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REDDI Tube DI Mega-thread-III
- Thread starter Chef
- Start date
In the meantime, I had upgraded the 6N1P tube in my REDDI with a NOS 6N1P that I bought from Decware Audio. I was also planning to try 6N2P which has higher gain than the 6N1P, but that never happened as I am already so happy with the sound of the unit. Has anyone tried tube-rolling in their REDDI's? Jimmy? Kirk?
Kirk refuses to even get involved with tube rolling, but I had bought some old Russian 6N1P's off a dude I saw on some audio website that increased the gain by almost 4 db and really accented the 100-150 hz range. I loved it at first, then I started getting complaints from sound techs that it was too over the top, so I went back to the Sovtek it came with. I think the Sovtek is a tube that has a more universal appeal in the REDDI and gives it a flatter response. I also bought a Svetlana just to try it and to have a spare, and I didn't hear a difference from the Sovtek.
I have tried a few different tubes in the REDDI as well. Stock Russian tube is still the best IMO. I bought a couple of them from thetubestore.ca and for the price you can't go wrong.
mark beem
Wait, how does this song start again??
This is actually good to know, Jimmy... 6N2P has significantly higher gain than the 6N1P and even without trying it I was expecting a similar effect that you experienced with your old Russian 6N1P's. This definitely saves me the time and effort that I would put in trying the 6N2P!
Cheers,
Alper
Cheers,
Alper
svtb15
Inactive
- Mar 22, 2004
- 13,004
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- Disclosures
- I play it all. Whatever works for the gig. Q+
That is true.. .I still have my original tube in my first REDDI . It must be 10 years old by now. And well traveled. The REDDI was even dropped face down on a parking lot by a guitarist many years ago..It bent the corner.... .I sent it to A Design for a look see years ago... It's still working to perfection. Peter Montessi created the NEW non Slip Paint on the next generation of REDDIs..
I was going to try a tube roll one day.. But i am too lazy to take out all the screws. Why can't they just VELCRO the top of the REDDI on the chassis?
Right now im just figuring that if it isnt broken, dont try to fix it.. Mine is just that good.. It was my secret weapon at one time.. Now everyone has one. Ha
I was going to try a tube roll one day.. But i am too lazy to take out all the screws. Why can't they just VELCRO the top of the REDDI on the chassis?
Right now im just figuring that if it isnt broken, dont try to fix it.. Mine is just that good.. It was my secret weapon at one time.. Now everyone has one. Ha
svtb15
Inactive
- Mar 22, 2004
- 13,004
- 4,741
- Disclosures
- I play it all. Whatever works for the gig. Q+
Check this A Design REDDI rig.. my friend Reggie hamilton is using this on his double bass. I have the 500 HR dual 500 series rack for my EM500 and BAC comp..
Reggie has the ( I guess newer version or added version ) 503 HR..3 space unit with a P1 Preamp, BAC comp and PEQ EQ.. That's NICE..
Reggie has the ( I guess newer version or added version ) 503 HR..3 space unit with a P1 Preamp, BAC comp and PEQ EQ.. That's NICE..
There have been several new high-end tube direct boxes on the market recently, but none have made me want to replace my REDDI. There's one in particular (which I won't name) that everyone is raving about, but it doesn't interest me because I don't want EQ knobs on my DI. My bass, my amp, and front of house all have EQ controls... I'd rather not add more, on my DI.
I prefer for all my gear to have as few knobs as possible, because I'll start stressing myself out over where I want all the knobs set. I'm definitely a "simpler is better" kind of person. The REDDI has been an amazing DI for many years now, and is still as good or better (IMHO) than all the new ones that have hit the market. It's simple, and makes my FOH tone sound amazing.
I prefer for all my gear to have as few knobs as possible, because I'll start stressing myself out over where I want all the knobs set. I'm definitely a "simpler is better" kind of person. The REDDI has been an amazing DI for many years now, and is still as good or better (IMHO) than all the new ones that have hit the market. It's simple, and makes my FOH tone sound amazing.
The REDDI seems to have spawned an imitator. There was a thread here on TB a few weeks back about the ZOD ID bass DI. I had never heard of it before so I googled it and it turns out that the guy behind it started a thread on the groupdiy forum a few years ago asking if anyone knew what was inside the REDDI. As the thread progressed, someone took one apart and posted the schematics and there was a great deal of discussion around them and building clones. As far as I can see, the ZOD DI is a direct clone of the REDDI circuit right down to part values except it uses a different custom output transformer. Maybe I'm wrong about it but that's certainly what I got from rereading the thread and connecting the dots after realizing the OP was the person behind the ZOD DI. I mean there isn't all that much inside the REDDI and really any tube audio circuit inherently borrows heavily from older circuits (there are only so many ways to skin a cat) but this appears to be a blatant copy of the REDDI front to back. I stand to be corrected on that but I'm almost certain it's a total clone. Note: I have no issue with DIYers reverse engineering something and building clones for their own use but I do have rather a large problem with someone bringing a product to market out of that process.
