Features
Atomic Reactor 112 can be cranked up to 18 W power output at 3% THD utilizing a pair of EL84 tubes working in push-pull operation and one 12AX7 in input stage. Notice that the “small” power of tube power amp is louder than what you think, especially in well engineered amp with optimum efficiency power dissipated to the speaker. Well designed closed back cabinet, speaker and the circuit itself make Atomic Reactor 112 is loud enough to be your stage monitors at 18W power rating equal to commonly designed 30W tube power amp.

Reactor offers very simple features. It has only a pair of L-R effects send jack which directs the output of digital modeler to other destination like mixing console or other Reactor 112 to make stereo amplifier. The modeler can sit down perfectly (currently Line6 POD, Behringer V-Amp and Vox ToneLab) in the housing namely Docking Station. Using a return input, any stomp boxes, floor pedals or rackmount modeler can be used as well.

A 150W 8 Ohm rated 12” loudspeaker installed in the right side of enclosure with passive radiator in the left. Cabinet type is closed back with classic grille design and logo. The only thing missed is master volume knob (you can control the volume from modeler output level) and a stand-by switch.

Sound
Why Atomic Reactor? Why not just plug in my POD output or other digital amp modeler into Marshall, Randall, Crate or Mesa-Boogie tube head with plenty of power, roughly ten times of Reactor power is rated?

Digital amp modeler in the designer’s perspective is to recreate as accurately as possible to the vintage amp the modeler trying to emulate. Therefore, if you need to get the best sound coming out of digital modeler, you need flat frequency response amplifier to reproduce the tone without coloration.

Transistor-based or solid state power amplifiers are easy to design at high power output and ruler-flat response. But, they are sounded too dry, sterile and lack of organic, warmth and life compared to tube power amp. In the other hand, common tube power amps has their own sound signature (curved frequency response) that not suitable to amplify digital modeler.

If you set digital modeler to Dual Rectifier model and run the output through Marshall JCM800 Head and cabinet, most likely you will not get pure Dual Rectifier legendary sound. Chances are, you will get the sound of Dual Rectifier pre-amp plugged into JCM800 because The Marshall will treat your digital modeler as a train of sound effects.

Atomic Reactor 112 fills the gap between transistor and “commonly designed” tube drawbacks. Being flat responses and organic “de-digitized” power amplifier, Reactor will reproduce uncolored sound from digital modeler yet maintain organic life and warmth presence of tube amplifier, thanks to Harry Kolbe the legendary amp guru who designed Reactor. Completed with good loudspeaker named Atomic G12 Mega-Ton, Reactor boasts defined low register at ease yet balanced across the whole guitar frequency spectrum. Simply put, Reactor will make you hear accurately the vintage amp that digital modeler emulates.

Oh one more thing, don’t forget to experience modeler setting by turn “cabinet/miking model” off when plugging into Reactor and hear the differences.

Who needs Atomic Reactor 112
Guitarists who demand tube tone presence over digital amp modeling in their live set for monitoring purpose. If you use digital modeling for recording, there’s simpler and cheaper way instead of miking Atomic Reactor 112. Chain your tube compressor set at mild compression setting from digital modeling output before run into mixing console or multitrack recorder.

Build your own Reactor
Street price of Atomic Reactor 112 by the time we write this is US$500. Let’s say you want to build your own Reactor with local products. A 20W class A/B push-pull tube amp is around US$250, plus a flat response Eminence or Celestion or local Audax 12” full-range driver is US$50. Closed back wooden cabinet and grille about US$20. Total is US$320.

Looks like you save a lot if using tube amp on the market. But, I believe that all the tube power amps in the audio market have coloration of “pleasing” tone. Hence it will change the sound out of the digital modeler.

For those curious about local tube power amp, I can give you one well-known name in audiophile. Ignatius Chen, tube amp designer lives in Bandung has mass production of his own tube amp sold in Mangga Dua Mall or Glodok audio stores.

Indonesian Tube Amp Specialists:

Ignatius Chen
Setrasari 7 Bandung 40154
+62-22-2018854
FAX 62-22-2013277
Setrasari Mall C3-87 Bandung 40152
+ 62-22-213277
dutar at digicron.com

Ignatius Chen Tube Audio Lab
Mangga dua mall Lt 2 no 22B, Jakarta
Tel : +62-22-6126127
e-mail : gebunk at indosat dot net dot id

Ir. Harjono
e-mail: elite at cbn dot net dot id

Arif Wicaksono
e-mail: arif_wicaksono at yahoo dot com

Alternatively, try hybrid power amp (MOSFET) which is an enhanced transistor with sound improvement closer to tube characteristics. MOSFET amp design (PCB or kit) and ready to use products are widely available at the electronics market such as Glodok (Jakarta) or Pasar Genteng (Surabaya).

If you successfully recreate Reactor with local tube or hybrid power amp at low budget, please spread your discovery here, the readers and us will cheerfully thank you.

Features 4/5
Sound    5/5
Value     3/5

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