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Hmm, Genz Benz Streamliner 900 or Shuttle 9.2?

mcnach

mcnach

Jun 16, 2007
8,729
9,607
Edinburgh, Scotland
#1
I'm looking at these two heads. They seem pretty good value at the moment and I remember liking what I heard from the Shuttle 9.2 a while ago.

I'm trying to figure out what are the main differences between these two amps, in practical terms. The Streamliner seems a bit "warmer" but with lots of top end still, from watching videos on Youtube, but that's hardly a good way to judge.

Has anybody here compared both?

I've decided the TC RH450 doesn't really do it for me anymore, and I'd like something a bit more "open" and with a bottom end that does not sound so "compressed".
 
#2
Thanks for all the responses, guys :p

No, seriously, after posting this I went searching for info and found a few good threads, even if some were a bit old and there have been other amps to compare etc... Anyway, I found a lot of good stuff, so thank all previous contributors.

Oh, and I ordered a Shuttle 9.2.
 
#3
mcnach said:
Thanks for all the responses, guys :p

No, seriously, after posting this I went searching for info and found a few good threads, even if some were a bit old and there have been other amps to compare etc... Anyway, I found a lot of good stuff, so thank all previous contributors.

Oh, and I ordered a Shuttle 9.2.
Click to expand...


Wanted to contribute but only know the 9.2... Got mine a few months and loving it, hope you do too :)
 
#6
I have both. I got the Streamliner first and figured I'd get something different as a light weight backup so I got the Shuttlemax 9.2. I really like the simplicity and tone of the Streamliner. Don't get me wrong, the 9.2 sounds great too, but I guess i just like the round tone of the Streamliner better.

You should probably make you're decision based on your current cabs. The Streamliner is a bit picky. Like you state earlier, there is a lot of info in the threads that are out there. I actually read all 10 of the Streamliner threads. Took me around 3 months.
 
#7
gmahoog said:
I have both. I got the Streamliner first and figured I'd get something different as a light weight backup so I got the Shuttlemax 9.2. I really like the simplicity and tone of the Streamliner. Don't get me wrong, the 9.2 sounds great too, but I guess i just like the round tone of the Streamliner better.

You should probably make you're decision based on your current cabs. The Streamliner is a bit picky. Like you state earlier, there is a lot of info in the threads that are out there. I actually read all 10 of the Streamliner threads. Took me around 3 months.
Click to expand...

jasper383 said:
This, to me, says Streamliner, but the Shuttles are also fine.
Click to expand...

I agree with you both.
 
#8
The Shuttle is much more versatile but also more complex. Apples and Oranges. For people who NEED the advanced features of the Shuttle, the Streamliner won't do. However you can coax Streamliner-like tones out of the Shuttle so in my book, the Shuttle wins by TKO. ;)
 
#11
JMO, but possibly the cats looking for the big broad deep P sound are going to favor the Streamliner. The players going for the quicker more defined J type sound will favor the Shuttle.

If we are talking the Shuttle, not ShuttleMAX, try setting your mid freq point around 275 -300 Hz as best you can with that dial and boosting it a bit in that area. That's the magic area with that head, IME.
 
#12
I own a Streamliner 900 and it is my favorite Amp I've ever owned. When funds allow, I'm buying a Shuttle 9.2 to give me an alternate flavor.

I don't think you can go wrong with either of them. Too bad they are being shut down because Genz Benz made fantastic amplifiers.
 
#13
A matter of taste. Funny-your statement that the RH450 doesn't get you there any more would lead me to think you'll prefer the Shuttle, as I do, by a wide margin.
 
#14
lomo said:
A matter of taste. Funny-your statement that the RH450 doesn't get you there any more would lead me to think you'll prefer the Shuttle, as I do, by a wide margin.
Click to expand...

The RH450 was my first decent amplifier. It looked awesome in every way... and I still think it's a nice amp. I just have discovered I prefer something slightly different.

I have tried the Shuttle now briefly at home at low volume. At low volume the RH450 is more pleasant... the lows are thicker (despite the audible "compression"). But a few twiddles of the knobs resulted in pretty nice tones. The LF boost went on immediately. The tube preamp section is great to add just a bit of "thickness" to the mix... I'm liking that.
I tried it just with one cab, a BF Compact that does not have much in the top end (I think it drops at 4KHz), so not the brightest of cabs exactly, but it sounds tight.
It's a little "meh", just like I felt with the LMIII initially at low volume, but I quickly changed my mind once I turned it up.

Gotta go, rehearsal soon... I'll see how the Shuttle behaves there ;)

One thing I don't like (kind of): it's too light! To plug in I need both hands or it slides away! :p That never happened with the RH450, which is a bit heftier. Will I need blue tack to hold it in place? :D
 
#16
Sav'nBass said:
Remember the 9.2 and the 9.2 Max are not the same heads so perhaps you could clarify.
Click to expand...

As stated on posts 1 and 3, it's the Shuttle 9.2, I never mentioned the Shuttlemax :)

After rehearsal, I have a smile on my face. It doesn't lack bottom end, at all. But interestingly, I'm not so sure about the tube preamp section. It makes it sound "big", but at the expense of clarity.

Anyway, I will explore further as time goes. I do like it. The semiparametric mids are pretty cool.
 

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