to studio preamp XLR to XLR? It’s been suggested that XLR to TRS 1/4″ might be better. Thanks.
Good morning Mike,
I hope all is well and thanks for getting in touch. We have read similar reports and a lot of loadboxes out there emulate the impedance curves you have noted. Our Captor and Captor X aim to provide as neutral a tone as possible for seamless integration with our DynIR technology so it is advisable to check these out. Please let us know if there is anything else we can help you with.
Kind regards,
Ross
Hi, I am unclear whether the volume knob (potentiometer) on the front of the Torpedo Captor controls the volume of the Thru Attenuated output, or only the dry Line Out/DI output levels. I have several Tube amp heads from 5W and upwards, and am mostly interested in a product that lets me enjoy them at household friendly volumes with good tone. Am I barking up the wrong tree looking at the Torpedo Captor?
Hi Keith,
Thanks for getting in touch. The volume control on the front of the Captor X controls the Line Out/DI output and not the attenuation of the amplifier. Attenuation is controlled via the Volume select switch (H in the user guide here: https://wiki.two-notes.com/doku.php?id=torpedo_captor_x:torpedo_captor_x_user_s_manual). In terms of your need, Captor X seems like the perfect solution both to attenuate your amplifiers or to enjoy private practice via headphones! Let us know if there is anything else we can help you with today.
Hi Jason, I want to make recordings using my laptop, audio interface and the captor x 16 ohms. I play music within the doom metal genre, and need to be able to obtain feedback at silent/extremely quiet volumes. Is this possible? I will be using an Orange Rockerverb mk3 100 watt head.
Hi John, Thank you for getting in touch. Ross from Two notes here. Feedback is generated as a result of a loop between your amp / cab output and your guitar. This will prove difficult to achieve in a silent recording setup as one of the two components needed (i.e. the speaker) will be removed from the equation. However, there are plugin options out there that can be used to emulate traditional feedback – we have included one link below for you to review.
> https://www.bluecataudio.com/Products/Product_AcouFiend/
Let us know if this helps and we look forward to hearing from you soon!
Really interested in CaptorX.. do I need the 8 or 16 version for a Vox AC30C2X combo & should I switch the ohms switch from 16 to 8 on the amp?
Hi Alfred, Ross from Two notes here. Either the 16- or 8Ω variants will work with your amp and you will need to make sure you have the correct matched impedance selected for the load box you purchase. If you can let us know a little more about the usage scenario in which you aim to use the Load Box, we can certainly advise on which impedance would be most suitable! Thanks!
Hello, quick question, I turned in my amp without realizing I handt turned on the phantom in my interface so tha loadbox was not “on”. The amp was connected to it. I quickly realized and turned the amp to standby before turning on the loadbox. Would there be any damage to my amp?
Thanks for getting in touch. Ross from Two notes here. In this instance your amp should be fine as our reactive load in both the Captor and Captor X does not require power to function!
I have a 16 ohm Captor X. When I test the impedance of the Captor X at the red speaker “in” with a speaker cable and multimeter, it reads much higher than 16 ohms. It reads somewhere around 48 ohms or even higher. Is this a problem? Shouldn’t it read around 14-16 ohms like a real cabinet?
Hi Scott, Thanks for getting in touch. You will be pleased to hear this is completely normal behaviour and is nothing to worry about! We actually detail similar values in our support article below:
https://helpdesk.two-notes.com/portal/en/kb/articles/testing-the-loadbox-of-a-torpedo-product
The reasoning behind why this looks like a comparatively large jump is all tied to our load box design being reactive. Please note, an impedance measurement fluctuates in direct relation to frequency; the value of our loadbox (8Ω for example) we give is measured at ~500Hz if I recall correctly – if you measure the impedance at a different frequency it will give another value. In addition, when measurements are actioned via an idle speaker cable, it’s not the impedance you are measuring but the resistance, subsequently contributing further to a difference in value.
The long and short of it is that this is expected behaviour and is nothing to worry about!