Salvation Audio SM2

  • Thread starter Thread starter crankyrayhanky
  • Start date Start date
Mattfig":2lmoi83p said:
Not at this very moment, but it may not be far off....Have you considered an RM4 and modules??
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I have a SYN1. Asking for a friend who only wants 2 modules so the SM2 makes more sense.
 
JerEvil":2ns7qd6c said:
Yeah man I would REALLY like to check this out with the Torpedo Studio's power amp modeling and cabs for direct recording.
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Ok, only a quick test, but here's what I think:

SM2>DMoll> TNL Cabs= AWESOME! :thumbsup:
SM2> TNL Power Amp & Cabs: awful :thumbsdown:

I never use the power amp sims, so I'm going to go out on a limb and just blame this atrocious tone on the TNL Power Amps Sim section. Maybe the Studio is way better, but I'm thinking I'll never do that again. I'm guessing even the Katana Power section would be better, tune in later to find out!

The SM2 absolutely rips live into my DMoll and Mesa 2x12. Kids are sleeping, but I can get some TNL cab recording tonight. That part of the TNL is always super cool no matter what amp I throw into it.
 
godgrinder":2h5y2j43 said:
Mattfig":2h5y2j43 said:
Not at this very moment, but it may not be far off....Have you considered an RM4 and modules??
Click to expand...

I have a SYN1. Asking for a friend who only wants 2 modules so the SM2 makes more sense.
Click to expand...

I don't think deleting midi would defray much cost but who knows. The cost of the SM2 is not much more compared to the cost of 2 modded modules..... and going SM2 with 1 syn module is likely more.

To compare, SM2 does not have cab emulated output and, even though it has lots of toggles, it is essentially a 2 channel preamp where as syn offers (2) dual modules for a total of 4 preamp settings to recall.

But I love Cobra and OR and there's only 1 place to go for that!
On the back there's a 2 way input buffer and also a Brit/Fat switch. Interesting options there.
 
The Katana works really well. Sounds great and also has those built in delays and reverbs which really shine here. I'm only on headphones, but since I liked the Kat before for jams adding this rack is only a plus. Could be a versatile and light rig
 
Looks awesome. Would love to know the price. So there
is no price list? I can't access the website for some reason. Congrats.
 
Here’s the list of mts modules to view
http://salvationaudio.com/index.php?page=modifications

I’m guessing any 2 could go into an SM2
I owned a lot of these a few years ago so I’m happy to give my thoughts if needed
Since Antonin put it on Facebook, I’ll assume it’s ok to put it here- around 1190 shipped to US
I actually paid a bit more due to extra toggle requests
The build took time, but once complete, it only took 1 week to ship
 
crankyrayhanky":25rrfxua said:
Here’s the list of mts modules to view
http://salvationaudio.com/index.php?page=modifications

I’m guessing any 2 could go into an SM2
I owned a lot of these a few years ago so I’m happy to give my thoughts if needed
Since Antonin put it on Facebook, I’ll assume it’s ok to put it here- around 1190 shipped to US
I actually paid a bit more due to extra toggle requests
The build took time, but once complete, it only took 1 week to ship
Click to expand...

OK cool thanks man. Appreciate that you posted the price. Gives me an idea. I can't wait to hear your clips on that Cobra/Mamba. Have you played a real Cobra? How does it compare?
 
I'm wondering now if the built in preamp section/tubes of the MTS amps can't help but result in that more compressed feeling from those amps. I know the modules sound very good but when I compare to my stand alone preamp going through the power section of the Randall, there is a clarity and top end there that is missed with the Randall stuff. So really the SM2 is probably giving you the full effect and the clarity. Am i out to lunch or does anyone agree?
 
shred-o-holic":unmafj4z said:
Have you played a real Cobra? How does it compare?
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I owned a Cobra for awhile. It was such a beast of an amp. :rock:
The big drawback for me on the actual Cobra was the loop. At the time I had just built a huge pedalboard and it didn;t work well with Cobra. I thought about modding it, but the funny thing on that amp is even when nothing is plugged into the loop, it still needed to be set around noon to give good tone (?) I asked a guy to mod it and he said the insides were awful and highly advised me to sell it rather than take my money, lol. the clean channel was so Fendery cool too...if I had it now it would likely work well as I changed to an fx8 which could handle parallel loops.

