Genz Benz ShuttleMAX 9.0 Now A Reality

[svtb15]

The Uber 1288 Quad is an incredible sounding cab.. I use two with a Shuttle 9 or MAX 12 and it is very full .. Also did a gig with only one and it covers the room just fine.

So, after getting to gig with a Max 12 last night, I'm now VERY interested in this new Max 9. I'm possibly looking to go to a much lighter-weight setup, which would involve trading my two Eden cabs for an Uber 410 (still haven't tried the new Quad cabinet, but have tried the 410 a few times, and loved it). Then I'd replace my entire rack setup (which weighs in around 50 lbs) for a Max 9 w/bag.

After getting to use the capabilities of a Max head in a live setting last night, and becoming re-acquainted with just how useful the two preamps, global shaping functions, etc, are, I'm pretty much sold on them. I now remember why I loved my GBE750 so much.........

So is this head scheduled for a NAMM release as well? (my apologies if this was mentioned in this thread already, I must have glossed over it)

 

[Dave Hill]

I'm just now starting to dip a toe into the micro-head world (although somewhat tentatively) and really like the GB stuff I've tried. There seems to be a lot of overlap though, with the Shuttle 900, Shuttle Max 900, and Streamline 900. Not to mention the SM 300, 600, 1200, etc. There's almost too many choices.
I like a lot of volume and always use 2 410's. I hope these little things can pump it out long and loud. It's just hard to believe just looking at them.

 

[KJung]

I'm just now starting to dip a toe into the micro-head world (although somewhat tentatively) and really like the GB stuff I've tried. There seems to be a lot of overlap though, with the Shuttle 900, Shuttle Max 900, and Streamline 900. Not to mention the SM 300, 600, 1200, etc. There's almost too many choices.
I like a lot of volume and always use 2 410's. I hope these little things can pump it out long and loud. It's just hard to believe just looking at them.

IMO, if you try them out, not as much overlap as you think.

The Shuttle 3 is a low powered FET pre unit.

The Shuttle 6 and 9 have the same pre, but are voiced quite differently, with the 6 optimized for use with smaller, less low end capable cabs, and the 9 fully voiced at the low end, and of course, a bit more power (especially at 8ohms).

The Max 6 and Max 12 are identical, other than the dual power amps of the 12 (which allows you to do the 2ohm multicab thing without dealing with the issues of running an amp at that low of an impedance), and have GREAT EQ and the full low end of the Shuttle 9... MUCH more powerful EQ than the small Shuttle series... two semi-parametric mids, dual channel (FET and Tube), and most importantly, variable master voicing EQ versus the less useful (IMO) off/on all or nothing voicing buttons of the smaller Shuttle series (3,6,9). The new Shuttle Max 9 will give those who use only one big cab (or two 8ohm cabs) a high power alternative to the less fully featured Shuttle 9.

Finally, no one other than Genz employees has heard the Streamliner 6 and 9, but the design goal is 'simplicity and tubey'. The Shuttle tube pre's are not particularly 'old school tubey' to my ear... they are bright and a bit grindy when pushed, but not what most would call 'tube amp emulating'. The design goal suggests the Streamliner (with its triple 12ax7 driven preamp) will be quite different from the other two Shuttle lines.

Good stuff.... if I was looking for a somewhat modern tone with plenty of EQ power and wattage, it would be the Shuttle Max 9 all the way. Since I have that tone goal covered, I have a Streamliner 9 on order for what I hope is a very different sort of vibe from the other SMPS amps on the market. We shall see!

 

[LeonD]

Since I have that tone goal covered, I have a Streamliner 9 on order for what I hope is a very different sort of vibe from the other SMPS amps on the market. We shall see!

And here lies Genz Benz's diabolical plan. They suck you in like a black hole sucking the marrow out of a road kill squirrel.

It always starts with "just one" piece of their equipment. Then next thing you know, they own you.

I started with a Shuttle 3.0-8t as a "backup" to my real bass rig. Now, all I play are GB amps and the majority of my cabs are GB's. Oh sure, they try and make you feel real nice with their absurdly, "over the top" customer service but believe me, they'll own you.

And my bass tone has never sounded better.

Resistance if futile.

 

[KJung]

And here lies Genz Benz's diabolical plan. They suck you in like a black hole sucking the marrow out of a road kill squirrel.

It always starts with "just one" piece of their equipment. Then next thing you know, they own you.

I started with a Shuttle 3.0-8t as a "backup" to my real bass rig. Now, all I play are GB amps and the majority of my cabs are GB's. Oh sure, they try and make you feel real nice with their absurdly, "over the top" customer service but believe me, they'll own you.

And my bass tone has never sounded better.

Resistance if futile.

