New Ampeg SVT 7Pro, versus my Streamliner 900

[hamfist]

OK, the new 7pro arrived this morning and I have spent a couple of hours flipping back and forth between it and my streamliner 900. So here are my first impressions, and also a question !

Firstly, it's obvious to me that both are GREAT amps.
The streamliner sounds more "tubey" to me .... now that is an almost impossible word to define, but what I mean by that is that it has a somewhat rounder tone which is just a little soft at the edges. The Genz puts a "pillow" of bass underneath a band. I set my bass knob at somewhere between 8 and 9 oclock on the Genz, and it is ample with my cab. I typically boost the mids (600 KHz) - 3 oclock and treble, about 2 oclock also. The Genz's natural voice is a little mid-scooped compared to the Ampeg, but that should come as no surprise to anyone here. So the Genz requires some serious EQ knob turning, but that's what it is, and it shouldn't have to apologise for it.
I found the useful gain range on the Genz to also be far wider than the Ampeg, and in fact the onset of overdrive and dirt is more musical to my ears on the Genz. Although, to be honest, I wouldn't use it on either, as my Darkglass B7K trounces every amp and pedal in terms of dialling in musical OD or distortion. On the Ampeg, the input clipping light was starting to come on with the gain less than noon (with my passive Yamaha BB). So I followed accepted Ampeg lore and ignored it. I settled with the gain at 1 to 2 o clock which was as high as I could get it without audible clipping/OD.
The 7Pro, however, instantly felt "balanced" as soon as I played it, without the pillowy bass of the Genz. Also noticeably crisper in response, especially on the low strings, than the Genz. The range of mid-adjustment is also way, way more flexible. In fact the whole amp is more flexible than the Genz.
For me, the ultra lo on the Ampeg was something I would never use. I like the Ultra hi though, which added some very controllable brightness, without it being harsh.
The Ampeg's compressor seems useable, and I shall have to play with it some more.

One thing I definately noticed (and this will lead me on to my question) is that the Genz's master was really only just on, providing tolerable volume levels in my house. I had the Ampeg's up to 9 oclock for similar levels. THis could just be very different tapers on the master volume control, but has me wondering and hoping that the Ampeg will be loud enough. I mean this is a "1000W" amp into a pretty sensitive ported 8x10, in a 25" x 12" room. Surely I should be deafened with the gain up as high as clean headroom would allow, and the master on 9 oclock ?
Is this something that other 7 Pro owners have found ? Maybe the master volume truly keeps getting louder throughout the whole range, and maybe the Genz's just starts compressing past noon. I just haven't had the chance to try either of these amps out at volumes that would allow me to find out yet.
I will add that I have gigged the Genz once and rehearsed 2 or 3 times with it, so I do have some "real world" experience with it.

Ultimately though, I think I may well be keeping the Ampeg as number one. The streamliner is a great amp, but the mid-control and flexibility of the Ampeg and it's "crispness" are very attractive to me. It also is a better match for my cab, which has extended bass reponse. That, along with the streamliner's bass response, seems to be just too much of a good thing.
I'll gig the 7Pro, at some volume, on saturday and see how it goes. The streamliner will be there as backup though !

and, sorry, all this was copied from a post of mine over at TB, but I would love to hear about volume issues with any 7Pro owners over here.

[Prime_BASS]

I've had the genz before and the used the SVT7-pro a few times.

I do really like the genz it's rated power seems accurate(with my ears) but I did feel that once you start pushing it it does that compressing thing, but then again you would never need to push it that hard anyway.

The 7 pro to me has the same volume issue as the 3-pro, it feels like something is a miss, but it does go louder as you go all the way round teh master volume's range.

I would happily use it with my barefaced as the 8ohm power it has is pretty hefty, but I seriously doubt it reaches 1000watts, even at peaks.

The compressor is a little weak in my point of view, and on one model I tried the threshold breach gave a audible click.

Out of the two I'd choose the ampeg though, just because the sound is more useable out of the box.

[dannybuoy]

When you push the Genz hard, I think the compression you hear is Genz's fancy '3D Power Management' which is supposed to emulate tube compression. It sounds to me like a limiter applied to the low end only - at high volume you can dig in and get a bit more growl without clipping the amp due to too much bass coming through.

[Musicman20]

The Ampeg was tested in Bass Gear Magazine and reached about 750 watts at 4 ohms. Well off 1000, but still loud!

[hamfist]

Thanks guys. Yes, I was suspecting that it almost certainly was simply different tapers on the MV's of each amp. And a real 750W will be more than ample for my usage I suspect, although I do seem to like it loud.
Cant' wait to try this sucker out in anger tomorrow night !

[OmeDunk]

Nice A/B.

Looking forward to your comments when you have used the Ampeg in anger.

[goingdownslow]

[quote] in a 25" x 12" room[/quote]

A lot of compression there...
.

Edited May 25, 2012 by goingdownslow

[hamfist]

Took both amps out last night to the wedding we were playing at. Not a huge room, but no FoH support for the bass, so actually got the amps and cab (GB 810-XB3) working a little bit.
First set - used the 7 Pro. Fiddled a lot with the EQ (mids really) to find a tone which slotted in the mix nicely without getting lost in just low bass. Kept fiddling, and tweaking during the first set. It was OK, can't really say much more. I honestly struggled having enough brightness without it sounding brittle. And also struggled at finding a mids setting which gave me the clarity and cut that I was looking for.
Second set, out comes the Streamliner. ... instant satisfaction. Despite my perceptions of the amp being a bit mid-shy. In the mix it instantly had more richness and mid-clarity. I have used the amp in a band before, but at very significantly less volume.
THis event was my first chance to really put it through it's paces.
Once things were cranked a little bit, I found myself tweaking the treble down and the bass up (certainly compared to settings I'd used before). I perceived no lack of clarity or tightness in the bass, despite perceiving this at low volumes with the SL (could, of course, been the cab more than the amp).
With the SL I ended up with bass at about 11 oclock, mids (600 KHz) at 2-3 oclock, and treble at about 10. (gain was at 11, pre-volume at 4).
With the Ampeg, I heard it's own tone, and actually felt that playing with the EQ yielded less flexible results than with the GB. A bit weird really, as it's almost the opposite of what I perceived at lower volume.
All I can think is that this is really more of a comment on both amp's responses with my cab. So for me, it's going to be the Streamliner all the way. THe Ampeg is clearly a great amp, which works incredibly for some people, but the SL with my cab just has some magic which, for me, makes me smile.

[Musicman20]

Thanks for the comparison. It seems the gig really did show the Streamliners potential, and gigging is the main reason we buy amps!

[OmeDunk]

+1.

Thanks!