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Genz Benz - Official Streamliner Amp Thread -NEW !!

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roger said it had whomp.

Roger works for the company... what's he going to say... that it 'doesn't have whomp:p

I actually ordered one of these, and my guess is that they widened the low end voicing a bit to more emulate an all tube amp, etc.... so if 'whomp' means a bigger low end and fatter tone than their current offerings, I agree, and that is both my hope and why this is the first Genz head I've been interested in. I view that as more of a voicing choice than related to pure power, but that's a niggle.

We will know in a month:bassist:
 
i can't exactly put my finger on what constitutes that whomp of a steaming svt, but i do know that we're such polar opposites when it comes to what we like in amps that i could never take your word about whomp factor ;) regardless, i hope you enjoy it!
 
i can't exactly put my finger on what constitutes that whomp of a steaming svt, but i do know that we're such polar opposites when it comes to what we like in amps that i could never take your word about whomp factor ;) regardless, i hope you enjoy it!

+1 And at the very low volumes at which you seem to perform (versus my louder stage volume situation), you also have a very different usage of your SVT than most of the guys I know that use them.

I can surely see that a huge rig run at very low levels would sound fatter than the little 112 combo you replaced. +1. Context is quite important.

I've always enjoyed an all tube amp tone run very soft (i.e., totally clean), and am hoping that this head gets a bit of that vibe combined with the ability to keep that tone constant at higher volumes. The Mesa Walkabout got close, but no cigar for me. I've been relatively unimpressed with virtually every other hybrid I've played (at least unimpressed with the impact of the tube itself... most shouldn't have even bothered IMO and IME). This spec looks like the closest I've seen to at least having the potential to deliver that tone. We shall see!
 
I agree with Ken. Comparing an SVT to a microhead when the SVT is sitting on a sealed 810 and the micro is on a little portable cabinet is not really fair. I put my GBE 1200 on an 810 a few times and it would absolute bury an SVT in the dirt in terms of volume and thump. The Shuttle 9.0 would do the same. Tonally of course it's going to sound different, but this "raw power" mythology around here that surrounds these 300 watt all-tube heads is extremely hokey to me. I think some folks just like the way they sound and react to their playing style. That's totally cool, but it's not like they are more powerful at all.

The Streamliner will bury an SVT. I have no doubt about it. It might not sound better than an SVT for some though. And that's cool. But I really think we should quit making these 300 watt tube heads into something they are not.
 
I agree with Ken. Comparing an SVT to a microhead when the SVT is sitting on a sealed 810 and the micro is on a little portable cabinet is not really fair. I put my GBE 1200 on an 810 a few times and it would absolute bury an SVT in the dirt in terms of volume and thump. The Shuttle 9.0 would do the same. Tonally of course it's going to sound different, but this "raw power" mythology around here that surrounds these 300 watt all-tube heads is extremely hokey to me. I think some folks just like the way they sound and react to their playing style. That's totally cool, but it's not like they are more powerful at all.

The Streamliner will bury an SVT. I have no doubt about it. It might not sound better than an SVT for some though. And that's cool. But I really think we should quit making these 300 watt tube heads into something they are not.

+1
 
Most micro's have long since blown away most all tube amps (at least when they are run reasonably clean) in absolute volume IMO and IME.

I don't know, with SVT 410HE (alone or with 112 under it) my Eden 300T was louder than most hybrids while maintaining a clean tubey tone. A very under rated amp in my opinion, underrated but very heavy. I could get louder than my RH450 SVT7 (SVT 7 had limiter issues though). I think the 9.0 is louder in clean volume but can't be certain as I've sold the SVT 410HE and the 300T (to heavy).

I do know, with the 9.0 power section the SL will be plenty loud.:bassist:
 
Roger stated that the amp has something new. The "3dPM" circuit: "dynamic power management" module.
From what i gather, it is limited differently too to allow it to be louder than the Shuttle 9.
I haven't hear it yet though...
I was going to go to NAMM,...and I have my plane ticket and car paid for., but i may now have a last minute gig overseas.. So i may not get to see this amp for a while... ughhhhhh
 
I don't know, with SVT 410HE (alone or with 112 under it) my Eden 300T was louder than most hybrids while maintaining a clean tubey tone. A very under rated amp in my opinion, underrated but very heavy. I could get louder than my RH450 SVT7 (SVT 7 had limiter issues though). I think the 9.0 is louder in clean volume but can't be certain as I've sold the SVT 410HE and the 300T (to heavy).