I have many times almost clicked on 'add to cart' when looking at the Shuttle Max 6! If the Max 6 EQ was used on the smaller Shuttle amps, I would have been part of the family years ago.

 

[LeonD]

I'm getting cold sweats over the Shuttle Max 9.

Thank goodness it doesn't have two 900 watt amps in there or I'd really be in trouble. I guess that'd be the Shuttle Max 18!

 

[vision]

I'm just now starting to dip a toe into the micro-head world (although somewhat tentatively) and really like the GB stuff I've tried. There seems to be a lot of overlap though, with the Shuttle 900, Shuttle Max 900, and Streamline 900. Not to mention the SM 300, 600, 1200, etc. There's almost too many choices.
I like a lot of volume and always use 2 410's. I hope these little things can pump it out long and loud. It's just hard to believe just looking at them.

If you always use 2 410's that really simplifies your decision. The ShuttleMax 12 would give you 600 watts per side if those cabs are 4 ohms. If they are 8 ohms, the three 900 watt heads (SM 9, Shuttle 9, & Streamline 9) would also be in play, depending on what features you need. The other heads wouldn't really work for you.

 

[pbasswil]

I'm thinking that an 18.0 would be pushing the current capacity of most outlets.

Maybe in Canada...

Canada? You mean that country that provides the USA with a ton of its hydro-electric overproduction?

 

[KJung]

If you always use 2 410's that really simplifies your decision. The ShuttleMax 12 would give you 600 watts per side if those cabs are 4 ohms. If they are 8 ohms, the three 900 watt heads (SM 9, Shuttle 9, & Streamline 9) would also be in play, depending on what features you need. The other heads wouldn't really work for you.

+1 Two 4ohm 410's, and the Shuttle Max 12 is just a killer option all the way around.

Two 8ohm 410's opens up more choices... Shuttle 9 if small and light is your thing, Shuttle Max 9 for more EQ power and the cleaner, punchier FET option, or the Streamliner 9 for a bit more old school, fat, and simple (again, based on the design goals of the head... we are three weeks away or so from 'knowing').

 

[MikeBass]

+1 Two 4ohm 410's, and the Shuttle Max 12 is just a killer option all the way around.

Two 8ohm 410's opens up more choices... Shuttle 9 if small and light is your thing, Shuttle Max 9 for more EQ power and the cleaner, punchier FET option, or the Streamliner 9 for a bit more old school, fat, and simple (again, based on the design goals of the head... we are three weeks away or so from 'knowing').

I've maimed small children and killed small animals within 100 yards of my Shuttle 9.0 though either a pair of 410's or and 810.
And yes I enjoyed it.








A lot.

 

[Dave Hill]

So, the tube pre in the S 900 is the same as the tube pre section in the SM 900 (and 1200?), both of which are diff. from the tube pre in the Streamliner 900?
I have 2 8ohm cabs. Sounds like I need to the a/b the SM 900 and Streamliner sometime.

 

[KJung]

So, the tube pre in the S 900 is the same as the tube pre section in the SM 900 (and 1200?), both of which are diff. from the tube pre in the Streamliner 900?
I have 2 8ohm cabs. Sounds like I need to the a/b the SM 900 and Streamliner sometime.

The pre is a touch different (less fully featured) in the Shuttle 9 versus the Max heads, but sound quite similar to me.

But yes, with two 8ohm 410's, your three options (again, if you want to push the 410's to maximum volume) are:

Shuttle 9: Small, tube pre, one semi-parametric mid control, 'all or nothing' voicing buttons that are in many cases too extreme to use IMO. So, basically, a nice small footprint, and bass, mid and treble.

Shuttle 9 Max (released soon to retail from what I understand, but not sure how soon). Tube pre that sounds much like the Shuttle 9, but with MUCH better EQ (two bands of semi-parametric EQ and variable voicing filters), and an FET channel that can be blended with tube if so desired. Still stupid light, but closer to a standard 2 rack space size... still baggable though...

Streamliner 9: Totally different multi-tube pre, with very simple EQ... bass, three frequency switchable mid control, treble... so again, kind of going back to old school Ampeg/Hiwatt, whatever, in design goal. Ships in about 3 weeks (Genz is really good at shipping when promised). Should be reviews as to how different/tubey' these things are in early February.

All use the same power section, but different limiting designs and hi pass filtering, etc.

Nice stuff!!!!! The 'safe bet' is the Shuttle Max 9, since you have SO much control over voicing and EQ.

All these heads have a very nice 'tube gain, post gain and master' so you can dial in the amount of grind and then control the gain going through the EQ section. One note.. the Shuttle 9 gain is set very low... VERY hard for most to grind that up, even with the pre tube gain cranked. The Max heads and Streamliner have a switchable input pad that allows for higher input gain to push the tube circuit a bit... nice.

