|
New at Gollihur Music - Genz Benz! These lightweight, powerful
and flexible amps have boutique features and sound at
less-than-boutique pricing.
 I'm
always on the lookout for new and exciting gear for upright
bassists. I've long had Genz-Benz on my radar, and lately they have
been getting a lot of buzz for some of their newer products. After
checking the Shuttle combos and the new Streamliner heads out, we
decided we just had to have them! So I'm proud to say that we are
now a Genz-Benz bass amp dealer.
The new Streamliner series puts together a simple, high voltage 3
tube, classic-style six-stage analog preamp with an high-powered
Class D power amp. What's that all mean? Here's the math:
(Simple controls + great sounding preamp) + gobs o'power =
happy bassist.
The Streamliner is the perfect amp for a player who likes to "plug
and play" and doesn't need to constantly fiddle with knobs and EQ
and tons of twiddly bits on their gear. Though it still has some
deceivingly powerful tone controls and features - as we'll find out.
For players who want this sort of sound and power, but DO like lots
of knobs and twiddly bits, check out the ShuttleMax 9.2 -
same great sound, with LOTS of extra controls. We call that
version of the Shuttle amp the "Bass Forum Edition"  - check out the
"related products," below.
 The
Streamliner 900 (and its little brother, the Streamliner 600) is a
high-powered amp that weighs less than 7 lbs. With a warm-sounding,
tube-based preamp (one tube is on the main preamp circuit, the other
two are incorporated into the tone controls), the amp has a very
natural, smooth sound through most any cabinet - we really liked it
with the prototype NL210 from EA.
It's small and light enough to be toted around in a small padded gig
bag, and with machined aluminum panels, should be up to the rigors
of regular gigging with no problem. It's even really slick looking,
with a small window on the front to show the softly glowing tubes
within - but they live behind the nifty blue-backlit Genz-Benz logo.
Front-panel controls are refreshingly simple and familiar:
traditional volume and tone controls (treble and bass), a mute
button, gain switch, and gain control. The midrange control features
a switchable control, so you can dial in which frequency in the
midrange you'd like to boost or cut - 220Hz, 600Hz, and 2.5kHz are
the choices offered.
On the back, lots more useful stuff: dual Speakon outputs for hookup
to speaker cabinets, an effects loop in and out, aux input (for Mp3
players, etc.), a headphone jack, dedicated tuner output, and a
high-quality DI (direct out) on an XLR jack, perfect for feeding the
house PA or a studio mixing board.
We really like the new Streamliner amp - so much, that Bob
has bought one of his own, and is now using it regularly in his own
bass rig. I guess that means that it passes "The Bob Test!"
(see his comments below)
STREAMLINER 900
SPECS
- Power: 500W @ 8 ohms / 900W @ 4 ohms
- Preamp Type: Tube
- Weight: 6.5 lbs.
- Dimensions: 3 1/4" x 10" x 11 7/8"
|
STREAMLINER 600
SPECS
- Power: 375W @ 8 ohms / 600W @ 4 ohms
- Preamp Type: Tube
- Weight: 6.0 lbs.
- Dimensions: 3 1/4" x 10" x 11 7/8
|
FEATURES (Both Amps)
- SMPS and Class D power amplifier design
- Class A Six Stage Tube Preamp (three 12AX7A
Tubes)
- Modified Passive Baxandall EQ for the Lows and
Highs
- Active Tube Driven Mid EQ
- Selectable 3-Position Midrange center
frequencies: 220hz, 600hz, or 2.5K hz
- Mute Switch
- Hi Gain switch (to accommodate passive and
active basses)
- Master Volume
- 3DPM Power Management
- Patent Pending P.H.A.T (amp cooling) topology
- Variable Speed Fan Cooling (quiet!)
- Full Direct Output Interface
- Effects Loop
- Headphone Input
- Aux. Input
- Dual Speakon Outputs
|
|
Excerpt from Bob's October
2011 Blog:
The Genz•Benz
Streamliner amps
have three 12AX7 preamp tubes utilizing six gain stages,
so it is definitely very Old School Tone Land. Their other
amps, and most other “tube preamp” rigs on the market,
have but one tube in the preamp section, so the result can
be far less “tubey.” In fact, many of those amps seem to
use their single 12AX7 tube more effectively in the
marketing of the amp than in the actual circuitry, but the
Genz•Benz are not in that category. I should also mention
that all the Genz•Benz amps have tube preamps with solid
state power amp sections, and some even have circuitry to
lend a tubey tone to the power amp's limiter, so doesn't
go splat when you hit the wall.
Amps with tubes can have
characteristics that can make them desirable... or
unacceptable. You have to decide what you want your amp to
do for, or to, your bass tone, and also recognize that all
do not offer the same characteristics. The perceived
benefit of a tube in the preamp section is a desired
coloration of the sound, and varying the level of tube
involvement and gain level of the circuit can take it from
mildly warm, somewhat fat, or all the way to overdriven
nastiness... if the amp maker includes that ability. My
personal goal was more “heft,” with more body in the
higher register, with a subtle smoothness and softening of
the overall bass signal. The price you pay by going in
this pillow-ish tonal direction can be the loss of some of
those edges to the note that help it overcome a dense mix,
as well as some jagged overtones that exhibit the
distinctive character of your bass.
Of the Genz•Benz lineup,
the Streamliner’s three-tube preamp definitely can deliver
more of the pillowy, rich sort of old school goodness, but
can also get pretty intense and driven as you advance the
tube gain control.
|
|
If you're buying an amplifier head at Gollihur Music, we'll include a FREE 6-foot Speakon to Speakon or 6-foot Speakon to ¼" high-quality speaker cable with the purchase! Just ask us when you place your order, and we'll drop one in the box when we ship your amp. 
