Fryette Power Station 100 B-Stock

"I don’t know how others rate it, but it..."

I don’t know how others rate it, but it is exactly what it is supposed to be

"A budget-friendly lifesaver for tube amp lovers who want cranked tones at manageable volumes"

Review of Harley Benton PA-100 Power Attenuator

The Harley Benton PA-100 is a budget-friendly lifesaver for tube amp lovers who want cranked tones at manageable volumes. It brings real amp saturation into the bedroom or studio without compromising dynamics or tone.

First Impressions

As someone who lives for the sound of a tube amp pushed into sweet saturation but has neighbors and kids to consider, I’ve been eyeing a power attenuator for a while. The PA-100 immediately stood out as one of the most affordable solutions on the market. Out of the box, it looks serious -compact, solid, and without any unnecessary gimmicks. This isn’t some cheap toy - it’s clearly designed for players who care about tone but don’t want to take out a second mortgage for the privilege.

It arrived in a simple yet sturdy box, and within minutes of unboxing, I had it wired between my 50-watt head and a 1x12 cab. I was ready to see if it could tame my beast without neutering it.

Build Quality & Protection

The PA-100 feels like it could survive a gig bag full of cables being dropped on it. The metal housing is surprisingly robust for the price point, with tight corners and a cool industrial finish. The rotary dial has a satisfying resistance that makes each attenuation level feel intentional. There’s no wiggle or play - everything here suggests reliability.

Harley Benton included a built-in fan to dissipate heat, which I appreciated during long sessions. It never ran too hot, and the passive load design means there's no power source required unless you're using the line-out or DI features, which is pretty great for plug-and-play simplicity.

Playability & Usability

I tested the PA-100 with two different amps: a 15-watt combo and a 50-watt head. The result in both cases was impressive. I was able to push the amp’s master volume higher than I ever could at home, getting those fat, harmonically rich tones I usually only experience during rehearsals or gigs. With the attenuator set to its middle settings, I found a sweet spot where the amp still breathed and reacted, but the volume was living-room friendly.

There's also a speaker-emulated DI out and line-out, which worked great for silent recording into my audio interface. It didn’t replace a properly mic’d cab, but it gave me a solid fallback option and worked surprisingly well with amp sims or IR loaders.

Real-World Experience

Using the PA-100 daily over a few weeks, I grew to trust it. I no longer had to tiptoe around volume knobs when inspiration struck at night. I could set my amp to where it sounds best and use the attenuator to dial in the right room level. It also worked wonders for late-night re-amping experiments where I needed consistent tone but couldn’t crank the amp.

I was surprised by how little the tone changed, even at lower levels. There was a slight loss of high-end sparkle at extreme attenuation, but it was subtle and easily compensated for with a small EQ tweak. And when using it for silent recording with the DI, I was shocked at how noise-free and clean the signal was.

The Trade-Offs

This isn’t a perfect piece of gear - but what is? The biggest limitation is that while it handles up to 100 watts, it’s rated for 8-ohm loads only. That means you’ll need to match your amp and cab to that impedance to use it safely. Additionally, the lack of attenuation steps (it’s a continuous knob rather than click-stops) might not appeal to everyone, though I personally prefer the flexibility.

Also, while the DI and line-out are solid, they won’t replace a proper load box or high-end reactive attenuator for critical studio work. But considering the price, that’s hardly a fair complaint.

Final Verdict

If you're chasing tube amp nirvana without waking the household or your street, the PA-100 delivers far more than it should at this price. It’s rugged, simple, and effective - perfect for home players, small studio setups, or even live gigs where volume needs to be kept in check. You might outgrow it if you dive deep into recording and re-amping workflows, but for 90% of players, this is a dream tool.