Comparison of Streamliner to Walkabout, SVT, or other tube amp?

Jim C · #1 02-19-2011, 03:31 PM

Have seen some mentions of how the Streamliner can have a voice like an SVT although the threads are very large and difficult to search.
Since many of us are looking for a tube tone in a smaller, lighter package, thought it might be heldpful to start a thread that might offer comparisons for those of you that are lucky enough to have a SL as well as a tube (or hybrid) to offer up comparisons.
For example, I find the WA sounds much closer in tone to my SVT-CL than my SVP / power amp rig.
How close can the SL get to an SVT's clean voicing?

Jim C · #2 02-20-2011, 08:36 AM

Your opinions wanted

GregC · #3 02-20-2011, 11:36 AM

Good question. I've followed the Streamliner threads fairly closely. I'm curious as to whether any current tube amp owners have purchased the Streamliner.

RickenBoogie · #4 02-20-2011, 06:00 PM

*if* the Streamliner is as tubey as the Walkabout, then those 2 amps will be, imo, the "tubiest" sounding hybrids available. BUT, still not the same as an all tube amp, and again, imo, will never be. The power tubes impart a feel that just can't be imitated. Still loves me some Walkabout tone, but it's just not the same thing.

Jim C · #5 02-20-2011, 06:57 PM

Agreed and the reason I keep my SVT
(the one that sits sadly at home while the WA goes to the ball)

The lack of response to this thread makes me wonder if the early SL posts were more hype than fact, or, perhaps SL owners no longer own tube amps and don't feel qualified to post a comparison

Derek Kiernan · #6 02-20-2011, 07:01 PM

I'm guessing they're still posting in the Streamliner thread.

bertbassplayer · #7 02-20-2011, 07:04 PM

I have in the past owned 4 tube bass amps. Ampeg SVT Classic, Mesa Boogie 400+, Mesa Boogie Buster Bass 200, and a Peavey Alphabass. I also owned a Oliver, which I don't know if it would be considered as a bass amp or not.

Haven't played the SL to comment but I get a pretty good tubey sound with my Ibanez Promethean with the Vibe control turned to V.

That being said like others have said, I've never been able to completely nail that tube sound without tubes. However I'll take the weight savings over a little compromise in tone right now.

**nostatic** · #8 02-20-2011, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim C

Agreed and the reason I keep my SVT
(the one that sits sadly at home while the WA goes to the ball)

The lack of response to this thread makes me wonder if the early SL posts were more hype than fact, or, perhaps SL owners no longer own tube amps and don't feel qualified to post a comparison

What good is an amp if it stays at home? I suppose it does make for a pretty tubey doorstop

I posted a comparison of MB Fusion and S900 - closest I can come. I don't have an all-tube bass amp to compare it with. I won't own anything that heavy any more. I think the lack of direct comparison is due more to the latter than the former.

KsPiNeSh · #9 02-20-2011, 07:09 PM

I've only owned SS and hybrid heads and have been seeking something tubier that doesn't weight 75 pounds. Tried an M-Pulse 600 and didn't like it, the Walkabout doesn't have enough power, didn't get along with the AG500 EQ... I could go on, but the Streamliner seemed like it could be what I was looking for. So far, it's a lot closer than anything else I've tried.

ac3320 · #10 02-21-2011, 09:56 AM

I'm curious how everyone feels the Streamliner 900 compares to say the DB 750, which has a great girthy meaty heftiness to EVERY note -- even notes on the G string. If the SL900 can do THAT, i'm so in!

(Tubeyness isn't as important to me as is the "transformer" tone that only amps with huge output transformers have ala SVT, SA200, DB 750, etc.)

KJung · #11 02-21-2011, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim C

Agreed and the reason I keep my SVT
(the one that sits sadly at home while the WA goes to the ball)

The lack of response to this thread makes me wonder if the early SL posts were more hype than fact, or, perhaps SL owners no longer own tube amps and don't feel qualified to post a comparison

My guess is, there are very few who have directly compared the two, since the Streamliners have only been shipping for a few weeks. I was a former Walkabout owner, and my opinion (based on a non direct comparison) is if you like the Walkabout, you would LOVE the Streamliner. The 'clean' is 'cleaner' than the Walkabout, and the grind is 'grindier' than the Walkabout. VERY tubey in tone and feel.

The single semi-parametric mid control is, of course, much less powerful than the multiple bands of the Walkabout, and the tone controls are more 'standard' versus the very interacting sort of Mesa design.

IMO there, and again, relatively indirect comparison based on memory. I really liked the Walkabout when I had one, and I am VERY impressed with the Streamliner 900. Both the low end 'feel' and that 'sweet but crunchy' top end bring to mind a very good tube amp to my ear.

