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Ampeg SVT-VR vs SVT Pro (4 or 6)

Which amp would you pick?

  • SVT-VR

    Votes: 54 78.3%

  • SVT-4Pro

    Votes: 9 13.0%

  • SVT-6Pro

    Votes: 6 8.7%
  • Total voters
    69
D

DrPepper09

Jan 22, 2009
164
0
35
Denton, TX
#1
So my friend and i have been debating about this for a little while and both decided to come here since TB knows everything about bass.

What does TB think is better (and by better i mean reliability, tone, price, the whole 9 yards)? The full tube amp Ampeg SVT-VR or the SVT Pro 4 or 6 (for the sake of the poll 4 and 6 will be totaled because they are basically the same head).

Ampeg SVT-VR:http://www.ampeg.com/products/classic/svtvr/index.html
Ampeg SVT-4Pro: http://www.ampeg.com/products/pro/svt4pro/index.html
Ampeg SVT-6Pro: http://www.ampeg.com/products/pro/svt6pro/index.html
 
#3
I will absolutely agree with the above post...however, I will say the VR because I own one, and I love it and it kicks extremely hard. I am not putting down the 4 or 6pro, I simply have no experience with them.

The tone of the VR is pretty much what you expect. It is gritty and growly and puts out plenty of power. I have had mine for about two years and reliability has not been an issue. I did re-tube not too long ago, and it was pretty pricey. But if you're looking to go the all-tube route, you need to be prepared for that. And of course, the price is kind of insane in the first place. I would not have bought mine if I had had to pay full price ($1,999!). Luckily for me, I picked mine up brand new for several hundred less (special order gone wrong apparently; orderee's loss my gain).
 
#4
The VR, 4PRO and 6PRO are completely different amps. The 6 PRO is a double final equipped 3PRO. If you want tubes go VR and if you want SS Hybrids go either the 4 or 6. Tubes are plenty reliable, the SS amps can be blowed up by poor operators. I chose 4PRO's for myself because I wanted tooby goodness with the SS finals not needing replacement in the large quantities I use.

BOB
 
#7
Doubt that many will have had the opportunity to try all three is similar conditions.
I don't own any of them but do prefer a CL over the 3 Pro for whatever that's worth.
 
#9
honestly If I was gonna spend that much on a tube head I would get the Orange or something else a little more off center like the Markbass or Eden tube heads. Though out of these three the VR gets the vote.
If I had to go with a solid state amp I would prefer NOT to use mosfets. They are a little on the fuzzy and indistinct side usually, mosfet power amps I used in the past were always kind of warm but never had much slam.
And honestly, I am not digging the idea of an ampeg made in Vietnam. Thats like a Harley made in China! The Mackie stuff I have seen that was made overseas was shoddy and Ampeg is part of the same family of companies now so I wouldnt expect great build quality. Reviews online reinforce my apprehensions in that dept. Unfortunately the tube bass amp dept gets thinner every year.
There are the Aguilar hybrid amps like the DB751 for about that price range.
And they used to make a tube head (though only 200 watts).
Boogie only makes hybrids now as well. Heck just looking through MF I was really pissed off at bow many heads were listed as "TUBE HEADS" but only have a (mostly) tube preamp.
Liars.
 
#12
Thanks for all the feedback guys! I know the 4pro is a hybrid. With the Tube preamp, can i even say it has tube tone? I've never played on a hybrid before, just solid state vs tube, and tube tone does appeal to me more. My friend was telling me that in the end i won't be able to hear much of a difference in tone. Has anyone had the chance to compare a Hybrid to a Tube?
 
#13
DrPepper09 said:
Thanks for all the feedback guys! I know the 4pro is a hybrid. With the Tube preamp, can i even say it has tube tone? I've never played on a hybrid before, just solid state vs tube, and tube tone does appeal to me more. My friend was telling me that in the end i won't be able to hear much of a difference in tone. Has anyone had the chance to compare a Hybrid to a Tube?
Click to expand...
yeah. your friend is sort of right but not really. a good sound is a good sound, no matter what the amp topology, and in a live environment it may be tough to pick out all the nuances. but YOU as the player will definitely be able to tell the difference, and IMHO that's enough.
 
#15
aw jeez now we gotta argue all tube vs hybrid?
I think for some styles of music hybrid amps are fine, even actually desirable.
Though if you want tube tone you should really go for an all tube amp. Hybrids are often nothing more than a solidstate amp with a solid state preamp and eq. The tube is just wedged in there, more for marketing than for any electrical reason. Tube sound isnt just about having a single 12ax7a running one side as "tube enhancer circuit". The sound of tubes is a full circuit, from the preamp (often a lower impedance and will interact with pickups more) to the eq section (usually a fender clone) to the power tubes and finally the transformer. Output transformers color the sound in a subtle and often not subtle way. I would even posit that a lot of what we associate with "tube sound" is really transformers. Browse some pro audio forums and they are already over the tube/solid state thing and are just looking for gear with transformer iron in it.
Ampeg does make some hybrid amps with more than one tube in them. Though I am pretty sure that the graphic eq on those is not tube driven.
 

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