Noble Amps Preamp

[Acoustic356]

The V4B is great by itself.
I am first of all acquiring a Noble so that I have a great DI when I don't use my amp which is pretty heavy and inconvenient to move around. Or when I want to record or play at night without my V4B on.

However, I ll sit at home with a Noble and a V4B. I am wondering how it will sound when plugged in the effect return to bypass the V4B preamp.

The V4B has 4 x 6L6GCs in the power tube section. You're going to get tube sag - basically the same kind that you (IMHO) get from the tube on the DI.

If you plan on using the line out, which doesn't have a tube on that out put, you'll get some nice compression.

The only question for me would be to compare the frequencies that the Noble has vs. the Ampeg. If they are close to being the same, then you probably won't hear a difference.

Again, I am no expert, but this is the way I see it.

 

[Romain909]

f you plan on using the line out, which doesn't have a tube on that out put, you'll get some nice compression.

Line out ?
I am not sure to understand.

 

[MHeardOnBass]

I can't really speak to different power amp architecture with regards to impact on the Noble's tone, but I do like having the power amp damping options on the Mesa WD-800 when I feed it from the effects return.

 

[Acoustic356]

Line out ?
I am not sure to understand.

The Noble has 2 outputs, and XLR that has a fixed volume and the Line Out that is controlled by the volume knob.

 

[Romain909]

The Noble has 2 outputs, and XLR that has a fixed volume and the Line Out that is controlled by the volume knob.

Yup. Sorry I did not know you would call this a "line out".
What confused me is the previous statement :

If you plan on using the line out, which doesn't have a tube on that out put, you'll get some nice compression.

Noble Q&A says :
Q) Is the 1/4” output/thru colored?
A) Yes! The 1/4” output is post EQ, post preamp gain, and tube buffered. The jack labeled “thru” on a typical direct box is most often a parallel input, not a true output.

Apparently, it does.
Which does not mean it will sound bad. It is meant to drive a power amp.

 

[Acoustic356]

Yup. Sorry I did not know you would call this a "line out".
What confused me is the previous statement :



Noble Q&A says :
Q) Is the 1/4” output/thru colored?
A) Yes! The 1/4” output is post EQ, post preamp gain, and tube buffered. The jack labeled “thru” on a typical direct box is most often a parallel input, not a true output.

Apparently, it does.
Which does not mean it will sound bad. It is meant to drive a power amp.

I had to re-read my instructions I think. I just remembered wrong. The lines from the guide that I mis-remembered were:

"The XLR output is driven by a world-renowned Jensen box transformer for low noise and exceptional clarity across the audio frequency range..."

and

"The preamp can be operated with the second (middle) tube missing but the 1/4" output will not function (XLR output only.)"

I was looking at a Noble online that did not have the second tube, it had a Jensen transformer in that spot. (One of the early ones where the tubes are outside the housing.)

 

[BN5HardCaseGuy]

I miss my Vanderkley. It is literally the only amp that I regret selling.

On. side note, it would be a little redundant to use the Noble with the Vanderkley. I'm not sure you would gain anything.

Hi Acoustic356,

How would the Noble be redundant with the Vanderkley?

Like BostonJazz72, I own the Spartan AND I ordered a Noble a couple of weeks ago (lol). I was planning on running my Noble through the Spartan thinking it would be great as the Spartan is super clean solid state and the Noble would add its tube thing. Anyway, I was thinking about a power amp too, the M500 came to mind, but I thought I could put that off because I thought the Spartan would work fine.

Thanks, BN5

 

[Acoustic356]

Hi Acoustic356,

How would the Noble be redundant with the Vanderkley?

Like BostonJazz72, I own the Spartan AND I ordered a Noble a couple of weeks ago (lol). I was planning on running my Noble through the Spartan thinking it would be great as the Spartan is super clean solid state and the Noble would add its tube thing. Anyway, I was thinking about a power amp too, the M500 came to mind, but I thought I could put that off because I thought the Spartan would work fine.

Thanks, BN5

It's all personal opinion.

I could see it with the Spartan 2, which just has a volume knob.

It's just a bit of diminishing returns, IMHO. I loved the way my Vanderkley sounded (still kicking myself for selling it), but do you really need almost $4000 to create a decent sound? It's just a little overkill.

The Vanderkley sounds incredible, has phenomenal response, and does what it does well.

So does the Noble.

Having chased gear most of my adult life, I try to think about things in a way that make sense. To me, it can be done, but at $4000 I can think of way more cool ways to get the same thing for less. There are 3 that I think of off the top of my head that would be way more versatile than combining these 2 incredible pieces of gear.

 

[BN5HardCaseGuy]

Thanks for the reply Acoustic356, much appreciated. FWIW the Spartan 2 is the same thing as the Spartan, except it does not have the eq knobs. The Spartan 2 has the same eq section/specifications as the Spartan, it is a power amp+preamp, just like the Spartan.

