Headphones and valve / tube amps

[jugglindan]

Hmm... ‘modeling amp’ = digital.

Coming from a guy with exquisite taste in amplifiers and a preference for analog pedal circuitry, I think you just sold me on the Two Notes CAB M. =)

I saw a video of Pete Thorn using IR software. There was a tone where he moved the mic away from the speaker and you (I) could “hear the room” - it honestly felt like I was in a room with an amplifier being played.

Considering what I’m after, maybe it’s silly to try to avoid some kind of digital modeling.

I am happy to keep suggesting things that push you in the other direction

But really, I think the only way to cut through all the options is to let your ears be the judge. Even Youtube videos are very limiting. It's not your gear, your guitar, your room, and you have no control over all the other things they do to the sound. My favourite example is this review of the Guv'nor pedal. Sure, it's a great pedal but it's demoed through a wall of cranked Marshalls (note the ear protection)!


Also, I agree with the analog over digital. My current pedal building efforts are part of my plan to slowly replace digital effects with analog ones. Later this year I plan to build a tube amp, although I will likely keep the THR as well.

[Joe Garfield]

I guess another option is a free trial of Wall of Sound - I don’t want to use my PC when playing, but maybe a trial isn’t a bad way to see if I like using modeled tones.

[Joe Garfield]

Yeah that’s what I realized - I went back and looked at the demos that influenced my decisions, and realized there was more going on than I realized at first.

I think Two Notes CAB M is a pretty safe bet. If i don’t like the amp modeling I can turn it off. If I don’t like the IR I can make my own or buy from Celestion. Or at the very least I can just use EQ, reverb, etc.

It seems like every guitar purchase I made since I started at 16 was some kind of sacrifice. So while expensive, it also feels good to get some premium gear. And I guess it’s gear that should hold it’s value reasonably well if it doesn’t work out. I had credit from a return at Amazon a few months ago so I just applied it to the CAB M

[Bakersdozen]

I think Two Notes CAB M is a pretty safe bet. If i don’t like the amp modeling I can turn it off. If I don’t like the IR I can make my own or buy from Celestion. Or at the very least I can just use EQ, reverb, etc.

Get in contact with me if/when you need IRs

[Joe Garfield]

Get in contact with me if/when you need IRs

Will do, thank you!

[Joe Garfield]

Blackstar seems to have a good following but not quite the sound I’m after.

[DrNomis_44]

I've been seriously thinking about doing a diy scratch-build OTL Headphone amp build project for a long time, OTL is short for Output Transformerless, basically an OTL Headphone amplifier is a Tube/Valve Headphone amplifier that does not use an output transformer in it's design to drive a pair of headphones, OTL Headphone amps are more for HiFi music reproduction, I thought that building one from scratch would be a fun project, I might start a thread about my build in the Amplifiers section just in case other members are interested in building one, I will be documenting the build progress as I work on it.

[DrNomis_44]

I'm currently working on a diy OTL Headphone amp based on this design article I found on the internet, my build will be using three new Svetlana 6N1P twin triode valves I bought online from Evatco, here's a link to the webpage article that gives full construction details:

https://headwizememorial.wordpress.c...one-amplifier/


It looks relatively easy to build too, even though it is a piece of high-endy HiFi gear, there's no reason why it couldn't be used with a valve guitar amp with an FX loop, just plug the send into the OTL Headphone amp's input, or plug the line-out of a rackmount guitar valve preamp, like a Marshall JMP-1, or an ADA, Rocktron Piranha, Digitech 2112, etc, into the OTL Headphone amp's input.