FULL REVIEW: Ampeg SVT-7Pro & 610HLF **Loud Era**

[pablomigraine]

PART ONE - SVT-7PRO:

So I will start off by saying that, in accordance with TB Rules & Regs, I want to avoid any "Made in USA" Vs. "Made in China" comments here. Secondly, and I make mention of this just so readers can get a feel for my basis for comparison, I have owned / used various amps, preamps and cabs from Ampeg, GK, EBS, Genz Benz, Bergantino, Eden, Basson, Mesa, Hartke, SWR, TF, and a bunch of esoteric and vintage stuff. I play mostly metal / hardcore / progressive rock.... but am or have been involved in everything from blues to contemporary worship to experimental live dubstep stuff. Now, don't let that give you the impression that I am in any way a good player.... if I was actually any good, I wouldn't be so obsessed with top-shelf gear!

Okay on to the fun stuff:

2011 Ampeg SVT-7Pro: I have to say right off the bat.. I REALLY like this amp!! While my love affair with the Genz Benz Streamliner was hot, passionate and burned itself out rather quickly... I can tell already that this will be a longer lasting, more adult affair....

With all types of fresh stuff coming out from Makers like TC Electronics, Genz Benz and Orange.... it has seemed to me that many of the "Big-Boys" of bass, Ampeg, EBS & Aguilar for example, have been stuck in a rut of repackaging old material and pitching it as new gear for the last 5 years at least. Aguilar did a minor facelift and circuit refresher in the laudable DB750, but it's essentially the same amp.... and IMHO is no longer head and shoulders above the competition for simple, fat, sweet tone, and can't really compete anymore in the marketplace where fresher amps from other makers are out there with less than half the weight for less than half the money.... the AGRO and the Tonehammer circuits have been packaged and repackaged several times, mated to class-d power sections etc.... EBS has FINALLY given some needed muscle to the power sections on their lineup, and Ampeg has been sorting itself out in a bunch of ways, not necessarily to everyone's liking. In any case, from my side of the market it seems the big makers have been following Hollywood down the dark road of Remake Fever.... and again with similarly dubious results. The SVT-7pro is definitely one of these types of efforts.... but with unexpectedly positive results.

I was never a fan of the SVT-4pro, which seemed to be a favorite amongst my touring metal brethren, nor did I care for the somewhat poorly executed 5-pro. I did however LOVE two out of the three now-discontinued preamplifiers Ampeg offered years ago; The packed-fat-with-tubes SVP-Pro and SVP-CL. Ampeg's integrated heads always felt light in the power sections to me, and I always ran way huge rigs, so I loved getting that thick tone I loved and being able to mate it with a big power amp from Crown or QSC. With the MI industry finally starting to get a firm handle on Class- D amplifiers or, more importantly, Switchmode power supplies, one of my favorite preamps, the SVP-CL, has been trotted out as the SVT-8Pro, with some cool features added on.

The SVT-7pro seems to be a very nice mix of my much-missed SVP-Pro and the painfully underpowered SVT-3Pro.... although it sounds identical to neither. Skirting the "featherweight" classification at just over 10lbs, but still looking more like a respectable bass amplifier than it's smartphone look-alike microamp brethren in this weight class...( I cant tell you how many times I caught people pointing and giggling at my tiny GB SL900 atop a big Uber cabinet and getting comments like "hey bro, is that bass amp or an FX pedal?") this amp walks the form factor / weight edge skillfully. Like the Aguilar AG500, the faceplate does not extend a full 19", separate rack ears are provided, and perching it atop the cab without them gives a suitably modern aesthetic. Popping the well secured aluminum cover off revealed a tidy duo of PCB boards, and some cool surprises. Firstly... I'm extremely skeptical of integrated heads marketed as "Tube" when outfitted with only a token single 12AX7 in the input buffer stage.... usually not even supplied with enough voltage for it to do any of the things tubes are loved for doing... but more about that later.... I was happily surprised to see a high-quality ceramic tube socket as opposed to the plastic jobs in my SVP-Pro. The preamp board runs the full length of the front panel, and is sparsely populated with very high quality film caps, Xicon resistors and larger than normal op-amps. All the wiring was tightly wrapped and was of a larger gauge than I'm used to seeing in solid state amps. Where many manufacturers are opting to equip their integrated heads with output chipsets from outside manufacturers (with varying results... the B&O ICEpower modules yeilding the best results for bass IMHO)... Ampeg here chooses to use their own design (although I wouldn't be surprised to find the same board elsewhere in the LOUD family, probably in one of their active subs). With the exception of the SMPS chipset, the output board looked more like a Class-AB job to me, with what looks like large MOSFETS attached to two smallish aluminum heat sinks. Two Huge 10,000uf Power Supply Filter capacitors sit adjacent to the sinks, with two rows of 5 additional filter caps on the opposite side. By far the nicest surprise was a transformer-buffered DI out... which was completely full-featured, with a -4db dipswitch, pre / post EQ dipswitches and recessed connector. All output connectors were the top-shelf Neutrik jobbers, with the speaker outs being combo 1/4 - Speakon. Another nice touch. The EMI / EFI and electrical-field sensitive preamp board was completely isolated from the rest of the compartment... thoughtful little touches like this abound.... larger components are all given a heavy dose of hot-glue to increase stability, and the PCB's were all mounted on posts with rubber washers, further insulating the internals from vibration. The overall impression one gets is that of looking at a more expensive amplifier. Only Genz Benz, and certain much more expensive Mesa Boogie offerings have impressed me more in terms of quality of construction & components in the Mass-Produced bass amp world.

