The Sushi Box FX Secret Society

[Feral]

Yeah the change in temperature of the tube is really the only thing that could create a theoretical difference since the HV rail is regulated, so definitely give it a minute each time you switch.

Yep, I'm finding it takes around a minute for the voltage to settle. If you have the input level and treble cranked up you can hear a squealing noise as the voltage changes when switching between 9V and 12V. Once the squeal went away is when I knew I could capture the next track.

I'll try to get a more detailed graph after work, but using the frequency analyzer in Reaper and overlaying the graphs from my re-amped track you can see minor differences. Blue is 9V, Red is 12V, Pink is where they overlap:

The line is mostly pink, but there are minor differences. There are also a lot of factors as to whether those differences are perceivable.

 

[lomo]

I am going to do a blind test with a couple of folks at my next gig during soundcheck and see if anyone notices even the slightest difference. I will do it as well. I can show my guitar player how to switch the power supply from 9 to 12 and then I won't know either.

It would also be revealing to switch without the listener being aware a change has been made......and see if it can be detected on the fly.

 

[lomo]

Yep, I'm finding it takes around a minute for the voltage to settle. If you have the input level and treble cranked up you can hear a squealing noise as the voltage changes when switching between 9V and 12V. Once the squeal went away is when I knew I could capture the next track.

I'll try to get a more detailed graph after work, but using the frequency analyzer in Reaper and overlaying the graphs from my re-amped track you can see minor differences. Blue is 9V, Red is 12V, Pink is where they overlap:

View attachment 5491201

The line is mostly pink, but there are minor differences. There are also a lot of factors as to whether those differences are perceivable.

I'd wager heavily that no human could distinguish those trivial differences with ears, blinded, reliably/repeatedly. Have you tried recording multiple times at the same voltage? There may be minimal variability between those curves as well.

 

[Parzival]

Double blind study, this is the way

Yes, I could do it with my singer as she knows nothing about pedals or electronics. Just tell her to flip the switches in any order she wants. She won't know which is 9 or 12 or even why it matters.

It would also be revealing to switch without the listener being aware a change has been made......and see if it can be detected on the fly.

Based on the post above about squealing when voltage is changed, the experiment is off.

 

[RevOgre]

Everytime you guess wrong you have to smash the tube. High stakes!

 

[Feral]

I'd wager heavily that no human could distinguish those trivial differences with ears, blinded, reliably/repeatedly. Have you tried recording multiple times at the same voltage? There may be minimal variability between those curves as well.

I always knew I was an alien or something

The reason I've been testing 9V vs 12V is because I was able to consistently notice the difference as I was working on a tone for a new track, whether that was through my 15 year old Fast Track Ultra or my Darkglass Element.

The consistent thing between those two were the headphones I'm using to monitor, which are the Audio-Technica ATH-MSR7. They are rather flat on the low end but have a slight bump up between 1kHz and 3kHz, and a large bump up between about 6kHz to 10kHz. Probably the most critical environment there could be to detect this stuff, which I why I think in most performance setups the differences wouldn't matter all that much.

 

[Hasty]

There are also a lot of factors as to whether those differences are perceivable.

Probably just the tone wood.

 

[Hasty]

Honestly, when looking at that graph I don't think I see enough variability to make me think it would be audible. I wouldn't have known that was two different color tracks if you hadn't told me.

It seems like a sine wave generator at different discrete frequencies for a set period of time would be better for a test like this. Maybe 15 seconds at different frequency intervals. Appears to be mostly academic in regards to differences. From a performance/recording perspective I don't think I would be able to tell you a difference.

 

[Jeff Kissell]

I’m not saying you can’t hear it but it probably doesn’t matter in any relevant way for a stomp box pedal.

 

[lomo]

I always knew I was an alien or something

The only way to determine with confidence whether you're truly an alien would be to have you listen blindly to a large set of samples (about 20) blindly. If you differentiated correctly about 80% of the time (=significantly more than expected based on chance alone), you'd qualify for the green suit ....with green LEDs!

 

[bassbrad]

Got the first production-version unit put together this afternoon and snapped some pics of this handsome thing. I think this covers everything, let me know if there are other specs anyone wants to see.

