gotta be honest here, a koch loadbox sounds better than a hotplate.
Also, the weber mass sounds the same if not better than a hotplate; for half the price.
In reality, some attenuators work better (tonally) with some amps, rather than others. There are no hard and fast rules about one attenuator being "better" than another. If one can get the chance, then it's good to try more than one attenuator with any particular amp, and try and see which one works best with it.
I like the hotplate with vintage Marshall circuits, and my new Orange Rockerverb 50. But it was nowhere near as good with an AC30, IMO.
