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Ampeg SVT vs Orange AD200B

#41
There was a very good video doing a shootout between these two amps and for some reason it's been taken down. In any case I think the Ampeg totally slayed the Orange. The Orange was just too bright and clanky for my ears and many other people in the comments section agreed. People may think I'm biased because I own an SVT but another great thing about them is that they can always be found used for a great price.
 
#42
I am on my second AD200. Sold the first one but missed it so much that within a year I replaced it. Into my Bergantino NV215 cab it has a wonderfully rich but clean tone, with plenty of headroom. I do not own an SVT head any more, but have owned several. As stated, the weight factor is a major bonus in favour of the Orange - as is its simplicity. The SVT is a little more versatile tonally I suspect, but I cannot imagine being without an AD200 ever again. Mind you, I feel exactly the same way about my Ampeg V4B.
 
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#43
Rugmaster said:
There was a very good video doing a shootout between these two amps and for some reason it's been taken down. In any case I think the Ampeg totally slayed the Orange. The Orange was just too bright and clanky for my ears and many other people in the comments section agreed. People may think I'm biased because I own an SVT but another great thing about them is that they can always be found used for a great price.
Click to expand...
"bright and clanky" Orange sound????
I cannot understand that - you would have to try very hard to get that tone from the two AD200s I have owned. Nothing could be further from the truth IME. Maybe it was set up intentionally for that tone, it certainly does not describe the amp's natural character.
 
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#45
They tried many different tones from a miced cab, it showed the settings the guy had too... it wasn't like a really harsh kind of "clankiness" but more like that annoying popping you sometimes get when using a fresh set of strings. That's just what I thought of it and I don't think it's a bad amp and I'd love to try one myself.
 
#46
Rugmaster said:
There was a very good video doing a shootout between these two amps and for some reason it's been taken down. In any case I think the Ampeg totally slayed the Orange. The Orange was just too bright and clanky for my ears and many other people in the comments section agreed. People may think I'm biased because I own an SVT but another great thing about them is that they can always be found used for a great price.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't put much credence in a Youtube compare-o. Too may variables, between cabs, strings, settings etc. I saw a comparison between an SVT and a Mesa 400+ where the Mesa was using the padded input, and the guy kept saying it doesn't have enough volume. He also didn't understand the difference in the EQs.

I love both the Orange and the SVT, I think they are fantastic. The OP cannot go wrong with either choice.
 
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#47
Let the ear and heart talk by playing both amps in person. YouTube (or online vids) creates so many variables that it is crazy.... Like shopping for exhaust systems from YouTube.

But I'm with Tim1 on this one. I don't see it bright and/or clanky. Clanky is more of a bass guitar issue IMO.... Both sounds like other factors that could play into it other than the amp (different bass guitars, different cabs, different mics, different tubes, how to dial in the amp). Honestly, almost every amp I have played on, most the time the listeners and other musicians say that it sounds great. I have had the pleasure with working with so many different rigs that I have learned how to "dial" up several rigs. If someone was to pull one of my OBC115 (I run a pair) out and put in a OBC410 or even a SVT810, I would have to redial my bass and the head and in some cases my pedals to achieve "that tone". Same thing if a venue is running a back-lined SVT Classic with an SVT810 or a GK rig.... I know I need to adjust for it. Not just plug and play and expect to be glorified to some type of awesomest tone :)

I think people really need to focus on my first response to the OP. Tons of differences of opinions. Hopefully the OP can rummage though subjective variables and focus on the "actual" characters that describe the amp they are discussing. As I said before, I'm not biased to the Orange.
 
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#49
Two very different amps.

You should really go out there and try them out before you make a big-money decision like this.

All the different opinions shared on this forum won't get you very far.

You may also want to consider the Fender Super Bassman.
 
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#50
carbonfold said:
Ampeg SVT Classic as a Baxandall eq vs the Ampeg will be a roll-off type of EQ. As in 10 is set as zero and everything below that is a cut on the AD200B
Click to expand...

Sorry to be that guy, but I've got to address this.
On the Orange tonestack, the Bass and Treble are boost only, and the Mid is cut only.
All knobs at noon is slightly mid-scooped. Treble at 0, Mid at 10, and Bass at 0 is frequency flat.
 
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#51
uhm... the EQ on the AD200B is passive and not active. The EQ is designed to be maxed at 10 and everything below that is a subtraction (T/M/L). Set the T/M/L knobs at "0" and volume goes to zero. I've read this countless times here on TB and Orange forums. However, searching for flat response is a different beast from a subtraction (cut) of the freq.