The faceplate is familiar territory for any Ampeg fan. As I've said many times before, I can't express how much I like seeing metal input jacks. The plastic ones, no matter how good, tend to wear and crack over time. MUTE and Input pad buttons sit right of the input LED.... but IMHO -15db is overkill for an amp with an input gain knob. Next comes the compressor control. This is, to my ear, identical to the compressor circuit found on the SVT-4Pro, and as with all onboard comps... you either love it or hate it. I love this one, and I have hated most others. This is one feature I missed dearly on my SVP-Pro. This comp is veeery smooth and goes from very transparent at low settings, to fantastically squishy at high settings. Used sparingly, its a super transparent right-hand-technique corrector, used liberally it gives an almost "effect" like response not dissimilar to the better "Orange Squeezer" types. Attack and release sound fixed, with threshold decreasing and ratio increasing as the knob travels clockwise. One of the coolest sounds from this amp is found by turning gain and comp all the way up.... the result is very similar to vintage Fender Bassman heads.... like the sound of a really good tube amp compressing right as it starts to break up. Probably not a design goal, but an excellent coincidence. The love it or leave it ULTRA LO & ULTRA HI switches are there... but it seems the ULTRA LO is less dramatically scooped on this amp than some Ampegs, even though the specs are the same on paper... a good thing, as where I shied away from using it in the past, I dug it this time around. The rest of the faceplate is identical to the SVT-3Pro, except with an FX MIX knob standing in place of the "Tube Gain" control and minus a graphic EQ. So far I havent missed having the graph, and I dont think and 3Pro fans will either, as the traditional EQ stack found on the 7Pro seems quieter, smoother and better sorted than the 3pro, regardless of being set at the same frequency points, and it more closely resembles the all-tube SVP-Pro's EQ in its buttery smoothness. The FX loop is wired serially in a side-chain from the end of the EQ circuit, and the FX Blend knob adjust the ratio between the 'Dry' signal and the FX sidechain, with fully counterclockwise being completely dry. I have always struggled with overdrive pedals that get too grindy too quickly, and this settles the issue nicely. A front-panel mounted headphone jack for home practice and on-the-spot FOH tone checking rounds out the package.... another design point that speaks to excellent forethought, and something I sorely missed on my Genz Benz heads, I disliked having to grope around the back panel to find it on the fly...

