Jule Amps Monique Part 2.

[nostatic]

I've been known to do that. More than once. Monique is staying. Had a gig last night and due to my having the flu I decided to pack as light as possible so I left Monique at home. Gig went fine but something was missing. Am listening to the tracks and it sounds good but not sublime. And it didn't feel the same.

 

[SactoBass]

I've been known to do that. More than once. Monique is staying. Had a gig last night and due to my having the flu I decided to pack as light as possible so I left Monique at home. Gig went fine but something was missing. Am listening to the tracks and it sounds good but not sublime. And it didn't feel the same.

Yeah, Monique brings that yummy tube goodness!

 

[chadds]

Session with the prog rock funk fusion folks. Independent DI out gain was fabulous so there was a room level and an appropriate recording level. I've been digging the Monique with the Sensitivity pushed in and dialed to 9:00.
Gain on 11:00. Whole other kind of clean and different kind of responsive. Love!

 

[Baird6869]

I've been known to do that. More than once. Monique is staying.

I am the same but I really don't see me playing anything except Monique for a long time.

Played it for the first time with a metal band this weekend. Even with a distorted SansAmp, Monique shone thru.

 

[Lia_G]

Has anyone compared the Monique to the Mesa Boogie Walkabout? Just wondering, since the Walkabout is widely regarded as the "tubiest" hybrid amp.

Cheers,
Liam

 

[JimmyM]

Has anyone compared the Monique to the Mesa Boogie Walkabout? Just wondering, since the Walkabout is widely regarded as the "tubiest" hybrid amp.

Cheers,
Liam

Monique has an output transformer. Game over.

 

[Lia_G]

Monique has an output transformer. Game over.

But have you actually compared the two?

Liam

 

[JimmyM]

Don't have to. I know what OT's do. I have played the Walkabout, though. Nice amp but no OT.

 

[Lia_G]

Jimmy, I respect you. But if you haven't directly compared the two you're not the target audience for my question. I'm looking for people who have directly compared the Monique and Walkabout. No offense intended!

Liam

 

[MarshallDragon]

Hi fellow Moniquers'

I too have purchased a Monique Rack mount, this very day. Needless to say I am very excited and looking forward to it arriving.
Some weeks away yet.

Now, I know you say she is tough, and perhaps I am over thinking things but at this stage I will never locate Monique on top of speaker cabinets to avoid excessive vibration. I might just keep her on the ground so she can never fall, with some kind of vibration isolation solution for the times I have Monique turned on ( titter, titter )
I am investigating a 2U flight case rack with shock absorbing on the mount rails. Alternatively one of those foam padded resin equipment cases ( The Nanuk 945 seems like a nice one )
In my 'googling' I have also stumbled across various Tube dampener designs that claim to do all kinds of magic for tubes, but this may be in the same realm as spending hundreds of dollars on a power cord. A matter of diminishing returns.
What say you, fellow Moniquers' ? Should I seek help from someone with a consulting couch who asks about my childhood perhaps ?

Peace and Love

 

[Fat240]

Hi fellow Moniquers'

I too have purchased a Monique Rack mount, this very day. Needless to say I am very excited and looking forward to it arriving.
Some weeks away yet.

Now, I know you say she is tough, and perhaps I am over thinking things but at this stage I will never locate Monique on top of speaker cabinets to avoid excessive vibration. I might just keep her on the ground so she can never fall, with some kind of vibration isolation solution for the times I have Monique turned on ( titter, titter )
I am investigating a 2U flight case rack with shock absorbing on the mount rails. Alternatively one of those foam padded resin equipment cases ( The Nanuk 945 seems like a nice one )
In my 'googling' I have also stumbled across various Tube dampener designs that claim to do all kinds of magic for tubes, but this may be in the same realm as spending hundreds of dollars on a power cord. A matter of diminishing returns.
What say you, fellow Moniquers' ? Should I seek help from someone with a consulting couch who asks about my childhood perhaps ?

Peace and Love

I have played for years with tube amps directly on top of my cabs and never had any issues with tubes. I do carry extra fuzes and tubes with me. Which should be a necessity shock mount or not. Those racks that you talk about are very heavy also. A SKB, Gator, or one of the racks that others are using here should be all you need. I had a Mesa 400+ in a SUS4 case and a Mesa 400+ in a Gator case both have given me good service. That is just my experience with racks and cab vibration.

