2004 SLO w/Deyoung Transformers versus New Bad SLO vid.

[harddriver]

Not my vid. Everyone asks how the old ones sound compared to the new Bad ones.
The #3 footswitch LED on the left is the BAD SLO The #4 footswitch LED on the Right is the 2004 SLO

Here's what's in his video notes:
Amp1 (Black Soldano SLO-100 Reissue (Boutique Amplification Distribution) with 6L6
Amp2 (Green 2004 Soldano SLO-100 (Seattle), DeYoung Transformers, Depth Mod with 6L6
Guitar: PRS DGT
Cab: Amps running through a Fryette Power Load IR with Mesa OS IRNotes:

The original pots act a lot different to the reissue. Original has a lot more gain out of the gate. Bass and depth pots scale up faster on original versus reissue. There is a large difference between the overdrive volume pot and how it tapers. The original gets a lot louder faster

 

[glpg80]

The original has the 5150 laid back metal attitude which I much prefer. The reissue is more up front but too formal sounding. That laid back mid attitude is what makes it a great metal amp platform.

I’d still take a new 5150 III Stealth 100W over both.

 

[fusedbrain]

He gets them pretty close, but it seems like the new one has a slightly sharper attack, which I like. I wonder how old the filter caps are on the OG?
Also, Canadian $ retail for a BAD SLO is approx $5600.00. The EVH 100w 6L6 stealth is $3659.00 can.

I'd probably go with the EVH amp and pocket the cash, or, if I had to spend the $5.6k, I'd be looking at a mk2 C+ or Recto re-issue which both retail in Canada for about $5k can.

Edit: actually, if I was looking to drop that kind of money on a new amp, I would probably be looking at a Friedman Jose as well.

 

[FourT6and2]

He gets them pretty close, but it seems like the new one has a slightly sharper attack, which I like. I wonder how old the filter caps are on the OG?
Also, Canadian $ retail for a BAD SLO is approx $5600.00. The EVH 100w 6L6 stealth is $3659.00 can.

I'd probably go with the EVH amp and pocket the cash, or, if I had to spend the $5.6k, I'd be looking at a mk2 C+ or Recto re-issue which both retail in Canada for about $5k can.

Edit: actually, if I was looking to drop that kind of money on a new amp, I would probably be looking at a Friedman Jose as well.

Same. But if it were me, and I had to spend that kind of coin, I would get an Omega Granophyre. It's in the same family as the SLO, Recto, 5150, etc. It's mostly an SLO clone but with many of the common mods to make it more modern, tighter, and angrier, with a slight lower-mid emphasis like the Recto.

 

[Rackman]

Seems to me to be in the realm of extremely similar. Whichever was louder sounded "better". I also have limited trust in IRs for this sort of thing.

The BAD SLO is a huge quality of life improvement over the OG version with the loop changes. The useless loop on the old design was a huge negative.

I don't have a horse in this race- I run a X88IR into an SM100R with DeYoungs.

 

[Alpha Stryke]

I don't hear any difference in transformers. The amps in that video have an annoying "cheese grater" top end.

 

[scottosan]

I don't hear any difference in transformers. The amps in that video have an annoying "cheese grater" top end.

How can you not hear the difference? Its not subtle

 

[ms17a]

Yes, I hear a difference in sound, but why would anyone assume the only difference is due to the transformers? These two amplifiers have so many differences in their components, and then there's the aging process to consider. When you also consider that different tubes can color the sound differently, the transformer hypothesis sounds rather far-fetched.

 

[Racerxrated]

He gets them pretty close, but it seems like the new one has a slightly sharper attack, which I like. I wonder how old the filter caps are on the OG?
Also, Canadian $ retail for a BAD SLO is approx $5600.00. The EVH 100w 6L6 stealth is $3659.00 can.

I'd probably go with the EVH amp and pocket the cash, or, if I had to spend the $5.6k, I'd be looking at a mk2 C+ or Recto re-issue which both retail in Canada for about $5k can.

Edit: actually, if I was looking to drop that kind of money on a new amp, I would probably be looking at a Friedman Jose as well.

Comparing any 5153 to an SLO is silly IMO. I know they are similar in design like the OG Recto is; however in person they are WAAY different amps. Like unrelated to one another if you A/B them in the same room.
The 5153 has a strange 'squish' that I cannot stand however. I've tried 6 times to like those amps. They are great buys at their price point etc etc. The Iconic doesn't have that squish and is my choice of their lineup.

 

[Racerxrated]

Yes, I hear a difference in sound, but why would anyone assume the difference is due to the transformers? These two amplifiers have so many differences in their components, and then there's the aging process to consider. When you also consider that different tubes can color the sound differently, the transformer hypothesis sounds rather far-fetched.

It's because the DeYoung's are the difference between the SLO tone, which is very 3D in comparison to an HR100, which is not. The HR is basically an SLO with different transformers and while a cool amp itself it pales greatly to the SLO.
I've had 1 HR and 4 SLOs.