I've spent about 6 hours with this head so far, and in short, this thing KILLS. Plugging in with a variety of different jazz basses, this amp does everything right.... comparing the "Ampeg Tone" using WORDS to other famous circuits is nearly impossible... but we know it when we hear it, and it's a sound that has been part of most rock & metal as far back as I've been listening to music. Light, bridge pickup plugging provides a punchy, semi-jaco sort of tone, with a geat deal more heft, even with bass set flat. P-bass guys will love the top end on this amp. On the J-bass, with everything up full and tuned down a full step, aggressive fingerstyle pumps out a ringing late-Entwistle tone that instinctively made me want to dime the GAIN knob. Any which way I set it, it sounded like AMPEG. Many, myself included, feared that the folks at LOUD Technologies "just wounldn't get it" and Ampeg would become a copycat micro-amp TrendBunny... hopping from one fad to another... having totally lost it's soul. I can say definitively that this is not the case with the SVT-7Pro. The "Ampeg Tone" is here in spades... Thick, huge low-mids, and that delicious THROB comes through regardless of settings. Now, I loved my SVP-Pro... at hi-gain settings you could hear the cascading, layered fatness that only comes from multiple tube stages.... This amp does a great job of coming as close to that as I've ever heard in a single-tube amp. Again... if you're a tube guy... you will notice the difference... but ONLY when you start getting the GAIN knob into breakup / overdrive territory. Only then will you really get the feeling that this amp isn't loaded with glass, and when using relatively clean settings, this is the second "tubiest" sounding head I've used in recent years (behind the Streamliner). Sounds WAAAY "Tubier" than say a Mesa M6 or M9 despite only having one real tube....although the two amps couldn't be more dissimilar in terms of inherent tone. Many people have erroneously wanted to compare this amp to the Streamliner.... and I will say that these are totally different amps. The SL900 is a pure, Class-A front end tubester, and you can hear it. It overdrives nicely, but is more reminiscent of a piece of hi-end studio tube channel gear than a vintage tube amp, which is more closely emulated by the SVT-7pro.

Using a couple of different cabinets and settings this amp is LOUD. I have always been very skeptical of Ampeg's output ratings, and nervous about Class-D amps in general listed as pushing anything greater than 300 watts. The Orange Bass Terror 500 is the loudest 500 - 600 watt amp out there IMHO, and while the Genz Benz SL900 is a VERY loud amp, it doesn't hold up to a 1000 watt Class AB rackmount power amplifier. This is not to say that the Ampeg isn't ridiculously loud, because it is. However, it definitely loses out to the SL900 in terms of at the limit response. The Genz Streamliner has a built-in limiter which reasonably approximates a cleanish tube amp at the point of power-amp section breakup when reaching the limits of its output capabilities. The Ampeg, when brought to the extremes of its output volume will very sharply clip, and sound like any other solid state amp brought to clipping....bad. This amp sounds about as loud under a variety of settings as the SL900 and definitely louder than the Orange Terror bass... although it's hard to compare the two as the Orange is way grimier and highly overdriven tone is difficult to compare to cleanish tones in terms of overall "perceived" volume. In any case, with a Genz Benz UB410-T this amp was LOUD, with the SVT-610HLF it was THUNDEROUS.... although it did not manage to match the the focused, punch you right in the gut ferocity and overall "rip and snort" of my 1,000 watt SVP-Pro + Power amp rig. For an integrated head with only a single 12AX7 tube... Overall, this amp has all the features a gigging rocker needs, some thoughtful extras, very sturdy and roadworthy construction, and enough power to meet most anyone's needs.

Bottom line, you cant make this amp sound anything but FAT, and it's THE AMPEG TONE you love and remember, without the anemic power section, muddy, too-scooped EQ, ungainly weight and lack of thoughtful features that plagued of some of its predecessors.... all in a package that won't break your back or your wallet. As far as remakes are concerned, this is more Peter Jackson's KING KONG than Tim Burton's PLANET OF THE APES.

Tomorrow.... Pt.2: SVT-610HLF

[lokikallas]

Nice review, I have gigged and rehearsed with it for about three weeks now, and it is everything I wanted. I went to GC to test it out to hear the hype for myself, and after playing on it for about 30 seconds I had my tone. After five minutes I had to order one. It wasn't just my tone but the tone I have always wanted. It may have one tube but that tube does more than the 5 in the 3 pro. I have had the 3 pro for about 12 years and it has served me well, but the 7 is half the weight, and three times the power. Do I need 1000 w? Not really, but it sure makes a difference to have the headroom. I may end up with a pf500 as a backup, but I think this amp has me covered for all my needs.

[gkbass13]

Great review, Paul. I definitely dug the 7 pro when I brought my nordy vj5 to your shop and pushed that uber 2x12 around for a bit! Good stuff, man!

Grady

[rodl2005]

Great review mate. I got my 7 PRO a week ago, & did 2 gigs with it over the weekend. I'm loving it! Exactly what you describe, & I'm loving being able to hear clarity in my sound in the band mix. And being able to add bass if needed!
Totally agree re the ultra low button too. Seems to be far more 'useable' than on some earlier Ampegs.