Specs:

• Input impedance: 10MΩ
• Input: unbalanced 1/4"
• Outputs: unbalanced 1/4" preamp out; balanced XLR preamp out
• Power input: 9-12VDC
• Current draw: 470mA at 12V; 390mA at 9V
• Tube: 12AU7
• Tonestack: Fender-style shelving with fixed mids control; neither control has a fixed center frequency, they are interactive and shift as the controls sweep
• D.I. transformer: Unagi E4305
• Signal capacitors: metallized polyester film
• Signal resistors: thick metal film
• Enclosure size: 4.8"x2.6"x1.6" (122mmx66mmx39.5mm)
• Unit weight: 12oz (340g)
• Price: $350 USD

View attachment 5489714 View attachment 5489715 View attachment 5489716

That is so very very sexy and a temptation for the future for me, I have spent my budget for the year and unless I sell some stuff or stumble into some income no more goodies can I allow.

 

[squeally dan]

Got the first production-version unit put together this afternoon and snapped some pics of this handsome thing. I think this covers everything, let me know if there are other specs anyone wants to see.

Specs:

• Input impedance: 10MΩ
• Input: unbalanced 1/4"
• Outputs: unbalanced 1/4" preamp out; balanced XLR preamp out
• Power input: 9-12VDC
• Current draw: 470mA at 12V; 390mA at 9V
• Tube: 12AU7
• Tonestack: Fender-style shelving with fixed mids control; neither control has a fixed center frequency, they are interactive and shift as the controls sweep
• D.I. transformer: Unagi E4305
• Signal capacitors: metallized polyester film
• Signal resistors: thick metal film
• Enclosure size: 4.8"x2.6"x1.6" (122mmx66mmx39.5mm)
• Unit weight: 12oz (340g)
• Price: $350 USD

View attachment 5489714 View attachment 5489715 View attachment 5489716

When will these be available?

 

[Sushi Box FX]

When will these be available?

Hopefully very soon, my R&D budget is running low.

I was initially planning on building all 50 and releasing them all at once, but now I'm thinking I may do them in smaller batches so I can get them out sooner.

 

[RevOgre]

Hopefully very soon, my R&D budget is running low.

I was initially planning on building all 50 and releasing them all at once, but now I'm thinking I may do them in smaller batches so I can get them out sooner.

Here, let me help, please take my money

 

[RobD_BritBass]

Hopefully very soon, my R&D budget is running low.

I was initially planning on building all 50 and releasing them all at once, but now I'm thinking I may do them in smaller batches so I can get them out sooner.

Well if you wanted to set up a preorder system and ship them as and when they're ready I'd be happy with that

 

[Sushi Box FX]

Well if you wanted to set up a preorder system and ship them as and when they're ready I'd be happy with that

I appreciate it, the preorder model has worked well for me aside from the anxiety I get about making people wait too long. This is 100% self-imposed as nobody has ever been upset about wait times, which I try to keep as short as possible anyway.

I have 10 finished units on hand right now, but only 5 of them have tubes as my latest tube order won't be here until Monday. So I think what I'll do is build as many as I can over the weekend and get them listed for sale Monday, July 1, and once those are gone I'll switch over to preordering for the remaining units.

 

[LSM07]

I appreciate it, the preorder model has worked well for me aside from the anxiety I get about making people wait too long. This is 100% self-imposed as nobody has ever been upset about wait times, which I try to keep as short as possible anyway.

I have 10 finished units on hand right now, but only 5 of them have tubes as my latest tube order won't be here until Monday. So I think what I'll do is build as many as I can over the weekend and get them listed for sale Monday, July 1, and once those are gone I'll switch over to preordering for the remaining units.

Well get ready to sell em out. Also don't forget to test the tubes so you don't have the same issue as you did recently.

That being said, my Finally V2 just got in a little bit ago. If it plays well with my board I'll be using it live tonight!

 

[Sushi Box FX]

Well get ready to sell em out. Also don't forget to test the tubes so you don't have the same issue as you did recently.

I've actually switched tube distributors as I found one that actually tests the tubes before they sell them, a novel idea. They charge a couple bucks more even with their bulk pricing, but I'm happy to pay a couple bucks more if I don't have to deal with the "test every tube within 10 days of receiving them or we won't take them back" policy. I was specifically told that if I had tried the tubes in a pedal or amp they would not take them back, the only thing it's allowed to touch is a tube tester.

 

[smeet]

I’m sure this has been answered already (my apologies), but what are the differences between the Nobelium and the Neptunium?

 

[Sushi Box FX]

I’m sure this has been answered already (my apologies), but what are the differences between the Nobelium and the Neptunium?

Nobelium has two outputs, a 1/4" and an XLR, that are fed off of separate points in the preamp. The XLR is fed from the output of the first tube, and the 1/4" comes from the output of the second. This means that if you're only using the XLR output of Nobelium, you're really only using one tube.

Neptunium is the exact same circuit as Nobelium but with the second tube removed, so it is just the part of the circuit related to the XLR output.