A Solid State pre?
I'm working on my own pre too. Mine will be solid state being I don't know enough about tube at this point and quite honestly I'd rather work with solid state.
I've heard SS sound as good as tube but certainly not always. I think it can be done easily through combining the right circuits more so than just designing a circuit from scratch. With the circuits I've built, mostly pedals, I realised from combining certain ones I could actually build my own amp that was as good if not better than the big name brand gear in the market.
I think I've got a really great design and now I'm studdying active filter controls built via op amps. I'll likely use a tone stack for starters though. I've got a killer transistor based tube emulation circuit and a few other tricks up my sleave for the pre. Best of all, the circuits are all really simple and noiseless. Even my gain circuit is noiseless.
I've been fortunate with my guitar amps. I own a SS Crate head and a cheap Rogue which is MusiciansFriend's house brand. The Crate uses a transistor based tube emulation circuit and also a mosfet power amp. It's a pretty dead on tube simulation but does not sound like any Specific tube amp. Very Fendery and Marshall like though.
The Rogue amp has managed a tube emulation via duel op amps and I'm not too sure of how. Then it also uses a mosfet so both amps power amp section clip like a tube does.
I used to play a lot of acoustic but being my acoustic broke and I couldn't afford a new one I've been without for quite a long time now and it's killing me. My old one I restored perfectly but then the clear coat dried all gritty for some reason. It's winter here so I'm unable to redo the finish.
Hopefully the new amp will sound good for my acoustic. I'll have a lot of clean gain for my clean channel and seperate EQ's for both. My power amp will be based on an opti mosfet kit from Seal electronics but I'm just buying the PCB. My tube emulation circuit will run through both channels which I've noticed many tube emulation amps only use emulation on the dirty channels. I find this rather foolish.
I'm working on my own pre too. Mine will be solid state being I don't know enough about tube at this point and quite honestly I'd rather work with solid state.
I've heard SS sound as good as tube but certainly not always. I think it can be done easily through combining the right circuits more so than just designing a circuit from scratch. With the circuits I've built, mostly pedals, I realised from combining certain ones I could actually build my own amp that was as good if not better than the big name brand gear in the market.
I think I've got a really great design and now I'm studdying active filter controls built via op amps. I'll likely use a tone stack for starters though. I've got a killer transistor based tube emulation circuit and a few other tricks up my sleave for the pre. Best of all, the circuits are all really simple and noiseless. Even my gain circuit is noiseless.
I've been fortunate with my guitar amps. I own a SS Crate head and a cheap Rogue which is MusiciansFriend's house brand. The Crate uses a transistor based tube emulation circuit and also a mosfet power amp. It's a pretty dead on tube simulation but does not sound like any Specific tube amp. Very Fendery and Marshall like though.
The Rogue amp has managed a tube emulation via duel op amps and I'm not too sure of how. Then it also uses a mosfet so both amps power amp section clip like a tube does.
I used to play a lot of acoustic but being my acoustic broke and I couldn't afford a new one I've been without for quite a long time now and it's killing me. My old one I restored perfectly but then the clear coat dried all gritty for some reason. It's winter here so I'm unable to redo the finish.
Hopefully the new amp will sound good for my acoustic. I'll have a lot of clean gain for my clean channel and seperate EQ's for both. My power amp will be based on an opti mosfet kit from Seal electronics but I'm just buying the PCB. My tube emulation circuit will run through both channels which I've noticed many tube emulation amps only use emulation on the dirty channels. I find this rather foolish.
No schematic yet
I'm pretty new at designing my own gear but I'd have no problem sharing the schematic once I have everything sorted out.
I'm basically combining some of my favorite individual cirtuits into a pre that I will later add an amp to. Next I'll build a head case or possibly a combo cabinet for it.
Looks like a really good pre you built there. If I'm right it looks like you have active op amp filters which I'm just recently really interested in. When I had spotted this pre on the other page I was assuming it was tuibe based. Tube is great but I've heard some solid state sound just as good.
I think as people such as ourselves continue working with solid state it will get better and better until even deticated tubeheads give in and start buying solid state. As is, the tube market gets smaller and smaller everyday but I still don't see a huge improvement in solid state. As of right now Crate, Tech 21, Randall and most recently Behringer make some really great solid state amps. As good as anything tube for that matter but Crate has drastically changed their cheaper line of gear by improving it and jacking the price up. Now they have a much higher end of SS amps that are really expensive for SS equipment. Really sucks cuz I liked them best.
Anyway out of curiosity have you ever worked with any tube emulation circuits?
I'm pretty new at designing my own gear but I'd have no problem sharing the schematic once I have everything sorted out.
I'm basically combining some of my favorite individual cirtuits into a pre that I will later add an amp to. Next I'll build a head case or possibly a combo cabinet for it.
Looks like a really good pre you built there. If I'm right it looks like you have active op amp filters which I'm just recently really interested in. When I had spotted this pre on the other page I was assuming it was tuibe based. Tube is great but I've heard some solid state sound just as good.
I think as people such as ourselves continue working with solid state it will get better and better until even deticated tubeheads give in and start buying solid state. As is, the tube market gets smaller and smaller everyday but I still don't see a huge improvement in solid state. As of right now Crate, Tech 21, Randall and most recently Behringer make some really great solid state amps. As good as anything tube for that matter but Crate has drastically changed their cheaper line of gear by improving it and jacking the price up. Now they have a much higher end of SS amps that are really expensive for SS equipment. Really sucks cuz I liked them best.
Anyway out of curiosity have you ever worked with any tube emulation circuits?
Bad idea IMO
I think it's a bad idea to throw a tube in a solid state circuit that wasn't designed for a tube pre-amp stage. There's a good chance of feedback and microphonics being a major problem.
Most of all I'd like to know what brand, even model of amp you are modifying. Tubes are becoming more obsolete everyday. And quite honestly they don't sound any better than a SS amp granted you purchase the right ones. In fact, side by side I've heard SS tube emulation amps and tube amps sound IDENTICAL.
I've studied both subjects intensely and in blind taste tests guitarists can not tell the difference between tube amps and emulation amps. These studies were in fact done with the guitarists playing the amps blindly and having a variety of guitars to choose fro.
It's been my experience tube heads hate solid state for the simple fact it is solid state! I can see why someone would hate something when they spent $5000 USD on something that somone else achieved for $500 or $600. I feel it's a nostalgia and well no offense to tube guys but they are caught up with or simply stuck in the past.
I have PAiA 's tube pre-amp, the stack in a box, and side by side with my Emulation amp there is no difference. This pre is said to be THE best you can buy. It's response is no better or different than my Crate emulation amp. The microphonics of this pre are horrible on top of it not doing anything my amp doesn't already do and in fact does better.
I guess my point is tube is great but quite honestly it isn't all that. Flat out SS is a hundred times more versatile granted it's emulation.
Anyway good luck modding your solid state. Hopefully you won't ruin it!
I think it's a bad idea to throw a tube in a solid state circuit that wasn't designed for a tube pre-amp stage. There's a good chance of feedback and microphonics being a major problem.
Most of all I'd like to know what brand, even model of amp you are modifying. Tubes are becoming more obsolete everyday. And quite honestly they don't sound any better than a SS amp granted you purchase the right ones. In fact, side by side I've heard SS tube emulation amps and tube amps sound IDENTICAL.
I've studied both subjects intensely and in blind taste tests guitarists can not tell the difference between tube amps and emulation amps. These studies were in fact done with the guitarists playing the amps blindly and having a variety of guitars to choose fro.
It's been my experience tube heads hate solid state for the simple fact it is solid state! I can see why someone would hate something when they spent $5000 USD on something that somone else achieved for $500 or $600. I feel it's a nostalgia and well no offense to tube guys but they are caught up with or simply stuck in the past.
I have PAiA 's tube pre-amp, the stack in a box, and side by side with my Emulation amp there is no difference. This pre is said to be THE best you can buy. It's response is no better or different than my Crate emulation amp. The microphonics of this pre are horrible on top of it not doing anything my amp doesn't already do and in fact does better.
I guess my point is tube is great but quite honestly it isn't all that. Flat out SS is a hundred times more versatile granted it's emulation.
Anyway good luck modding your solid state. Hopefully you won't ruin it!
Well, um to be honest the closest I've gotten to it is connecting a valve amp from an old radio to a solid-state output stage, and I'm actually working on a hybrid circuit from the ground up.
As far as not being able to tell solid-state and tube apart, I think depends to a large extent on what amps and whose ears we are talking about. Yes if the solid-state was designed to emulate a tube design it would be more difficult, but a good set of ears should be able to tell the difference some of the time.
Maybe time again for some double blind testing ?😀
I wouldn't mind some old Tweed amps and maybe a twin reverb, oh and let's throw in some JCM heads into the mix as well. 😀 you can send the equipment to me as gifts, I wouldn't have an issue with that 😉
But seriously, we are looking at valve buffered GCs so seriously. It cannot be too hard to design a hybrid circuit for guitar (except for the fact that we are dealing with low level signals as opposed to VBIGC/VBNIGC). Let me try and get started on it - my plate is really full as of now and I don't have a simulator, so I do my circuits the hard way - build them.
As far as not being able to tell solid-state and tube apart, I think depends to a large extent on what amps and whose ears we are talking about. Yes if the solid-state was designed to emulate a tube design it would be more difficult, but a good set of ears should be able to tell the difference some of the time.
Maybe time again for some double blind testing ?😀
I wouldn't mind some old Tweed amps and maybe a twin reverb, oh and let's throw in some JCM heads into the mix as well. 😀 you can send the equipment to me as gifts, I wouldn't have an issue with that 😉But seriously, we are looking at valve buffered GCs so seriously. It cannot be too hard to design a hybrid circuit for guitar (except for the fact that we are dealing with low level signals as opposed to VBIGC/VBNIGC). Let me try and get started on it - my plate is really full as of now and I don't have a simulator, so I do my circuits the hard way - build them.
I still Digress
I still Digress some amp models you would never know weren't tube, doesn't matter how good your ears our. Some amps yes, some amps a complete no.
Oh and I'll send you those amps right away.....hows the 3rd Sunday of this week sound???
😀
I still Digress some amp models you would never know weren't tube, doesn't matter how good your ears our. Some amps yes, some amps a complete no.
Oh and I'll send you those amps right away.....hows the 3rd Sunday of this week sound???
😀
A better op amp
Boy the NE5532 made a huge difference when used in the signal boosting section of my amp circuit.
Talk about warm, fuzzy and dense !!!
My amps sound has improved ten fold.
Boy the NE5532 made a huge difference when used in the signal boosting section of my amp circuit.
Talk about warm, fuzzy and dense !!!
My amps sound has improved ten fold.
Anyone knows a 4-chan opamp better than a TL064(Talking about PSU noise and output noise)?
I'm upgrading a Kawai keyboard too : a K5(With this you can here how sounds a LM386(with 4 TL064 in series as preamp) with a noisy PSU, a enough loud white noise to turn you depressive if you hear it for too long, even when you play notes)
I'm upgrading a Kawai keyboard too : a K5(With this you can here how sounds a LM386(with 4 TL064 in series as preamp) with a noisy PSU, a enough loud white noise to turn you depressive if you hear it for too long, even when you play notes)
Ive tried 2132, 5332, 072, 4558 opamps.
I still prefer the coloured, muddy sound of jrc4558. For me, this is the closest to tubes. Even though it is noisier, but the tones im getting compensates for that. Anyone has tried this chip?
5332 is too 'SS' for me. Even the old faithful 072 sounds warmer than 5332.
Could not say Ive tried 2604 though..
I still prefer the coloured, muddy sound of jrc4558. For me, this is the closest to tubes. Even though it is noisier, but the tones im getting compensates for that. Anyone has tried this chip?
5332 is too 'SS' for me. Even the old faithful 072 sounds warmer than 5332.
Could not say Ive tried 2604 though..
Hi All-
I have read allot of comments saying one OPAMP is better than another and would like to build a circuit to experiment with.
May I ask which chips are pin compatible so I can build a test bed and then swap opamps?
I have read allot of comments saying one OPAMP is better than another and would like to build a circuit to experiment with.
May I ask which chips are pin compatible so I can build a test bed and then swap opamps?
Basically, all the single opamp(741, 627, 604,5334), dual opamp(2132,2134,072,5332, 2604, 4558), quad opamp(074,..) are interchangeable. You have to check it yourself what type of opamp it is.
But sometimes just changing the opamps is not a good comparison, because some opamps has different operating conditions. You have to tweak the circuits as well.
But sometimes just changing the opamps is not a good comparison, because some opamps has different operating conditions. You have to tweak the circuits as well.
So if I'm buffering one channel why would I use a dual or quad opamp?
And in "normal" configuration are the dual opamps in parallel on a single channel?
And in "normal" configuration are the dual opamps in parallel on a single channel?
Other than possibly noise floor, or the input impedance, all opamps will sound much the same in guitar use...
Why? The response of a typical guitar amp speaker drops drastically after about 4800 Hz. Differences or distortion in the upper octaves are filtered out!
Also, most people will have trouble discerning a 1% distortion in a circuit, much less the 0.001% differences that come from subbing different opamps into it. It's a fact...
Here's the frequency response of the classic Celestion V30:
Also, check out my 20 Commandments of FX Design: http://www.muzique.com/editor.htm#cmd
Your mileage may vary... 😀 😀
regards, Jack
Why? The response of a typical guitar amp speaker drops drastically after about 4800 Hz. Differences or distortion in the upper octaves are filtered out!
Also, most people will have trouble discerning a 1% distortion in a circuit, much less the 0.001% differences that come from subbing different opamps into it. It's a fact...
Here's the frequency response of the classic Celestion V30:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Also, check out my 20 Commandments of FX Design: http://www.muzique.com/editor.htm#cmd
Your mileage may vary... 😀 😀
regards, Jack
What I understand is that you want to build a test bed to experiment with different opamp sounds? I dont think its a good idea, because the opamp might sound good in the testbed, but as a complete guitar circuit, it might sound bad. Why dont you just replace the opamp in your amp with a socket and try different opamps for comparison?
As a sidenote,
when i build my guitar preamp, I used TL072. It sounds ok, but I have the itch to try out better components. So I first tried out the NE5334 which has better performance than TL072. However, the NE5334 dont last more than 5 minutes in the circuit, and finally I settled for JRC4558. (NE5334 is much superior than JRC4558 in audio circuits)
In guitar circuit, those measurement values has almost no meaning. Even 741 IC can sound good in certain effect pedals
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