Best "apartment friendly" high gain amp?

[Thanatopsis]

I agree with what someone else said about a separate pre/power amp. My Peavey Rockmaster & Classic 60/60 setup sounds great at low volumes. Granted it sounds better cranked up a little more, but it still sounds very good. I play regularly until all hours of the night in my apartment without disturbing anyone.

 

[joey123456]

I recorded a video of my Randall Diavlo RD1H (1 watt) at TV volume or lower. Sounds pretty good. Haven't found anything that sounds better at this volume (Ironball, e530 + Rocktron Velocity, Krankenstein 20W, 6505+, THR10x, Vypyr, Vox VT30, RG13, Mustang... I've wasted a lot of money as you can see). Haven't directly compared it with my 5150 iii. The 5150 iii definitely beats the Diavlo at "I'm the only person in a house playing guitar" volumes though.

 

[TemjinStrife]

Marshall JVM1.

Also, the Randall RD20 has an excellent master volume and sounds great at apartment levels; it just doesn't have the raw aggression of the JVM1.

 

[p4vl]

Doesn't an attenuator generate power tube distortion? It's my understanding that metal tone comes from the preamp section of the amp kicking the speakers in the ass.

 

[Blitzie]

In terms of attenuation, how does everyone feel about the Dr. Z Airbrake? I've got the chance to get one of those for about $200.