 

[Acoustic356]

Thanks for the reply Acoustic356, much appreciated. FWIW the Spartan 2 is the same thing as the Spartan, except it does not have the eq knobs. The Spartan 2 has the same eq section/specifications as the Spartan, it is a power amp+preamp, just like the Spartan.

Exactly... adding the Noble to the Spartan-2 would give you the ability to control the Lows/Highs.

Sorry I didn't make that explicit. I thought that was understood.

 

[BN5HardCaseGuy]

No worries.

 

[Acoustic356]

Let me summarize this way. I have had the chance to spend a lot of time with some cool studio cats and professional musicians.

I know a famous pick playing bassist that endorsed Mesa, but really preferred the tone and response of the Vanderkley. That would be his gigging choice because it makes sense for his playing style.

I don't see a lot of studio cats taking the Noble and running it into a lot of different power amps. They just have the right amp for the job.

Specialized gear for their intended purpose.

Sometimes as non-professional musicians that don't have great engineers, we do things because "we can." Sometimes it's throwing cash at a problem that doesn't need to be solved.

But again, that's just one mans opinion

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

Just created this pedal board. Sonic Research Turbo Tuner --> Noble tube preamp/DI --> Jay Gantz Straight Ahead amp w/300 watts @ 8ohms and 500 watts @ 4ohms.

 

[carsonchilders]

On tour with Abby Hamilton, opening for Deer Tick. Was fun to see the Noble on both acts bass boards.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

I recently celebrated seven years of owning a Noble. Looking about my home studio, I realized it's the only piece of gear I've own that long. Everything else is gone or replaced with something better. The Noble has been a constant in my chain. When it's in, I'm happy. When it's out, I'm not. After more than 2,565 days of playing this tone beast, I can declare it has passed the test. Truly, I am a Noble Man! Thank you for your invention, Jack Roan!

 

[dra9his]

Hi guys,

I don't know if someone looked inside one of these Noble preamps and analysed the circuit, if so I have a few questions:

1 As far as I know, no bass amps that use 2 12AU7 (ecc82). Did anyone have a look at the schematic? What amp are they based on?

2 Can you tell me if the transformer is custom-made or if it can be bought, and who the manufacturer is?

3 Can you recommend a place in Europe where I can rent a Noble preamp to try?

Any help is welcomed

Thanks,
Andy

 

[Acoustic356]

Hi guys,

I don't know if someone looked inside one of these Noble preamps and analysed the circuit, if so I have a few questions:

1 As far as I know, no bass amps that use 2 12AU7 (ecc82). Did anyone have a look at the schematic? What amp are they based on?

2 Can you tell me if the transformer is custom-made or if it can be bought, and who the manufacturer is?

3 Can you recommend a place in Europe where I can rent a Noble preamp to try?

Any help is welcomed

Thanks,
Andy

Most have the Jensen transformer.

It would be easier to find a person that has one and see if you can play. I can tell you that it's mot a magic pill. I have 4 different pre-amps at a fraction of the cost that sound almost as good when I gig or record with them. The difference - the 5% difference is really only appreciated by some people.

IMHO, the is why you see so many people selling them.

If you're an amp guy, and if you can differentiate between the way various amps respond, the difference between how your bass responds when it's active vs. passive, if you can "hear" the difference in different types of cables, then this may be for you.

 

[dra9his]

Most have the Jensen transformer.

It would be easier to find a person that has one and see if you can play. I can tell you that it's mot a magic pill. I have 4 different pre-amps at a fraction of the cost that sound almost as good when I gig or record with them. The difference - the 5% difference is really only appreciated by some people.

IMHO, the is why you see so many people selling them.

If you're an amp guy, and if you can differentiate between the way various amps respond, the difference between how your bass responds when it's active vs. passive, if you can "hear" the difference in different types of cables, then this may be for you.

Sorry, I meant to say the mains transformer.

Yeah, most of the time I'm playing my amp with a dummy load and go out the DI-out, and I'm thinking of cloning that in a smaller format.

I was curious why it's so well regarded.

 

[Acoustic356]

Sorry, I meant to say the mains transformer.

Yeah, most of the time I'm playing my amp with a dummy load and go out the DI-out, and I'm thinking of cloning that in a smaller format.

I was curious why it's so well regarded.

IMHO? It's the way it feels. Think about A2D converters. Most digital gear have an A2D (analog to digital) converters. Most A2D converters have a "minimum threshold or resolution."

With the Noble, you tubes, The tubes produce a more natural curve. Further, when you hit the tubes hard, there is some sag and natural compression.

As a result, the way it responds to your playing is more nuanced and natural. It lets you articulate on your instrument better than all other digital gear.

Now, when you compare it to transistor based gear? I'm sure you've heard all the conversations comparing tube gear to solid state. It's pretty much the same argument here.

This of course is just one audiophiles opinion.

I absolutely feel the same way about amps and the way they respond.

 

[LowWay]

I’m not sure that digital isn’t getting there. As someone with both a noble and a Tonex, it’s imperceptible the difference. I can’t tell in a blind test in the room alone or in the mix.