I do know, with the 9.0 power section the SL will be plenty loud.:bassist:
It's hard to make a direct comparison because the all-tube head will naturally compress the signal so that you'll get a more consistent voltage into those cabs. If you properly compress the signal into a solid state head, similar results can be achieved. Without compression, I think you need at least double the wattage in a solid state head to approach the volume of an all-tube head, and 3x the wattage to really cover you. But let me tell you this, that is properly compressing the signal on one of these super-micro heads like the Shuttle 9.0 will absolutely bury an SVT in terms of output and volume. It's really not even fair.

And we shouldn't forget that tube heads have a certain amount of additional harmonic content even when they aren't overdriven that contributes to perceived volume. Again, if you add that harmonic content in with an effects pedal of some sort such as a VT bass, then it becomes even more unfair to the SVT.

Still, in the end, the SVT is the real deal, and some will always love it more than anything else. That is totally cool, and standing in front of one paired with a fridge is really something else if you're into that tone. I truly get that as I love it too in the right context, but I don't see the need to make claims that it is some kind of super mega powerhouse that all these other more modern designs can't match. For me, most any head on an 810 will get way louder than I would ever need.
 
There are micro's, with tubes, that don't apply much plate current to them, and thus don't get all that tubey. That's one thing.
The ability, via big transformers and big capacitors, to maintain big dynamic swings is aonther thing. People seem to be getting better at this.
Power tubes also provide a natural amount of compression to bigger/lower notes that some micros have issues mimicing.
 
There are micro's, with tubes, that don't apply much plate current to them, and thus don't get all that tubey. That's one thing.
The ability, via big transformers and big capacitors, to maintain big dynamic swings is aonther thing. People seem to be getting better at this.
Power tubes also provide a natural amount of compression to bigger/lower notes that some micros have issues mimicing.

very well put.
 
I think in earlier versions many of these micros didn't have the heft associated with traditional solid state heads. That seems to be largely disappearing now. I also think that people tend to attribute the word "heft" and "power" to heads have the tonal profile they are after, so often times they dismiss other heads as being "weak" simply because they don't have the sound they want. This has huge implications for all-tube lovers because it really is hard to get that kind of tone in a solid state format.
 
I think in earlier versions many of these micros didn't have the heft associated with traditional solid state heads. That seems to be largely disappearing now. I also think that people tend to attribute the word "heft" and "power" to heads have the tonal profile they are after, so often times they dismiss other heads as being "weak" simply because they don't have the sound they want. This has huge implications for all-tube lovers because it really is hard to get that kind of tone in a solid state format.

+1 I don't really differentiate between SMPS micro's and the few larger high end solid state amps left out there in the market at this point. That used to be a big deal (i.e., I found my old Eden WT400 to significantly outperform my Walter Woods 1200 in full, non-compressed low end). Things have greatly changed for the better now.

+1 though, tube power sections are a love/hate thing, and if you love them, you love them and it is hard to get that feel and bloom and give and all that other stuff with a solid state section. However, Genz and TC are doing some VERY cool things with the limiting of the power sections... allowing them to blow past their rated specs (i.e., the power ratings of the B&O or other class D power module that is powering them) by allowing the distortion to increase, but in a surprisingly musical way that brings to mind a tube amp being pushed beyond its power rating.
 
I agree with Ken. Comparing an SVT to a microhead when the SVT is sitting on a sealed 810 and the micro is on a little portable cabinet is not really fair. I put my GBE 1200 on an 810 a few times and it would absolute bury an SVT in the dirt in terms of volume and thump. The Shuttle 9.0 would do the same. Tonally of course it's going to sound different, but this "raw power" mythology around here that surrounds these 300 watt all-tube heads is extremely hokey to me. I think some folks just like the way they sound and react to their playing style. That's totally cool, but it's not like they are more powerful at all.

The Streamliner will bury an SVT. I have no doubt about it. It might not sound better than an SVT for some though. And that's cool. But I really think we should quit making these 300 watt tube heads into something they are not.
wow, nice misdirected anger rant! ;)

for the record, "whomp" in my world does not equal "volume." i can't turn up louder than a b-15 will go clean on my gigs so volume is the least of my worries. i also realize that an 810 is different than a 112, thank you. and that's why when i did the ab comp on the gig with my former lmii vs the svt, i used the 810. and yes, the lmii had a lot going for it, but it didn't have the "whomp." roger knows exactly what i'm talking about. i don't know what constitutes "whomp" on a tech level, but i know it when i hear it. and it isn't about volume in the least. of course a 900w amp will go a lot louder and stay cleaner than a 300w amp. only an idiot would try to argue that. but it ain't whomp.
 
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