NAD: Peters Hydra

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FourT6and2

FourT6and2

Well-known member
Cranked it through a couple different cabs.

Holy. Shit. :rock:

Frankly, that's all that needs to be said.

And don't pay attention to the master volume in this photo. I had it up around 11:00 ;)

e95bc9d6a25611e39c4c125921b75990_8.jpg
 
yngzaklynch":anycvlne said:

I don't have anything to record clips. Maybe my laptop or iPhone?
But sounds pretty close to Firejack's clips.
The sound he's getting is maybe a little more saturated.
And a little thicker.
Maybe due to the cab and the Weber Silver Bell speakers he's using?

But I can try recording something once my new cab arrives.


Not me:




I've tried a bunch of different power tubes in it so far. They all sounded quite different from one another. And more so with the Hydra than say my Diezel. KT77 vs EL34 vs 6L6 were all quite different. SED EL34s must be on their way out because they sounded absolutely horrible. Very mushy. KT77s were very stiff, glassy in the highs, and raunchy in the mid range. 6L6s had the most saturation and were much smoother.

This amp is LOUD and MEAN. Very open sounding amp. "Articulate" is the right word. It doesn't have the upper mid snarl that something like my Chupacabra or CCV had. But it's thicker in the mids. Growls. Has a very aggressive sound when you need it to. The "chili pepper" and "edge" switches are interesting. They aren't just a boost or bright switch. The chili pepper switch sounds like it kicks in another gain stage. The edge switch sounds like it shifts the mid range and/or gain range slightly. With a little bit of delay in the loop for texture the amp screams for solos. Controlled feedback is easy.

I think the most powerful control on the amp is the Dampening. I'll push it up high for a really mean rhythm tone. Gets very angry sounding. Or I'll pull it back down around 9:00 with some delay for a smoother, saturated lead sound. Very cool.

Way less compressed than any Diezel I've played. Not as tight in the low end, though. Much more aggressive and present in the mid range. Highs can run away if you're not careful, though. I keep the treble at or below 12:00. Presence so far has been off. But if you drop the treble down low/off and crank the Presence (like a Bogner Uberschall) up adds some more gain in the upper mid range.

I've never played an amp quite like this before. Doesn't really sound like anything else I've played. It's like a cross between an SLO, Mesa Mark III, and like... I don't even know. A VHT? Can't put my finger on it. I took a look under the hood and it's a pretty simple circuit. And I don't mean that in a bad way. It's elegant. Compared to something like the Chupacabra I owned, that was also a single channel amp with an equal amount of controls, it's almost barren. :lol: :LOL:
 
i love the peters hydra , and its defintly on the list of amps i want ..it has snarl and grown without being buzzy
love it , love it , looove it :rock:
 
Congrats!
I'm not a high gain guy, but James' amps have a definite personality to them. I've heard the Hydra when James stayed over at my place for a Toronto area ampfest years ago. Hard to put a finger on his designs tone-wise. Can have a ton of gain but still sound very open with great definition.
I used to own the Gryphon and still have a 20 watt Polaris here (which is a lower gain Peters model)

I would like to take this chance to say 'meow' to James' cat. He loves his cat. :D
 
Randy Van Sykes":1z7ugpp9 said:
Congrats!
I'm not a high gain guy, but James' amps have a definite personality to them. I've heard the Hydra when James stayed over at my place for a Toronto area ampfest years ago. Hard to put a finger on his designs tone-wise. Can have a ton of gain but still sound very open with great definition.
I used to own the Gryphon and still have a 20 watt Polaris here (which is a lower gain Peters model)

I would like to take this chance to say 'meow' to James' cat. He loves his cat. :D

Yeah, it's a pretty great sounding amp. Very clear compared to many others. This particular version was of an older circuit design. James recommended I change out a few components to make it more in line with the current design. Before the change, the amp was even more open and articulate. Had more of a mid-range emphasis which I liked. But it lacked some low-end depth. Now it has more low-end. But the mid range is less forward. I may go back to how it was before. But I'm giving it a try for a while. Amp still sounds amazing. I might put my Diezel up on the chopping block ;)

I have a dual channel on order too. Not sure whether to go with the GNL or FSM now. Choices!
 
FourT6and2":gqz97195 said:
Randy Van Sykes":gqz97195 said:
Congrats!
I'm not a high gain guy, but James' amps have a definite personality to them. I've heard the Hydra when James stayed over at my place for a Toronto area ampfest years ago. Hard to put a finger on his designs tone-wise. Can have a ton of gain but still sound very open with great definition.
I used to own the Gryphon and still have a 20 watt Polaris here (which is a lower gain Peters model)

I would like to take this chance to say 'meow' to James' cat. He loves his cat. :D

Yeah, it's a pretty great sounding amp. Very clear compared to many others. This particular version was of an older circuit design. James recommended I change out a few components to make it more in line with the current design. Before the change, the amp was even more open and articulate. Had more of a mid-range emphasis which I liked. But it lacked some low-end depth. Now it has more low-end. But the mid range is less forward. I may go back to how it was before. But I'm giving it a try for a while. Amp still sounds amazing. I might put my Diezel up on the chopping block ;)

I have a dual channel on order too. Not sure whether to go with the GNL or FSM now. Choices!
Yup, I find they have full mids in a nice way, not overly forward or boxy. Just seem to hog a big full frequency range.
 

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