KJung · #12 02-21-2011, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KsPiNeSh

I've only owned SS and hybrid heads and have been seeking something tubier that doesn't weight 75 pounds. Tried an M-Pulse 600 and didn't like it, the Walkabout doesn't have enough power, didn't get along with the AG500 EQ... I could go on, but the Streamliner seemed like it could be what I was looking for. So far, it's a lot closer than anything else I've tried.

Ditto to your comments. The MPulse600 was tubey as heck and I just didn't like it.. too uncontrolled down low, and it just didn't punch for me, no matter how many knobs I turned. The AG500 is probably my least favorite amp... +1 strange EQ and sort of the 'chewiness' of tubes down low without any of the girth and feel and power to my ear (hard to describe there).

So, the reason that I'm responding to your post is that we seem to have similar tone goals and 'ears', and I'm very impressed with the Streamliner's tone and performance. I also like the RH450, but I describe that head as trying to emulate a full vintage rig... very voiced, with the top end pretty chopped off to emulate playing out of an old sealed 10" loaded cab... regardless of the cab you are playing out of. I like it (I own one), but it is a different vibe from the Streamliner 900 to my ear.

Jim C · #13 02-21-2011, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KJung

...if you like the Walkabout, you would LOVE the Streamliner. The 'clean' is 'cleaner' than the Walkabout, and the grind is 'grindier' than the Walkabout. VERY tubey in tone and feel.

The single semi-parametric mid control is, of course, much less powerful than the multiple bands of the Walkabout, and the tone controls are more 'standard' versus the very interacting sort of Mesa design.

IMO there, and again, relatively indirect comparison based on memory. I really liked the Walkabout when I had one, and I am VERY impressed with the Streamliner 900. Both the low end 'feel' and that 'sweet but crunchy' top end bring to mind a very good tube amp to my ear.

Thanks
I rarely use much of the semi-para EQ on the WA with the exception of pulling a bit of 50 Hz; I greatly prefer amps that sound good to me that don't require much EQ

And yes, I wanted you to say that somebody finally made a 900 watt WA; while this is not true, it sounds like we are much closer than before the SL

Hopefully we will get more opinions and data points here as more units are received

ElMon · #14 02-21-2011, 10:55 AM

You might read through the thread again to find my impressions. I compared the Streamliner 900 directly to my DB750, which I've gigged on heavily for the last 5 years, and from what I remember of my now-gone walkabout, which I'm very familiar with. What Kjung reported above about the Walkbabout vs STL900 is very much in line with what I'm hearing.

greenbass5 · #15 02-22-2011, 12:54 PM

When I tried a 4 ohm WA scout at GC I was immediately struck with the almost 3D richness of the sound. Don't know it was the scout cab or the amp but, it is magnificent! I wonder if the S900 is capable of doing that or is it a product of the design of the WA?

kosmicwizard · #16 02-22-2011, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greenbass5

When I tried a 4 ohm WA scout at GC I was immediately struck with the almost 3D richness of the sound. Don't know it was the scout cab or the amp but, it is magnificent! I wonder if the S900 is capable of doing that or is it a product of the design of the WA?

http://www.youtube.com/user/BassGuit.../2/d-27szg61bw "the STREAMLER™ also features our proprietary 3 Dimensional Power Management analog technology. Our 3DPM™ adds heft and girth to each individual note, while enhancing the amplifiers responsiveness and headroom. It provides the dynamic and 3 dimensional tone and feel of an all tube power amp design." Genz Benz website. Cheers.

JimmyM · #17 02-23-2011, 12:37 AM

i just watched ed's vid, and i was struck by how he had the cab mic'ed. he had it right on the edge of the cone. i wonder if that was to pick up the tweeter, too. good stuff.

really dug the sound with that airline map bass. so nasty and wrong that it makes me want to get one. but not for $700

remember the days when cheap basses were actually cheap?

rodl2005 · #18 02-23-2011, 01:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KJung

Ditto to your comments. The MPulse600 was tubey as heck and I just didn't like it.. too uncontrolled down low, and it just didn't punch for me, no matter how many knobs I turned. The AG500 is probably my least favorite amp... +1 strange EQ and sort of the 'chewiness' of tubes down low without any of the girth and feel and power to my ear (hard to describe there).

So, the reason that I'm responding to your post is that we seem to have similar tone goals and 'ears', and I'm very impressed with the Streamliner's tone and performance. I also like the RH450, but I describe that head as trying to emulate a full vintage rig... very voiced, with the top end pretty chopped off to emulate playing out of an old sealed 10" loaded cab... regardless of the cab you are playing out of. I like it (I own one), but it is a different vibe from the Streamliner 900 to my ear.

