Los Angeles session guitarist, Peter Thorn, produced this extensive video demo of the Faustine Phantom Dx attenuator in which he demonstrates the Phantom with a variety of amplifiers including a Suhr Badger 18, Komet Concorde, Divided by 13 RSA31, Rack Systems Marsha, and Divided by 13 FTR37.  Employing both single coil and humbucker equipped guitars, he creates a variety of amp tones ranging from sparkling clean to full-on distortion.
 
Peter records 5 sound clips for each amplifier;  the first clip at full volume and the remaining clips at progressively higher levels of attenuation (-2, -6, -10dB) with the last clip at a quiet "bedroom" volume (approx. -22dB).  He then uses software to volume match all of the clips. Upon listening to the 5 clips, one after the other, at the same volume, the listener can discern if the Phantom actually alters the amplifier's tone.  This is an ideal method for testing an attenuator.  If the 5 sound clips sound the same, the attenuator is judged to be sonically "transparent", meaning it doesn't alter the amplifier's natural tone at different levels of attenuation.

Austin guitar legend, Lance Keltner, produced this video demo of the Faustine Phantom Dx attenuator in which he demonstrates one of the most dramatic properties of the Phantom; its ability to accurately reproduce the natural tone of a cranked tube amp at extreme attenuation levels (very, very low volumes). 
 
Lance plugs his vintage Stratocaster straight into his 3 Monkeys "Grease Monkey" amp, cranks the volume up to the sweet spot, and turns the Phantom all the way down to the point where it's almost on the silent LOAD position... yet, he continues to produce the most amazing tones from his Grease Monkey / Strat combo. 
 
Lance also discusses how he uses the Phantom to drive line level FX for a classic "wet / dry" amp configuration. 

Chris Cali is a seasoned guitarist and veteran of the San Francisco Bay / Monterey Bay music scene who, in addition to running his own entertainment company, produces the Chris' Tone Quest series of equipment demo videos on YouTube.
 
In the following video demos for Metropoulos and Bogner amplifiers, Chris uses the Phantom at a typical "Gig level" (-6 dB and -8dB), allowing him to crank these powerful amps up to their "sweet spot" while maintaining a manageable volume. 

Lance Keltner recorded the following audio clips in his Austin condo at very low volumes, ranging from "just barely audible" (maximum attenuation) to "quiet conversation volume", which is about 8 o'clock on the Variable control (just a little above the LOAD position).  Whatever the volume, his tone is always amazing!
 
In this first clip, Lance used the Phantom with his 3 Monkeys "Grease Monkey" head and 3 Monkeys 2-12 cab and a vintage Stratocaster. It's a very convincing demonstration of the Phantom's sonic "transparency".
 
In Lance Keltner's own words: "I had the Grease Monkey on 8 with my old Strat... I recorded the same Strat, same effects through the Grease Monkey wide open (first part of the clip)... then there is a pause, and the second part of the clip is the Grease Monkey attenuated to the MAX with the Phantom. All I did was level match the clips.  I can't hear a difference, and honestly could not feel one."

In this next clip, Lance plays a D.A.G. (Destroy All Guitars) Telstar guitar through a cranked Bludotone Bludo-Drive amplifier and a 3 Monkeys 2-12 cab loaded with ASW Alnico speakers.  The Phantom is attenuating the Bludo-Drive down to "quiet conversation volume".   

Los Angeles Guitarist & Songwriter, Emerson Swinford, used an assortment of classic guitars and boutique amps to produce this convincing demonstration of the Phantom's sonic transparency.
 
Emerson explains: "In each clip, you will hear a short phrase played 3 different times. First the phrase is played with the amp plugged straight into the speaker cabinet, the Phantom is not used or even plugged in. Then the phrase is played again, this time with the Phantom plugged in and set to –8 db, or what I call “gig level.” And lastly the phrase is played a third time, this time with the Phantom set to variable and the variable knob set at high noon, or what I call “bedroom level” (-20dB). In final mixing, the faders of the “gig level” and “bedroom level” tracks were raised in order to match the non-attenuated phrase track level, this was done just to give a nice even presentation. A Sennheiser 421 mic and Pro Tools digi 002 unit were used to record the mayhem."

Nashville studio guitarist, Andy Most, produced this audio clip with a Les Paul Traditional and a Naylor SD60 head and cab. This is yet another excellent demonstration of the Phantom's ability to reproduce amazing amp tones at whisper volumes. 
 
To quote Andy: "I'm stuck at the house and a friend lent me the piece (Phantom) so I'm messing around with it. I thought I was over attenuators, but maybe not. 

The Naylor doesn't need an attenuator...the Master works great, but I can't tell you how quiet I was playing. I cranked the Naylor and this was recorded at whisper level... beyond that. It's as low as the Faustine will go. I have to crank the mic preamp because of that and it can get a little gnarly, but this thing works great."

French guitarist extraordinaire, Francois Delfin, has produced quite a variety of audio clips featuring the Phantom with several different amps and guitars from his very extensive collection.  The amps include a Dr. Z Route 66, Wizard Vintage Classic, 65 Amps Soho, Blankenship Variplex, Komet Concorde, and a Marshall JMP 2203, all running into a Celestion V30 loaded 1-12 cab.  All of the guitar tracks in these audio clips were recorded in his apartment studio at very low volumes, in many cases during the evening hours while family slept in the next room, providing even more dramatic examples of how the Phantom excels at reproducing the tone and dynamics of a loud tube amplifier at extreme levels of attenuation.

First up: 
 
A friendly comparison of the "Ultimate Attenuator" Re-amplifier by Magus Innovations and the Faustine Phantom Dx attenuator.  In this first audio clip, a cranked 65 Amps Soho is used to demo both the Phantom and the UA at very low "apartment volume".  The first part of the clip is the UA turned nearly all the way down, then there is a pause for a few seconds and the same riff is played with the Phantom Dx set to extreme attenuation (just above the silent LOAD position) to achieve the same volume. In this way, the listener can compare how the different circuit designs of the UA and Phantom sound under exactly the same conditions.

This audio clip features a Wizard Vintage Classic amplifier.  Once again, the Phantom is set to maximum attenuation, just above the silent LOAD position.

This clip features the Blankenship Variplex 50 watt head with the volume cranked to 10, and the Variac set to 70%.  As in the previous examples, the Phantom is set to extreme attenuation.

This next clip features a Dr. Z Route 66 at full volume with Labo-K and Megavibe FX in front of the amp.  The Phantom is set to maximum attenuation (of course).  

This audio clip features a Komet Concorde amplifier cranked to about 80% of full volume.  Once again, the Phantom is set to maximum attenuation, just above the silent LOAD position.

This last audio clip demonstrates using the Phantom as a reactive LOAD and recording from the Line Output.  Francois uses a Strat plugged straight into a Marshall JMP 2203 amplifier.  The Phantom is set to LOAD and the Line Level Output is plugged into a Palmer PDI-09 Passive Speaker Simulator which is then plugged directly into the computer's sound card.  The Palmer's attenuator switch is set to 15db and the EQ switch is set to "Bright".

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