That being said, the Salvation Mamba is so close it's scary. In a way, it's actually a bit more refined maybe? Maybe not, it's right there. Sounds amazing into the DMoll power section. There's lots of extra toggles on it that can really change the tone. If you love Cobra, I would look seriously at the SM2 or perhaps a syn1 with a Mamba module to add to your amp.


Kapo_Polenton":unmafj4z said:
I'm wondering now if the built in preamp section/tubes of the MTS amps can't help but result in that more compressed feeling from those amps. I know the modules sound very good but when I compare to my stand alone preamp going through the power section of the Randall, there is a clarity and top end there that is missed with the Randall stuff. So really the SM2 is probably giving you the full effect and the clarity. Am i out to lunch or does anyone agree?
Click to expand...

Oh IDK, it's been awhile since I played Randall MTS. Back then I had dozens of modded modules and several Randall heads. I then bought a Peavey Ultra+ for like 250 which came in and destroyed my mts tone- so much more punch. This was right before people came out with density upgrades. I sold off mts, raked in about 5k, bought a DMoll and painted my house with the leftover cash, lol.

FWIW, SM2>Dmoll sounds equivalent in tone and punch compare to DMoll by itself. The Cobra actually has a bit more of a demonic low end thing going on. The OR delivers such an great mid gain tone that is way different than the others.

I'll try to clip you all up soon...
 
I'm thinking the weakness really is the design at the front end of MTS. If you think about it.. you sort of have this neutral preamp section which has to pair with the preamp in the module. So it routes through first tube, into the module, back out to the phase inverter, then on to the power amp. The "punch" is the difference I notice too though I suspect that for the comparison to really be fair, you would have to open the volume on the module all the way up and get the master past 4 on the RM50 or 100 to really see. For example, the Scary module vs my Myasnikov preamp really is no comparison in clarity and punch as well. I might check out the salvation Fender and Vox offerings. I would love something AC30'ish and I can't decide whether or not to go for JF's AC30 or something Salvation. More and more though, I like the stand alone preamp idea.
 
crankyrayhanky":1x46v6y2 said:
quick and crappy iphone recording:
Click to expand...

Diezel sounds bad ass! I'll keep listening....intrigued by the SM2, love Antonins work.

EDIT: Loving the Mandarine too, I had a 50R and always loved it but noticed the 100R sounds bigger.

What's the switch on the Mamba that brings that sweet mid tone?
 
Thanks JKD!
I'll get some polished clips soon, but wanted to throw something out there
Yes, DMoll is amazing!

On the video I threw the DIFF switch on the Mamba for the big sweet mids- definitely a cool tone for leads :rock:
 
Sounds really good man... confirms it to me. Stand alone preamp is the way to go! The whole front end is dedicated to the specific circuit it is trying to replicate.
 
crankyrayhanky":14wibawz said:
quick and crappy iphone recording:
Click to expand...

Sounds killer. I like the Mamba preamp better than the Dmoll lol. I had a pos Cobra that I tried a while back at GC and hated it. Then I tried one a few months ago and it kicked ass, but it kept jumping up and down in volume lol. That preamp is the way to go with that sound and reliability.
 
Dude that Mamba sounds killer! If it is about the cost of 2 of his modules, that seems like a pretty killer deal.
 
The price depends on features selected, so if you are USA hit up Matt Fig, he is here on this site and is a dealer of all things Salvation Audio. Matt loves chatting tone:
http://www.motorcitymods.com
 
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