Streamliner 600 vs Little Mark Tube?

[KJung]

Awesome, I was too gun shy to push any knob past 1 o'clock, but i'll give those a shot and dive more into the other threads. I wonder if I need more speaker area with this head, too.

Again, the front end of this amp is VERY different than your LMTube. Don't be afraid to turn the knobs a LOT, especially the gain/drive settings.

This head is voiced to IMO sound best with cabs that mimic a vintage sealed cab. It is hard to dial low mid punch in with this head if that tonality is not already baked into the cab (depending on the tone you are going for).

Pushing the gain structure is key, along with, in some cases, cutting the low end (similar to those old Fender tone stacks on Bassman heads, etc.).

That all being said, some players never come to terms with the fat, smooth, big, tubey tone, and the more old school tone stack that really sometimes requires the knobs to be turned to extremes to get the tone you want. Definitely one of the least 'plug and play' heads on the market (the Markbass is one of the most plug and play IMO), but if you take the time with it, it can be quite amazing IMO.

 

[jumblemind]

This head is voiced to IMO sound best with cabs that mimic a vintage sealed cab. It is hard to dial low mid punch in with this head if that tonality is not already baked into the cab (depending on the tone you are going for).

I was thinking that. I guess if I can't get the sound I want out of the Avatar I'll just use my pair of sealed 210AVs for now. I love the sealed sound, but they may not be as versatile and of course are only rated at 200w each. I'd ideally like to get close to the form factor and footprint of a single lightweight cab that can work for most of my gigs (the Markbass/Avatar210 has been perfect for size and volume at weddings).

I came to the Markbass from having an Ampeg B2r for years, and actually a Fender Bassman 135 for a long time before that, so I was used to the knob thing. I'm only reluctant to twist these because of the two Portaflex amps that didn't seem to like it so much.

I agree with the plug and play scale of both amps, I guess it's just a trade off. Immediate, effortless clarity that is pretty good in any situation, or a rich tone machine that may lack tightness and get a little muddy but makes you smile real big most of the time. I might also add that I didn't run my fdeck HPF 3 last night, which may have helped tighten things up a bit.

I won't write off the Avatar after one gig, but I'm going to research some more on mid-focused cabs, anyway. I've looked into the Aguilar DB series and Bergantino's, but I like the tone of tens more than 15s or 12s. I really disliked the Genz Benz Focus 12s I tried out, but that was likely the cabs. Maybe something with a mid driver? Dunno, but a 210 is close to an ideal form factor for my gigs, especially if I could get one under 50lbs.

 

[KJung]

I was thinking that. I guess if I can't get the sound I want out of the Avatar I'll just use my pair of sealed 210AVs for now. I love the sealed sound, but they may not be as versatile and of course are only rated at 200w each. I'd ideally like to get close to the form factor and footprint of a single lightweight cab that can work for most of my gigs (the Markbass/Avatar210 has been perfect for size and volume at weddings).

I came to the Markbass from having an Ampeg B2r for years, and actually a Fender Bassman 135 for a long time before that, so I was used to the knob thing. I'm only reluctant to twist these because of the two Portaflex cabs that didn't seem to like it so much.

I agree with the plug and play scale of both amps, I guess it's just a trade off. Immediate, effortless clarity that is pretty good in any situation, or a rich tone machine that may lack tightness and get a little muddy but makes you smile real big most of the time. I might also add that I didn't run my fdeck HPF 3 last night, which may have helped tighten things up a bit.

I won't write off the Avatar after one gig, but I'm going to research some more on mid-focused cabs, anyway. I've looked into the Aguilar DB series and Bergantino's, but I like the tone of tens more than 15s or 12s. I really disliked the Genz Benz Focus 12s I tried out, but that was likely the cabs. Maybe something with a mid driver? Dunno, but a 210 is close to an ideal form factor for my gigs, especially if I could get one under 50lbs.

If you find a used berg ae210 or Baer ml112, you would be quite happy. I'd stay away from any mid driver loaded cab with the LF subwoofer... Way too deep and wide and 'not punchy' with this head IME

 

[TC.65]

Don't be afraid to twist the knobs on the Streamliner. As simple as it looks you won't learn it overnight. Read through the settings thread it is very informative. As far as cabs go I ended up with the Genz Benz NeoX 212t and I'm very satisfied with my rig. It is very loud and clear and packs a good punch.

 

[noahw1]

I've had this amp for two years and as I posted earlier easing back on the gain control really helped me gain more clarity when playing with my jazz bass. There aren't a lot posts suggesting this but when I did I was astonished. I still get a tubey tone but with more cut in the mix.
As already stated don't be afraid to twist the knobs on this amp.