+1 to your comments re 'similar ears'

See IMO The MESA MPULSE 600 doesn't sound 'TUBEY' to me much. Compared to the WA Scout/WA head-especially & compared to my SVTII NOT a bit!!
Each to his own -just goes to show.
Again- NOT to say that I'm not itching to try a SL900, I REALLY wish the AUS dealer's;d get one in for me to try.
Going by the Quality of the Shuttle series & a couple of GB cabs- GB stuff seems TOP NOTCH. So I hope the SL900/600 does impress me.
Like Jim C My SVTII stays at home for 75% of gigs & the Walkabout is with me(with a LMII or Shuttle as a back up- for PA once

) But when I DO use the SVTII- Oh I'm a happy boy. As I am with the WA. & the LMII & the Shuttle, DAMN it's a good time to be a bassist

With unlimited $$$$ would be even better!!

LarryR · #19 05-07-2011, 03:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ac3320

I'm curious how everyone feels the Streamliner 900 compares to say the DB 750, which has a great girthy meaty heftiness to EVERY note -- even notes on the G string. If the SL900 can do THAT, i'm so in!

(Tubeyness isn't as important to me as is the "transformer" tone that only amps with huge output transformers have ala SVT, SA200, DB 750, etc.)

My first post on the SL (in this case a 900). Finally got to use one tonite. Deal was, I walked on stage, plugged in, and ONLY had time to get a level. Didn't have time to study the EQ settings which presumably were already set by the bassist whose rig it was. My review/comparison’s are based on sonic impression only, with G-d knows what settings, for 5 songs in a jazz quartet. Unfortch, it wasn't a rock format which is where I live. I used a P bass with Delano pickups (bit more aggressive and higher output than the stock Fender American Vintage p/u). SL900 to a Bergantino AE210. Venue: big stage in a big church.

I took a few solo's and (getting to ac3320’s question) the G string (even high on the neck) sang really nice. Balanced. Full. Fat. Toneful. A while back I had a Shuttle 9.0 for a week. Didn't do my research. Amp was too sterile (sorry, clean) and I couldn't get a ballsy, warm tone like I could with my Ashdown ABM500, which I now drag into my review. I'm old school and like it fat and wide (Jamerson, Dunn). I don't pop much. I LIKED THE SL! The amp seemed to grab notes and hold them in a nice warm fat envelope. The kinda tone that takes work to get from many heads. Also, it added what I perceived to be an active character to my passive P. Sweet, pleasant harmonic content. Does anyone have a B15 or B25, AND, prefers the sound of the 3 band switch in the deep low setting WITH the bass pot almost maxed? For those who don't know, that sound is very fat and warm. Huge tubey low end. That's what I got tonite. Impressive since I was playing Neo's which in my limited experience (Epifani UL110) didn't like. I always wanted to hear Jim Bergantino's implementation. He and I talked years ago. He couldn't get out of Neo's what he had with his ceramics. He was one of (if not thee) last in the game. I liked what I heard. Didn't hear any holes in the spectrum like (i thought) I did with the old Epi.

To any negative stuff about the amp? Nothing at the moment. Will I buy one? Only if it can keep the tight warm bottom with my regular group which is a hard blues, rockin' improv trio. If it can, and at 1/5 the weight of my Ashdown, then I'm probably in. Looking forward to finding out. FWIW, I'm using a Berg mini stack which is mid-voiced. Maybe the SL's lack of upper mids(??) would be solved. I could see the SL being troublesome if you like the Ampeg honk, but, that’s pure conjecture since (again) I didn’t play around with its EQ. I like the Ashdown for that reason. One slider up and I get Ampeg mid-honk that cuts so good. What I got tonite was just a fat, wide, bottom that (on stage) sounded sweet. Reactions from audience to my playing proved the sound carried out well, which (I guess) confirms what others say about Genz Benz SL & Bergantino AE being a good match. Final reality check! I've read such good things about the TC Electronics RH450 and GK Fusion. If they're close to the SL, def worth checking out. I plan to. Such great products! We're a lucky bunch.

**nostatic** · #20 05-07-2011, 07:39 PM

Larry, thanks for covering the gig. I had a rough night, still on the couch recovering.

As for EQ, it should have been in my typical "P-Bass" setting which is bass around 11:00, mid around 1:00 @ 600hz and treble around 1:00. Gain and vol around 12-1:00. For the Rob Allens I dial the bass down to about 9:00.