I just received my ZROCK2-25. A couple of years ago I had a ZROCK2 (no mods) in my system so my memory of exactly how it behaved is a bit faded.
That said, this 25th modded version does not seem to align with what I remember in terms of how it behaved when the unit is engaged or bypassed.
First of all, the "Bypassed" mode is WAY louder than when the unit is engaged. I remembered the opposite with my first ZR2 which was significantly louder when the Bypass was NOT engaged.
The attenuator knob definitely effects the sound when the unit is engaged (bass/tone), and when bypassed the sound is not EQ'd and the attenuator does not affect the bass/tone.
That said, the sound level is not even close comparing engaged with bypassed, even when the knob is at 12 O'clock. This does not seem to align with this statement on the ZROCK2 product page:
Quote:At the 1/2 way point, the output level and the sound exactly match the way the ZROCK2 sounds when it is bypassed.
It almost seems as though the ZROCK2 gain stage is not boosting the signal enough to overcome the loss caused by the resistive nature of the EQ circuit. I would love to hear others' thoughts or experiences regarding this topic.