I believe any Class D amp like the Streamliner can be used without a speaker load.
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Genz Benz Streamliner, Part 10
- Thread starter Thor
- Start date
So I am wondering why this mega thread just all of a sudden died? It seems to have lost some steam after Genz Benz was no more. Even though there are a ton of newer amps available, the Streamliner is still pretty hard to top. IMHO.
The Streamliner has been one of my very favorite amps of all time. I’d love to see an exact copy of it as a Genzler product. Would that happen? Depends on who currently owns the design. The problem which often occurs when a company is sold is that the designs are part of the package .... and put on a shelf somewhere to die
I don't see that happening. Jeff is all about the future, not the past. Pretty sure he is working on some new ideas right now. He did tell me when I was in the market for a Magellan 800 that many people called it an Extremeliner. And I have to say that with a little EQ, Contour on blue set about 12:00 and some drive I can get it to sound very similar to the Streamliner, but with a harder kick.
But there is still something about the Streamliner that is pretty difficult (impossible) to duplicate which I have to believe is due to the 3 tubes and the tone stack. I'll be using the Magellan 800 on Friday and the Streamliner 600 on Sunday with an UBER QUAD and UBER BASS 115t. Looking forward to it.
With all due respect ... The past is quite often the Best place to look for the future. Ever plug into a Sunn 200s Head? It’s arguably the finest sounding bass amp ever made.....and consists of three knobs and a handful of tubes. It was first made in the early 60’s and still sounds incredible. . We bass players are an odd lot. We now plug into 27 foot pedals that we’ve purchased in the past 18 months cuz we’re easily manipulated.....puppets in the hands of manufacturers who decided that since bass sales were tanking they needed to sell something to keep the doors open.
I just bought a SL900 a week ago and played my first gig with it on Saturday night. Most of the other heads I have are going into the closet.
The tubby warmth (without the weight) is what I've been craving for a long time. I'm just getting to know this head and there's a lot to explore. I've only played it with my Berg HG310 but this combo sounds fantastic. I have a Berg AE410 and I'll plug it into that cab this week. But with the SL900/HG310 (35 lbs.) being such an EASY load in/out and sufficient for 70% of my gigs I'm pretty well set for now.
I also have a Mesa D800/SW112&115 and truthfully, it's hard to get a bad sound out of that amp. But the Streamliner's warmth and low end girth is just outta this world
and well worth the time to learn it. This thread and a few others have been extremely helpful in cab selection.
Talkbass is the SHIZZZ!!
The tubby warmth (without the weight) is what I've been craving for a long time. I'm just getting to know this head and there's a lot to explore. I've only played it with my Berg HG310 but this combo sounds fantastic. I have a Berg AE410 and I'll plug it into that cab this week. But with the SL900/HG310 (35 lbs.) being such an EASY load in/out and sufficient for 70% of my gigs I'm pretty well set for now.
I also have a Mesa D800/SW112&115 and truthfully, it's hard to get a bad sound out of that amp. But the Streamliner's warmth and low end girth is just outta this world
and well worth the time to learn it. This thread and a few others have been extremely helpful in cab selection.Talkbass is the SHIZZZ!!
Every time I get tempted by an all-tube amp (even at clearance pricing) I think about how my Streamliners (600 and 900) give me as much tube sound and feel as the all-tube amp I had in the past, without the weight, with great reliability, and with zero self-noise, hissing or popping. Get a minty used one and hang onto it. It has few parallels among other lightweight heads.
Some of you new owners should check out my thread about running a Streamliner at 16 ohms to get the full tubiness of the 3DPM at lower volume:
Ran my Streamliner at 16 ohms tonight -- a revelation
I'm even thinking of trying out higher ohm loads in the future, like a 32-ohm 4x8, for low volume tubey glory at church.
Some of you new owners should check out my thread about running a Streamliner at 16 ohms to get the full tubiness of the 3DPM at lower volume:
Ran my Streamliner at 16 ohms tonight -- a revelation
I'm even thinking of trying out higher ohm loads in the future, like a 32-ohm 4x8, for low volume tubey glory at church.
One thing for sure, the Streamliner will always make me trust any products Jeff Genzler and Agehorse are involved in.
That's more like it. I can't see how a thread on this awesome amp can just die after a few short years.
But to get back to the Streamliner, I have only had this head for about 3 to 4 months and it has already surpassed all of my other amps in usage. When I don't play it, I miss it.