Orange Amps Forum • View topic - What is unity on EQ for Orange AD200B?
Orange Amps Forum • View topic - Passive EQ and the Quest to find


Mr. Foxen could chime in on this one. Its just a stand fender tone stack. I'm all ears if I am incorrect.


TrevorOfDoom said:
Sorry to be that guy, but I've got to address this.
On the Orange tonestack, the Bass and Treble are boost only, and the Mid is cut only.
All knobs at noon is slightly mid-scooped. Treble at 0, Mid at 10, and Bass at 0 is frequency flat.
Click to expand...
 
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#52
carbonfold said:
uhm... the EQ on the AD200B is passive and not active. The EQ is designed to be maxed at 10 and everything below that is a subtraction (T/M/L). Set the T/M/L knobs at "0" and volume goes to zero. I've read this countless times here on TB and Orange forums. However, searching for flat response is a different beast from a subtraction (cut) of the freq.

Orange Amps Forum • View topic - What is unity on EQ for Orange AD200B?
Orange Amps Forum • View topic - Passive EQ and the Quest to find


Its just a stand fender tone stack. I'm all ears if I am incorrect.
Click to expand...

An EQ doesn't need to be active to have Cut Only knobs.
take a look at this in depth review of the TerrorBass, which shares the same preamp and EQ as the AD200b: Invalid Link Removed
This mag is written by Tom Bowlus and he's one thorough guy. Hopefully he'll chime in on this and link to the review Bass Gear Mag did on the AD200b which shows the same frequency response.

And yes, it is a standard Fender tonestack. 2-10-2 for flat is very common on Fender amps.
 
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#54
I love ampeg, had an svt for a bit but way too much loud before breakup. I have a v4b that I am happy with now but man if you can afford a orange ad200 head id say go for it. if I had the loot I would in a heartbeat those things sound so good.
 
#56
carbonfold said:
uhm... the EQ on the AD200B is passive and not active. The EQ is designed to be maxed at 10 and everything below that is a subtraction (T/M/L). Set the T/M/L knobs at "0" and volume goes to zero. I've read this countless times here on TB and Orange forums. However, searching for flat response is a different beast from a subtraction (cut) of the freq.

Orange Amps Forum • View topic - What is unity on EQ for Orange AD200B?
Orange Amps Forum • View topic - Passive EQ and the Quest to find


Mr. Foxen could chime in on this one. Its just a stand fender tone stack. I'm all ears if I am incorrect.
Click to expand...

There isn't a flat setting on the Fender type eq, nearest to flat is going to be a variation on the theme of mids right up,. bass and treble right down. It isn't a function of being passive, its a function of being that circuit. You can have a passive circuit that's nearest to flat is knobs in the middle, such as the James stack with the right component values selected, which is pretty close to what the original Orange amps had (Baxandall is an active version). With passive stacks everything is subtraction as there is 10-20db of signal loss going through it, but once you ignore that, the function of the knobs can be considered boost or cut depending on what they do relative to each other. on the Fender style tone stack, that makes mid cut only and bass and treble boost only, with a non-linear relationship. This program is super informative via being interactive: TSC
 
#58
Moog audio used to sell them but mat amp raised their prices a couple of years ago so it got prohibitive. Exchange rates can be killer too but the US dollar is high right now so Americans are in luck.

If you call MOOG ask if someone thee can get in touch with BRUNO. He has abused one for sale. If anyone is serious send me a pm I'd be happy to get them in touch
 
#59
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OR

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#60
Thanks all for your comments! It's really been an interesting read, exactly what I hoped for. Also got me curious about the Matamp GT200... sounds like most of you guys regard that one somewhat a holy grail of tube bass amps. Right?

As most of you said, probably can't go wrong with any of these. And as several suggested, of course I'll try to find some to try out on my own. (However doubt I'll find them at the same store.)

I think a 8x10 cab is out of the question (just to big for me to transport and probably quite heavy to)... what cab would you recommend to these amps if I just get one? A 4x10 or 1x15? Or?

I've been using one or two 15" cabs pretty much all my life - from different brands.

I should perhaps add:
I do use several basses; Gibson Thunderbird, Fender Precision, Musicman Stingray, Fender Jazz and even an old BC Rich Mockingbird. I play lots of styles from time to time but raised on 70's rock (classic rock/blues based hard rock) and I do tend to lean towards that kind of music these days.
 

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