I just picked up a Power Station and is there a way to bypass the presence and resonance knob? I don’t want to color my amps that I’m attenuating. Also is it normal when the amp is on bypass signal still comes through?
The manual for the PS-2A is here: https://fryette.com/content/Power_Station_PS2A_Manual.pdf
If you read the text related to 7. Standby/Bypass it’s quite clear that turning off the Operate/Bypass switch allows the full signal of the amp to pass through. So, yes.
There is no way to bypass the presence and resonance knobs, nor should you really want that. Turn the knobs and adjust the switches to make the system sound the way you want at the volume you want. Reducing the volume will “color” the sound anyway, so abandon that oversimplified notion. Below are notes that I freely stole from others long ago. You may find them helpful.
flat = switches down, knobs fully counter-clockwise.
the switches are primarily there to compensate broadly & to taste for Fletcher-Munson
the knobs are for feel as well as sound
the more attenuation you apply to louder amps, the more likely you might be to use the a) switches (first), and then b) the controls
Switches set to FLAT completely eliminate the reactive behavior of the load as it relates to the amp under load.
What remains is the subtle reactive behavior between the PS power amp stage and the speaker, which can be accentuated using the Presence and Depth controls, and in some applications can produce just the right amount of feel. By “some applications”, I mean where you want to eliminate the really obvious load reactance and instead apply a very subtle sweetening. That will vary depending on amplifier type, playing volume, amplifier power output, etc. We find for example that players with medium powered BF Fender amps tend to like the switches set flat. This might be because Fenders are already pretty scooped and crisp on top. Setting the load to Flat smooths the amp out a bit.
The most neutral setting - the setting where the Power Station contributes the least color and reactivity - is with switches set to Flat and Presence/Depth full CCW (counter clockwise). At volume settings where the Power Station volume is very close to the bypassed volume, you will need little or no help from the switches and Presence/Depth to retain your stock sound. As you decrease the Power Stations volume in Operate Mode, you will find that either the switches separately, the Presence and Depth separately or some combination of both will help you retain (dial back in) your original sound and feel.
We recommend starting with switches set to FLAT and knobs to zero. Bring up the volume and start with the bottom switch to get the bottom end feel you like. Then add the top switch for the sparkle. Finally dial in the Presence and Depth to taste. It may seem backwards, but it’s usually faster and easier to tweak the bottom switch before the top and Depth before Presence.
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Thank you, this unit is running into my Zvex with a few heads. I do find they all stay sounding the same oddly lol. I’ll you with it accordingly.