I'm just passing along my impression of a conversation I had with Jeff earlier in the year. Although he is very proud of the equipment he has been able to produce, he is also pretty happy with what they are currently producing. I may be wrong, but you are always free to PM him and see what he thinks.
But to get back to the Streamliner, I have only had this head for about 3 to 4 months and it has already surpassed all of my other amps in usage. When I don't play it, I miss it.
I searched for this thread last January when I got my first SL. I knew I'd seen it before. I think for a while the search indexes were ill. Happy it's alive!
I've not even started cutting wood yet for my 1 x 8'sEvery time I get tempted by an all-tube amp (even at clearance pricing) I think about how my Streamliners (600 and 900) give me as much tube sound and feel as the all-tube amp I had in the past, without the weight, with great reliability, and with zero self-noise, hissing or popping. Get a minty used one and hang onto it. It has few parallels among other lightweight heads.
Some of you new owners should check out my thread about running a Streamliner at 16 ohms to get the full tubiness of the 3DPM at lower volume:
Ran my Streamliner at 16 ohms tonight -- a revelation
I'm even thinking of trying out higher ohm loads in the future, like a 32-ohm 4x8, for low volume tubey glory at church.
Get busy making sawdust!I've not even started cutting wood yet for my 1 x 8's
My four Alpha 8's are in use as floor monitors at church, and I don't expect to pull them out of service for a while, so I think the first thing I'll do as a 32-ohm experiment is to cable them all in series just to see how the amp responds.
The cool thing about a tube pre/SS hybrid amp like the Streamliner is you can drive high-ohm loads for the equivalent of a low-volume all-tube recording amp, then go back to a lower-ohm load for maximum clean volume, all from the same amp. That's something you'd struggle to do with an all-tube amp unless it has a half- or quarter-power switch or you can remove tubes. I'm no longer tempted to go that route.
Time, weather and health must all align first. And no full moon. I haven't decided if I want to go for two 1 x 8's plus a 2 x 8, or 4 1 x 8's. Also making a 2 x 8 full range for my wife (vocal and geetar off a nice GB shen pro head). All based closely on the GB STL-8T, sans tweeter for the bass cabs and uprated tweeter for the geetar/vocal combination. Add the shen jr uber light combo project and that's a lot of sawdust.Get busy making sawdust!
I can’t play a show without a local bass player raving about my sound. I usually attribute most of it to my 2 Aguilar DB112NT cabs. But, the Streamliner 900 is a factor for sure! I’ve played many fine amps, and ended my search when I landed on the Streamliner.
That said, a buddy with VERY NICE (and costly) gear has loaned me a Fender Bassman 300 recently (the all black metal grilled beast) and it was very impressive! Could not turn it up past 2 though... too much power honestly.
I now have his (rehoused in its own case) 1975 Fender Super Twin to try. It’s 180 watts and has been called the best sounding tube amp ever for bass, here on TB, even though it started life in a Guitar combo amp.
I’ll let you guys know my thoughts. Even if I buy one of the all tube beasts, the Streamliner will NOT be leaving my sweaty grip. In fact, I don’t see me ever parting ways with it.
That said, a buddy with VERY NICE (and costly) gear has loaned me a Fender Bassman 300 recently (the all black metal grilled beast) and it was very impressive! Could not turn it up past 2 though... too much power honestly.
I now have his (rehoused in its own case) 1975 Fender Super Twin to try. It’s 180 watts and has been called the best sounding tube amp ever for bass, here on TB, even though it started life in a Guitar combo amp.
I’ll let you guys know my thoughts. Even if I buy one of the all tube beasts, the Streamliner will NOT be leaving my sweaty grip. In fact, I don’t see me ever parting ways with it.
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The SL was the pocket amp back in the day. Just takes a bigger pocket than today.
Bassist love a fat, round bottom end. This toy ain't gunna cut it:
This will:
Yup, @agedhorse and co. at Genz-Benz knew what they were doing a long time ago.
Bassist love a fat, round bottom end. This toy ain't gunna cut it:
This will:
Yup, @agedhorse and co. at Genz-Benz knew what they were doing a long time ago.
I'd say that's "Junk in the Trunk" but it certainly doesn't apply to the Streamliner!!!
But that IS some Junk in the Trunk!
But that IS some Junk in the Trunk!
I think the pockets on the second picture are screaming a lot more than the pockets on the first picture.
Recently upgraded from a Bag End 15 to a Bergantino HD212. It hasn't seen the stage yet, but it sounded beautiful in practice.