 

[JimmyM]

Ya, don't get all antsy over tubes. They ain't light bulbs. And good manufacturers shock mount them anyway.

 

[husky123]

I wouldn't hesitate to keep Monique or any tube amp on top of my cabs. You'd just be trying to solve a problem that doesn't really exist IMO.

 

[Fat240]

I would like to see some A/B'ing Monique with power amps. I have heard people say how much they like the Crest, but what stands that out from the others such as the Crowns with the DSP and others? I am using a XTI2000, I have serveral Carvins and QSC's that I have yet to try with the pre yet. Monique is a great pre but how much is the bottom end and tone effected thru the different power amps?

 

[smeet]

Wow, the second Monique has hit the classifieds. Wish I had a spare $900...

 

[nostatic]

Monique sits on top of my micro head. I did just apply some velcro to the top of the amp head and the feet on Monique to help keep everything in one place (the head sits on a non-slip pad).

 

[juledude]

A bit of work has been (successfully) done to make sure the direct pickup of mechanical vibration is kept to a minimum. You should not have any difficulty sitting Monique directly on top of any cabinet.

Rubber mounts hold the tube bases. (An idea stolen directly from tube HI FI builder/zealots) That helps more than it seems it would. The tube grippers themselves help with mechanical isolation.

The only time it will be a problem is when/if you have a micro-phonic tube. That will be easy to detect. All that you need to do is play a note and tap Monique lightly with your fingertip and you will hear multiple (usually higher order) harmonics. Obnoxious, but easy to detect and eliminate.

The Rack Mount Monique has the tubes mounted to a purposely flexible internal bracket, which is in turn mounted to the external chassis. All that metal is designed to flex so that it reduces mechanical pickup obnoxiousness. (This also makes the Rack Mount easier to assemble and therefore a bit less $$)

She may look dainty, but Monique can take a lot more mechanical abuse than anything with a PCB in it. That is one of the unsung advantages of point to point wiring.

Hi fellow Moniquers'

I too have purchased a Monique Rack mount, this very day. Needless to say I am very excited and looking forward to it arriving.
Some weeks away yet.

Now, I know you say she is tough, and perhaps I am over thinking things but at this stage I will never locate Monique on top of speaker cabinets to avoid excessive vibration. I might just keep her on the ground so she can never fall, with some kind of vibration isolation solution for the times I have Monique turned on ( titter, titter )
I am investigating a 2U flight case rack with shock absorbing on the mount rails. Alternatively one of those foam padded resin equipment cases ( The Nanuk 945 seems like a nice one )
In my 'googling' I have also stumbled across various Tube dampener designs that claim to do all kinds of magic for tubes, but this may be in the same realm as spending hundreds of dollars on a power cord. A matter of diminishing returns.
What say you, fellow Moniquers' ? Should I seek help from someone with a consulting couch who asks about my childhood perhaps ?

Peace and Love

 

[Baird6869]

I would like to see some A/B'ing Monique with power amps. I have heard people say how much they like the Crest, but what stands that out from the others such as the Crowns with the DSP and others? I am using a XTI2000, I have serveral Carvins and QSC's that I have yet to try with the pre yet. Monique is a great pre but how much is the bottom end and tone effected thru the different power amps?

I don't think it makes a noticeable difference. I have tried Monique with a Crest, a Mesa M9, Mesa D180, GK MB Fusion, etc. pretty much the same but the D180 sounded a bit tubier (but it might have been in my head).

I am borrowing a insanely high end McIntosh tube power amp to try with Monique. Hopefully this week.

 

[JGR]

She may look dainty, but Monique can take a lot more mechanical abuse than anything with a PCB in it. That is one of the unsung advantages of point to point wiring.

Roger that. Kind of cool to think they will be around and running strong long after were gone!

 

[Tugboat]

I would like to see some A/B'ing Monique with power amps. I have heard people say how much they like the Crest, but what stands that out from the others such as the Crowns with the DSP and others? I am using a XTI2000, I have serveral Carvins and QSC's that I have yet to try with the pre yet. Monique is a great pre but how much is the bottom end and tone effected thru the different power amps?

+ 1 Shopping for a power amp myself.