[dsanders]

Very through post. I did read the entire thing.

Let me say this first, I'm genuinely glad that you have found an amp you love.

However, the quote below is an overstatement to say the least. For someone who does not want to get into the debate on Ampegs made here or overseas you certainly didn't hesitate to throw Aguilar under the bus by saying the DB 751 is not viable in the market.

ANY of us who have stood in front of a DB 750 or DB 751 can tell you that few if any of the new lightweight offerings can stand toe to toe with one.

If heavier amps are so antiquated why do players still gravitate to the SVT when lighter weight options are available? I know not everyone is like this, but when it comes to my tone I don't care too much about the cost. I simply save until I'm able to buy what I want.

For the record I have played the 7 Pro and did like it.

Originally Posted by pablomigraine

Aguilar for example, have been stuck in a rut of repackaging old material and pitching it as new gear for the last 5 years at least. Aguilar did a minor facelift and circuit refresher in the laudable DB750, but it's essentially the same amp.... and IMHO is no longer head and shoulders above the competition for simple, fat, sweet tone, and can't really compete anymore in the marketplace where fresher amps from other makers are out there with less than half the weight for less than half the money....

[Dekker]

Thanks for the great review! I'm looking forward to part 2.

I'm soon to be in the market for a new amp, so these threads are great to get the opinions of others.

Dekker

[rodl2005]

I'll add my thoughts & experiences with the 7 pro.
Played it at a rehearsal tonite thru one 8 ohm Mark Bass STD 115 HR tweeter off. played around with the controls lots, just for experimental purposes.
Fender RH sig. P/J pups in both active & passive mode-with TI flats.
Tried soloing the bridge jazz pup, which usually sounds a bit brittle, so I switched the 'ultra-low' button on.
That was great! Def something to try next gig. It gave the jazz pup a nice full tone.
Turned the COMP up full, with same pup & low engaged-sweet burpy, but nicely bassy tone.
This all still in passive.
As stated above, the COMP is VERY useable, something I've never found before on an amp.
In fact, I find I'm leaving it ON most of the time, either at about 8-9 o'clock, or sometimes on near full, for something 'new' for me.
Loving this amp

[georgestrings]

Nice, thorough review - I'll have to check one out...


- georgestrings

[pablomigraine]

Originally Posted by dsanders

Very through post. I did read the entire thing.

Let me say this first, I'm genuinely glad that you have found an amp you love.

However, the quote below is an overstatement to say the least. For someone who does not want to get into the debate on Ampegs made here or overseas you certainly didn't hesitate to throw Aguilar under the bus by saying the DB 751 is not viable in the market.

ANY of us who have stood in front of a DB 750 or DB 751 can tell you that few if any of the new lightweight offerings can stand toe to toe with one.

If heavier amps are so antiquated why do players still gravitate to the SVT when lighter weight options are available? I know not everyone is like this, but when it comes to my tone I don't care too much about the cost. I simply save until I'm able to buy what I want.

For the record I have played the 7 Pro and did like it.

First off... I was careful to use 'IMHO" etc etc.... I've owned two DB750's and loved them both. However, there is at least one amp out there that gets me right there and does everything for me the DB750 did.... and has even more range as far as "tubey" response via the gain knob, and weighs less than a third as much and costs lest than half as much. There is a second amp, which also gets me damn close and comes in under 20 lbs and under $1500. IMHO the DB750, still priced in a bracket more often reserved for all-tube and even some handwired all-tube amps.... no longer offers me something I can't get elsewhere for much less money and backache....

Spend a week... a good week.... with a Genz Benz Streamliner 900. If after that time you still think the DB750 is worth the extra expense and weight.... then IMHO, there's something other than your ears factoring in your decision.....

[Groover]

Great review. Thank you. Do one for the 8Pro now!

And please don't be so vague next time.... We need more details

(Joking! - Your review was awesome)

[dsanders]

Originally Posted by pablomigraine

Spend a week... a good week.... with a Genz Benz Streamliner 900. If after that time you still think the DB750 is worth the extra expense and weight.... then IMHO, there's something other than your ears factoring in your decision.....

I've played the SL 900 on more than one occasion and really like it. But it didn't hold up underneath the 8 PC horn band I'm in like my DB 750 does. It is to me worth the extra expense and weight. My ears doing most of the work, however the look of the amp doesn't hurt.