 

[Laputan Machine]

What is the point of this video? The knobs aren't remotely the same when he keeps switching between the two?

 

[fusedbrain]

Comparing any 5153 to an SLO is silly IMO. I know they are similar in design like the OG Recto is; however in person they are WAAY different amps. Like unrelated to one another if you A/B them in the same room.
The 5153 has a strange 'squish' that I cannot stand however. I've tried 6 times to like those amps. They are great buys at their price point etc etc. The Iconic doesn't have that squish and is my choice of their lineup.

Oh yeah, I know they sound completely different, I was just using the 5153 as an example of pricing because it it was mentioned in the post above mine.

 

[glpg80]

What is the point of this video? The knobs aren't remotely the same when he keeps switching between the two?

The BAD version also updated the tapers to the various knobs. The person in the video was trying to dial them in by ear to as close as possible. Knob settings set identically wouldn’t do this and would be misleading.

 

[TheGreatGreen]

Pot tolerances across the industry make Gibson QC look rock solid by comparison. They can be like +-20% within spec and still be considered good for sale to the public. And the midpoint of the taper can be +-20% in spec on top of the +-20% overall spec.

“Knob settings” are useless. One pot’s 9:30 value could literally be another pot’s 2:30 value, even if those pot are labeled to be the same rated pot made by the same company.

 

[ms17a]

It's because the DeYoung's are the difference between the SLO tone, which is very 3D in comparison to an HR100, which is not. The HR is basically an SLO with different transformers and while a cool amp itself it pales greatly to the SLO.
I've had 1 HR and 4 SLOs.

There are more differences than just the transformers. I work in development as an elctrical engineer, and for me the BAD SLO is a second industrialization of this amplifier. There are more relevant differences than just the transformers.

Why, in such discussions, must the cause always be reduced to the first point that comes to mind?

 

[Lightning]

Real simple Deyoung stop making transformers so Mike Soldano took his transformer design to Heyboer and they now make the transformers for the SLO

 

[ms17a]

Real simple Deyoung stop making transformers so Mike Soldano took his transformer design to Heyboer and they now make the transformers for the SLO

But does this is a proof that the sound difference comes only from the transformers? Steven Fryette stated that transformers do not make a sound difference if carefully specified. Heyboer is very good transformer company and BAD is not known for poorly specifying technical details. THe BAD SLO is a complete redesign. I am just stating that it is a fallacy to zero in on the obviously different transformers. But perhaps my English is simply so poor that I’m failing to convey that, with a redesign like this, much more actually gets changed that is relevant. For example they also changed the heating of the tubes from AC to DC to reduce the noise floor and thus robustness against the inferior quality of tubes nowadays (statement Mike soldano). Here is some information (which is not transformers

AC Heating

• The "Vintage" Vibe: Often associated with the traditional, classic tube character. In guitar amplifiers, the slight residual heating fluctuation and the 50/60Hz modulation add to the "grungy" or "spongy" harmonically rich tone many players prefer.
• Hum Factor: Can result in a steady, low-level buzzing or humming sound in the background when no music is playing.

DC Heating

• Higher Fidelity & Clarity: The audio signal experiences significantly less distortion and noise, resulting in a cleaner, more transparent, and crisper sound.
• Lower Noise Floor: You get a pitch-black background with zero unwanted hum, which is essential for audiophile hi-fi systems, ultra-sensitive horn speakers, and low-level recording gear.

Sounds like that may be the 3D-thing that was mentioned before.

 

[Racerxrated]

There are more differences than just the transformers. I work in development as an elctrical engineer, and believe me, the BAD SLO is a second industrialization of this amplifier. There are more relevant differences than just the transformers.

Why, in such discussions, must the cause always be reduced to the first point that comes to mind?

Well, the HR vs SLO is a very simple yet potent comparison since the two amps are pretty much the same other than the transformers; hence my previous post.

 

[BackCrack]

As told to me by a few sources...

When Exxelia acquired DMI back in 2016, I'm pretty sure that's when Mike put in his last Deyoung transformer order. He'd heard that certain types of transformer production would be shut down soon after the acquisition. There was an old-timer at DMI that wound and assembled all the SLO units on one machine. That guy retired as soon as the Soldano order was filled. Mike tried to make a play for this transformer machine, but the company got rid of it before that could happen.

Just more crap to talk about over your morning coffee.

 

[RedPlated]

Original SLO uses Clarostat pots.

BAD version uses PEC pots.

I had to change the overdrive master pot for one SLO I modded. The owner hated the taper. That PEC pot was the slowest audio taper I’ve ever seen. Had to run it at 5 to get the same volume response as an Alpha pot on 2.

But, not all the BAD amps have had slow taper like that. So I’m assuming the pots are just inconsistent. Or they changed at some point.

The same guy posted a clip of a GZ SLO recently: