Tube comparison with reamp?

[GuitarMaestro]

Did anyone do a proper shootout comparing different preamp tubes in the same amp? I dont have a good enough reamp atm to do it myself.

But I would be very interested in hearing the results. I dont buy into the hype about different brands sounding dramatically different in the same amp.
Sure there should be some differences but as big as the tube vendors say?
I doubt it...

Reamping would be a must imo in order to eliminate all other differences between takes.

So let me know if something like that was done before...?

 

[Joematthews]

Marcus ???

your next task has arrived

Joe

 

[LSD-Studio]

did it before I swapped tubes in my recto as well as JSX...didn't keep the files though, sorry

 

[Metaltastic]

Hahaha, yeah, I have done exactly that actually - I'll see if I still have the clips, I did it with my Tiny Terror between a Tung Sol 12AX7, Shuguang 9th gen., and JJ ECC83. I found the differences to be REALLY minor with switches in V1 (and totally imperceptible with switches in V2, the Tiny Terror only has two slots cuz there's no Phase Inverter, class A baby), but in order of most to least harsh it went Tung Sol, Shuguang, and JJ. So I'm now a Shuguang convert! (or actually Penta Labs, cuz they just take the best Shuguang 9th gens. and relabel 'em)

 

[GuitarMaestro]

@LSD-Studio: Do you remeber your verdict though?

@Metaltasic: Thats what I wanted to hear man!

 

[Joematthews]

I don't have files or recordings to prove it, but swapping the TAD tubes for electro-harmonix ones I had lying around improved things greatly, not subtle at all. Maybe TAD is for Tad Donley instead of tube amp doctor.

Joe

 

[Torniojaws]

Yes, changing preamp tubes can affect the tone quite a lot. But it all depends on which slot and what tubes you use. I did something like that with my Powerball, but it wasn't all scientific (no reamping and the mic wasn't all that firm on one spot), since we did the comparisons by ear and I just recorded it for fun.

 

[Omega_Void]

the Tiny Terror only has two slots cuz there's no Phase Inverter, class A baby)

Tiny Terror does use a phase inverter. IIRC it's not the bog standard two-triode long-tailed-pair, but a single-triode type like a cathodyne or something, leaving three other triode stages for the preamp (there's two triodes per 12AX7 tube).

It's a special "marketing" kind of class-A amp which is more widely referred to as "warm-biased class AB". Which doesn't stop it sounding cool, of course.

 

[Metaltastic]

Ah, cool, thanks for the lowdown dude!