It's in a 10 space shock rack on 5" wheels, I rarely if ever have to lift it. When I do two of us heft it up and we are done. It rolls everywhere and is usually up a ramp onto the stage then up a ramp into the trailer. Moving it is a easy.

No need to use bold type and defend what you said by saying you used "IMHO". I'm not attacking you, or your credibility for that matter either. All I'm saying is I think your opinion of Aguilar's viability is wrong. You may of course disagree.

If I could back up a bit I did say I was happy you love the 7 Pro, and I liked it too when I played it. Great amp.

[andrew]

How does the SVT-7 compare to the DB750 for output volume?

[rodl2005]

Originally Posted by andrew

How does the SVT-7 compare to the DB750 for output volume?

Wish I knew. I, for one, have never played a DB750\751

I did have a STL 600 for a few months tho & just couldn't make it cut thru in a mix- 8 piece funk band & 5pce rock band. I'm glad others do dig it tho, horses for courses.

Pablo M. I hope you don't mind me putting in my views re the 7 Pro here. Lemme know

[dsanders]

Originally Posted by andrew

How does the SVT-7 compare to the DB750 for output volume?

Wish I could comment here but I've never used the 7 Pro on a large outdoor stage. My 750 has seen mostly that since I picked it up. I'm betting it would be similar in perceived volume with the Aggie winning out in hefty available headroom. I could be mistaken.

[rodl2005]

Had another jam session today- 7 pro > Mark Bass HR 115 again.
Played P bass with flats again.
Such a lovely 'spongey' tone.
This was a pretty low vol. jam so I had the 'ultra-low' button engaged, a bit like a 'loudness' control. It gives such an 'old school', motown vibe, it's so sweet!

I also tried turning the Horn on the cab up to 1/2 way (flat??) & boosting the upper mids then later the treble. Don't be thinkin this just does the 'old School vibe!! WOW a HECK of a lotta snap & spank there if needed. I don't usually. But it's nice to know it's there IF I do, & it's a smooth top end too. I tried this via my Berg AE212 & (which has smoother tops than the MB HR115) a modern sound IS EASILY dialed in.
When I say 'modern' I ain't necessarily meaning all top end or even lotsa tops, But you can easily get nice slap tone- again the lovely onbaord COMP works wonders here.
Am really looking forward to a gig this w/end that'll be pretty loud, & the bass will all come from my rig-no FOH PA support for bass.
Will be using the 7 pro into AE410 & will report back after the gig.

[Alex1984]

Congrats! Great review, very detailed. Can't wait for part 2!

[JimmyM]

Tim Burton's Planet Of The Apes sucked hard. SVT 7 Pro is the only 1000w amp I ever thought about buying. But I'm holding out for them to mate the pre with the Micro VR power amp

[JimmyM]

BTW, I hate to keep sounding like a broken record here, but SVT 3 Pros are not "underpowered." They put out every bit of the 450w they claim. You just have to crank the gain pretty hard to get to it.

[rodl2005]

+1 the 3 pro has plenty of juice if you use it right.
I'm wondering if we treat the 7 pro's clip light in the same way as the 3 pro, -as in not worrying if it comes on pretty much all the time.

What are your thoughts?

I'm starting to like the 7's Overdrive a bit more too. Nice for just a touch of 'fur' not a big power tube style OD, just a hint of- almost Jamerson style -overdrive, just a bit furry around the edges. Nice.

[pablomigraine]

Originally Posted by andrew

How does the SVT-7 compare to the DB750 for output volume?

Hmm..... comparisons with the DB750, and the SL900 arent as cut and dry as you might think... as both of these amps have a TON of cushy low end built into them, which affects overall perceived volume, but I would venture to say that all three of these are about neck and neck in this respect.... with kudos to the streamliner for its amazing limiter circuit.

Originally Posted by rodl2005

I did have a STL 600 for a few months tho & just couldn't make it cut thru in a mix- 8 piece funk band & 5pce rock band. I'm glad others do dig it tho, horses for courses.
w

I found this to to be true with the STLMX 6.0 as well... not a problem with the streamliner.... the Ampeg "cuts" a great deal more than any of the above tho.... this thing was made for RAWK!!

PS - SVT-610HLF review will be typed up this evening when I can free up some time for myself....