 

[Mark Nye]

I had a Steamliner 900 for a few months and honestly never really got a good tone out of it. It's definitely not versatile, as it doesn't have many different tones and pretty much has no midrange. It's all sub-lows and some treble up top. There's actually a dip in the lower midrange, so punch is out of the picture. I have owned a ton of all tube amps and the Streamliner didn't sound at all like any of them. I've heard a lot of people say it acts like an all tube amp, but that wasn't my experience at all. I did like the power amp, just not the preamp.

I would never recommend the Streamliner for anything other than a power amp myself...

Put me in the category of Dudes Who Have Had The Exact Opposite Experience. YMMV, I guess. Before my Streamliner 900, I was a life-long die-hard SVT guy. I bought the 900 with every intention of sacrificing some tone for sheer convenience. I'm pleasantly surprised on a regular basis that this has not been the case.

 

[Not yet]

Put me in the category of Dudes Who Have Had The Exact Opposite Experience. YMMV, I guess. Before my Streamliner 900, I was a life-long die-hard SVT guy. I bought the 900 with every intention of sacrificing some tone for sheer convenience. I'm pleasantly surprised on a regular basis that this has not been the case.

Ayup. Agree and then some. Used to have SVTs and full stage of roadie lugged cabinets

For me I'll take my 900 and 2 112TNeox any day.....do miss the wind machine of bass pouring out but deal w it

 

[svtb15]

I have only played a LM2 that belonged to my friend... Tried it on a gig ... It does the job. But I Much prefer my Streamliner 900.. The front end of the Streamliner amp can change the feel the way a note bounces along in a good way buy simply turning up the GAIN on the input.. The amp can become a part of your instrument and create a new niche.
Thats something that most amps these days can not do due to the topography..

I think the SM900 will get down and dirty if you want it .. And it can also do a very clean and pristine HIFI tube tone depending on the #1 Gain setting knobs..

As others have said ,, don't be afraid to twist the knobs on this amp..
And i agree with Kjung about the SM900 really showing its stuff on sealed cabs..
It does a great job on ported cabs as some of the Bergs, and my GB Ubers... But on an SVT 810 sealed cab it is a monster!.. I do believe that a lot of the SVT sound at clean setting has to do with the Ampeg 810 cab.... Because i can get a very convincing SVT tone from my Streamliner900 and an 810 ampeg cab with less weight and way more headroom...
The LM2 on the other hand does well. but it just is not my thing..
The Genz Benz customer Service is still very good if you ever needed it.. I just really never needed it..

 

[jumblemind]

Gig #2 with the Streamliner was a world apart. I had the pair of Ampeg 210AVs this time, and also made sure I had the fdeck hpf in the chain. Complete 180 turn from the first gig, as the sound was tight and punchy instead of muddy and lost. I took some EQ advice from other threads and dialed the bass waaaay back and controlled most of the low end with the gain (first time I've ever controlled tone with the volume knob on my bass). Had it singing like an SVT! This head really likes having it's full 4ohm load, I think. The extra headroom helped immensely, and I of course benefited from doubling my speaker area.

I went back and forth between my j and p, and both sounded great in their own ways though required different EQs, obviously. I really put some effort into knob turning this gig to see what it could do. There are so many different voices in this amp that I think it will end up being more versatile than the Markbass. As people have already mentioned, the Markbass doesn't require any effort to sound pretty good in any situation, but with a few twists of knobs the Streamliner can be tailored to sound just about perfect in each one. I'm still thinking the Markbass/Avatar combination is a better choice for straight up jazz gigs, but the amount of jazz I play is minimal.

Cabinet wise, I may give the Avatar another go to see if I can get a fuller range now that I'm starting to understand the EQ more, even though the 8ohm factor may be limiting. The sealed cabinets were almost too mid focused for a lot of the genres we have to cover, as there was not much usable range between too much bass and too much mids when trying to adjust the gain. I have a 5751 tube on order to put in the first slot, so hopefully that will help. I'm still going to keep an eye out for a used AE210, though that new greenboy F210 design looks interesting...

Anyway, I clearly have a lot of playing to do, but I'm stoked on the STM now.

 

[jumblemind]

I'm still thinking the Markbass/Avatar combination is a better choice for straight up jazz gigs, but the amount of jazz I play is minimal

Actually, now that I think about this, I wonder if I can get the best of both worlds by carrying a Markbass Super Booster, Eden WTDI, or even something like an Empress ParaEQ. I could just plug it into the effects return when I need a really clean sound since those times aren't often.