ampage Tube Amps / Music Electronics	For current discussions, please visit Music Electronics Forum.

ampage archive

Vintage threads from the first ten years

previous: Bruce /Mission Amps Have you A-B'd them with the Mallor... -- 1125679162

Re: 20/20/16 cap configuration + Sozo caps

9/3/2005 2:18 AM
Greg	Re: 20/20/16 cap configuration + Sozo caps Actually Bruce, they do improve. I've heard it with Sozos, Orange Drops and Mallorys. I just did a comparison where I changed the caps in an 18 watter, from Mallory to Sozo. I recorded the amp before changing the caps and left the mic and recording chain setup and acurately recorded all amp settings. The signal being fed to the amp was played back from a DId track, so that the performace would also be unchanged. The only change would be the caps. I then put in the Sozos and recorded them. After that, I removed the output tubes and set it up with a guitar only CD, on repeat, to do a burn in. I then re-recorded it every 24 hours. The results were that initially, the Sozos didn't sound as good as the Mallorys, which had been in the amp for a while and would have had about 30 hrs on them. After 24 hours, the Sozos sounded slightly better and then better again after 48 hrs. As they burnt in, the high frequencies smoothed out, becoming less abrasive and the whole amp seemed to take on more of a 3D quality. Comparing the amp at 96 hours to the initial recordings was quite revealing. The original sounded quite course, grainy and harsh. Now, obviously we're not talking chalk and cheese here. The differences aren't massive, but they are real. Prior to that, I'd spent a day doing speaker comparisons with a friend on mine. We noticed then, that the amp (which had just been built and had Orange Drops in it) got better as the day went on. Interestingly, just after that, my friend was speaking to a young guy, who'd just bought a Peavey Classic 30 and mentioned that he must be crazy, as he was sure the amp sounded better than it did a week earlier. Since then, I've done burn ins on a 50 watt Plexi and a 5E3 Deluxe I've built and there is a definite improvement in each case. The rate of change seems to slow down after 48 hrs.

9/3/2005 2:18 AM

Greg

Re: 20/20/16 cap configuration + Sozo caps

Actually Bruce, they do improve. I've heard it with Sozos, Orange Drops and Mallorys.

I just did a comparison where I changed the caps in an 18 watter, from Mallory to Sozo. I recorded the amp before changing the caps and left the mic and recording chain setup and acurately recorded all amp settings. The signal being fed to the amp was played back from a DId track, so that the performace would also be unchanged. The only change would be the caps.

I then put in the Sozos and recorded them. After that, I removed the output tubes and set it up with a guitar only CD, on repeat, to do a burn in. I then re-recorded it every 24 hours.

The results were that initially, the Sozos didn't sound as good as the Mallorys, which had been in the amp for a while and would have had about 30 hrs on them. After 24 hours, the Sozos sounded slightly better and then better again after 48 hrs. As they burnt in, the high frequencies smoothed out, becoming less abrasive and the whole amp seemed to take on more of a 3D quality.

Comparing the amp at 96 hours to the initial recordings was quite revealing. The original sounded quite course, grainy and harsh.

Now, obviously we're not talking chalk and cheese here. The differences aren't massive, but they are real.

Prior to that, I'd spent a day doing speaker comparisons with a friend on mine. We noticed then, that the amp (which had just been built and had Orange Drops in it) got better as the day went on.

Interestingly, just after that, my friend was speaking to a young guy, who'd just bought a Peavey Classic 30 and mentioned that he must be crazy, as he was sure the amp sounded better than it did a week earlier.

Since then, I've done burn ins on a 50 watt Plexi and a 5E3 Deluxe I've built and there is a definite improvement in each case. The rate of change seems to slow down after 48 hrs.

Replies:

Greg Simon If you're familiar with studio reco... -- 9/7/2005 6:01 PM