4 AMP SHOOTOUT!

[AngryGoldfish]

KT88 and 6550's are very similar. All of them will sound a lttle different from each other no matter what tube type but they all share the same common denominator of offering an overall cleaner sound with a little extra headroom.

Most modern amps, you don't actually want power tube distortion. It all comes from the preamp. The power section will compress the tone the more you turn it up but generally speaking (from the way I understand it) most modern day amps aren't like the old non master volume marshalls and voxes where you crank the snot out of them for the purpose of getting more saturation from the power tubes.

To be honest, most valves don't really sound that much different. Only by a little, as you say. Clean headroom is certainly one of the only characterstics of a particular valve that can often differ from one to the other, even to warrant changing them.

To be honest, power-amp distortion sounds nice when mixed with the right amount of preamp gain, but it's just too impractical in most cases, as everyone already knows.

I don't really know for sure why an amp sounds so much better when pushed harder. I mean, it's like you say, preamp gain is what most modern records are based around, so why do we worry about cranking it?

edit: btw, TS, go to 7:25 on your clip... I'd recognize that chord change a mile away.

 

[RIFF]

KT88 and 6550's are very similar. All of them will sound a lttle different from each other no matter what tube type but they all share the same common denominator of offering an overall cleaner sound with a little extra headroom.

Most modern amps, you don't actually want power tube distortion. It all comes from the preamp. The power section will compress the tone the more you turn it up but generally speaking (from the way I understand it) most modern day amps aren't like the old non master volume marshalls and voxes where you crank the snot out of them for the purpose of getting more saturation from the power tubes.

To be honest, most valves don't really sound that much different. Only by a little, as you say. Clean headroom is certainly one of the only characterstics of a particular valve that can often differ from one to the other, even to warrant changing them.

To be honest, power-amp distortion sounds nice when mixed with the right amount of preamp gain, but it's just too impractical in most cases, as everyone already knows.

I don't really know for sure why an amp sounds so much better when pushed harder. I mean, it's like you say, preamp gain is what most modern records are based around, so why do we worry about cranking it?

Ive had 6L6's & EL34's that sounded tonally very different, & some that sounded very close to eachother.

 

[Audioholic]

cool

would loved the same clips, shorter, back to back to back so you can easily hear and compare quickly. thanks for the comparison ,all sound good

 

[AngryGoldfish]

Ive had 6L6's & EL34's that sounded tonally very different, & some that sounded very close to eachother.

I think it depends entirely on the circtuitry. Some will sound very different - you know, the whole 6L6 = American; EL34 = British. While others will both feel and sound alike.

 

[jjblacksheep]

I need to listen more carefully to make a decision but as always, good stuff fast.

 

[prsdiezel]

Titan had the thickiest sound.

The Splawn had the tightest tone. Darker than the rest also

JCA sounded good specially for the price.

EG 20 had a more creamy vintage vibe.

All the amps sounded great can't go wrong with any of them.

If I have to choose one it would be the Splawn Nitro

 

[FastRedPonyCar]

edit: btw, TS, go to 7:25 on your clip... I'd recognize that chord change a mile away.

yeah man I'm a huge fan of that style of chording (and a big deftones fan). I used it quite a bit in this one I wrote. It's a REEEEAAL old mix

 

[AngryGoldfish]

yeah man I'm a huge fan of that style of chording (and a big deftones fan). I used it quite a bit in this one I wrote. It's a REEEEAAL old mix