This is the thread:
REDDI DI
Warning. It's long and technical and you have to log in to see the pictures.
This is the thread:
REDDI DI
Warning. It's long and technical and you have to log in to see the pictures.
Passinwind
I know nothing.
- Dec 3, 2003
- 23,049
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- Designer/Toaster Tech @ Passinwind Electronics
But, but...it seems like a pretty substantial proportion of EFX pedals are just done that way.
Not that there's anything right with that!
But, but...it seems like a pretty substantial proportion of EFX pedals are just done that way.
Not that there's anything right with that!
I'm not surprised. I mean pretty much every new audio product borrows from already existing circuits (how many ways can you implement a single ended triode gain stage?) but there is a difference between using well known building blocks to create something new and blatantly copying an entire implementation. Again, I stand to be corrected on the Zod thing but the connections to the REDDI circuit made in that thread are pretty compelling.
Put off buying a Reddi for about a year. Finally pulled the trigger. Best sound I've ever had at church p&w. Sound man even commented it's so clear. Can't believe I waited so long. Expensive but well worth every penny.
I don't know if I'd trust anyone to build one in that thread. If they can't tell the difference between "inspired by the B-15" and "the exact B-15 circuit" in Peter's ad copy, especially when the REDDI doesn't even use a 6SL7, then I just don't think I'd trust them to build a clone. Maybe I'd trust the guy who pointed it out
How hard are transformers to reverse engineer? Doubt they could get the exact ones Cinemag builds for A-Designs, but I guess they could get close or go through someone else, eh? At any rate, I trust Peter more than I do guys on the internet that I don't know, and I know his build quality is like a tank, and that counts for a lot, too.
As I recall, that thread used an early model REDDI to reverse engineer. There have been revisions, I don't know if any related to the output transformer.
I wonder how close they got the the OPT in the clone by just taking measurements and not unwinding one and examining the construction and the materials. A lot goes into the OPT design and I imagine that A-Designs must have gone through a lot of listening tests with many transformer revisions, comparing one to another to get it sounding just right. Minute changes in the transformer design amd construction make a difference in the sonic character and performance.
Secondly, as Jimmy was saying, a professional wants a DI with the proper regulatory approvals. You don't want liability issues with a piece of your gear. This is expensive and I doubt that the cloned product has this. Getting the approvals for this product is an expensive and time consuming process. One big reason to choose the REDDI.
I wonder how close they got the the OPT in the clone by just taking measurements and not unwinding one and examining the construction and the materials. A lot goes into the OPT design and I imagine that A-Designs must have gone through a lot of listening tests with many transformer revisions, comparing one to another to get it sounding just right. Minute changes in the transformer design amd construction make a difference in the sonic character and performance.
Secondly, as Jimmy was saying, a professional wants a DI with the proper regulatory approvals. You don't want liability issues with a piece of your gear. This is expensive and I doubt that the cloned product has this. Getting the approvals for this product is an expensive and time consuming process. One big reason to choose the REDDI.
I don't know if I'd trust anyone to build one in that thread. If they can't tell the difference between "inspired by the B-15" and "the exact B-15 circuit" in Peter's ad copy, especially when the REDDI doesn't even use a 6SL7, then I just don't think I'd trust them to build a clone. Maybe I'd trust the guy who pointed it out
Well, there's that.
Though if you keep reading through it they do eventually figure the circuit out and the schematics are posted. I think you need to be a member to see the pics. There are a few very astute guys on that site and one of them is the guy that figured out and built up the transformers. He stacks and winds them himself. I don't think he actually reverse-engineered the transformer as such, he just used the measurements they took and the parameters of the circuit to design his own version of it. Again, I think this was purely for DIY interests and that certainly seems to be the intent of most of the people who participated except for the OP, who thought it was appropriate to take everything they figured out to build a clone and commercialize it. I have zero respect for that. I mean, I was certainly interested in seeing what makes the REDDI tick as I am with just about every piece of audio gear which is why I started following that thread in the first place, but I'd never try to market a clone of it (or anything else for that matter). The clone culture in audio gets on my nerves, TBH. So many manufacturers rehashing classic designs and not doing their own thing.