 

[Dave Hill]

Thanks, Ken. Preshape, contour, or voicing switches (on/off) are a definate put-off for me, I like to find the sweet spots for myself! The toobey-ness of the Streamline sounds intriguing, but the added eq and FET section of the SM may be a plus also. I guess what I'd really like is a mono SM 12 with a Streamline tube section.

 

[KJung]

Thanks, Ken. Preshape, contour, or voicing switches (on/off) are a definate put-off for me, I like to find the sweet spots for myself! The toobey-ness of the Streamline sounds intriguing, but the added eq and FET section of the SM may be a plus also. I guess what I'd really like is a mono SM 12 with a Streamline tube section.

I kind of feel sorry for the Genz designers, since we all pull that on them. My wish was a Shuttle 9 with the variable voicing controls and the Shuttle 3 FET pre

Every bone in my body (from hearing your clips over on the FBass thread) says that the Shuttle Max 9 might be the bee's knees for you.

 

[Dave Hill]

Look forward to trying it.
We'll see if your bones are right.
I've been using the same SWR rig for about 15 years (I'm not much of a "flipper") so, I'll take my time finding the amp that really interacts with my touch, effects, etc. Like I said, I still am not 100% sold on the micro/neo light stuff...I'd really like to gig it a few times, but that's not so easy. My recently turned 40 year old back wouldnt complain though.

 

[svtb15]

I wasn't sold on Micro amps a few short years ago... I was the old lead sled boy..

When i got my shuttles 9.0 and MAX12 it changed my mind for good. I don't even think about the topography of an amp at all anymore...

Look forward to trying it.
We'll see if your bones are right.
I've been using the same SWR rig for about 15 years (I'm not much of a "flipper") so, I'll take my time finding the amp that really interacts with my touch, effects, etc. Like I said, I still am not 100% sold on the micro/neo light stuff...I'd really like to gig it a few times, but that's not so easy. My recently turned 40 year old back wouldnt complain though.

 

[svtb15]

I wasn't sold on Micro amps a few years ago... I was the old lead sled boy..

When i got my shuttles 9.0 and MAX12 it changed my mind for good. I don't think about the topography of an amp at all anymore...

Look forward to trying it.
We'll see if your bones are right.
I've been using the same SWR rig for about 15 years (I'm not much of a "flipper") so, I'll take my time finding the amp that really interacts with my touch, effects, etc. Like I said, I still am not 100% sold on the micro/neo light stuff...I'd really like to gig it a few times, but that's not so easy. My recently turned 40 year old back wouldnt complain though.

 

[Dave Hill]

Nothing lacking, huh? (Besides the mass)

 

[KJung]

Nothing lacking, huh? (Besides the mass)

Most of the SMPS amps now have similar ooomph as their heavy transformer counterparts, matched watt to watt IMO. I went micro/SMPS about 20 years ago (starting with my first Walter Woods), and never looked back.

However, just like the heavy stuff, the light stuff all sounds different from one another.

Not sure what SWR amp you have, but if it is an older model like the SM400, the closest micro tone to that (i.e., BIG low end, polite mids, and very extended upper treble) to my ear is the GK stuff (the MB500 if you want it pure solid state, and the MBFusion if you want a bit of tube in the tone). HUGE low end and a very modern tone like the early SWR amps. IMO.

These heads all sound quite different from each other, and it is hard to generalize to a power supply or amp type. Some of the smaller amps like the MB LMIII are actually traditional class A/B amps... so lots of variation in voicing and performance.

 

[svtb15]

It would be disingenuous of me to say that there is no difference... But I guess it is like one brand to another brand or manufacturer. There are always slight differences here and there.. But this is something that not only I can enjoy, but actually think of it as a tool worthy of gigs that i do.... locally, fly dates, tv anything...Getting over the prejudice i had towards SMPS with Class D amps was my hard part.. because the tone was there.....
I was always a crown poweramp Preamp sort of person... started with my first crown amp in 1976 with a tube preamp...
then upgraded to a BGW Poweramp then a Crown PSA2 then a Crown Macrotech with the same preamp. switched to a NEVE pre for a while then a API then back to the tube one.. So I did that for about 30 years.. had a few years touring an SVT,

Still have an SVT.. but found that my shuttle 9 is louder and way more articulate while keeping a hefty bottom.. Does it sound like an SVT? NO.. it doesn't.. but it does its own thing very well... in fact its incredible.. I get constant compliments on my sound...
I can only imagine what the MAX9 will be with its extra EQ and TUBE channel.. will be a monster..... or the new Streamliner 900 that will be unveiled this week at NAMM.
So it is no lead sled.. it is its own thing.. and it rocks! I have a few hundred gigs on Shuttle 9.0... and never a glitch..

Nothing lacking, huh? (Besides the mass)