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Post by bennythekid on Dec 21, 2008 14:43:01 GMT -7
how much louder is a kt-45?
Ben
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Post by eliot1025 on Dec 22, 2008 5:33:51 GMT -7
Are you asking about headroom or loudness? They're different. The KT-45 has more headroom than any other Z amp.
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Post by Phil (aka Phil) on Dec 22, 2008 7:40:05 GMT -7
Which "maz" are you referring to? The MAZ 18 (reverb or NR) the MAZ 38 (reverb or NR) or the "MAZ" GT as some call the "Mazerati GT" ;D
eliot's right; "headroom" and "clean volume" are different. I've always thought of "clean headroom" as how high of an input signal you can drive an amp with and still maintain a relatively distortion-free output. (I know this isn't the correct "technical" definition).
"Clean Volume" is something else. For example, you could equip a relatively modest amp like a Z28 with a really sensitive speaker like a Tonker, set the controls with the bass and treble at noon or below and get a pretty darn loud clean sound. Or, you could use a lower sensitivity speaker like a greenback, crank the bass and treble, and get grind at a much lower level.
Another example is: the Delta 88, Doc's highest wattage amp, also breaks up the quickest due to the circuit design and biasing. It's kind of his "lowest headroom" amp, except maybe the Mini.
When people think about "high headroom" amps, they think of things like Fender Twin Reverbs, especially when equipped with speakers like JBLs. They seem to get extremely loud before breaking up (if they ever do). The closest thing to that in the Z lineup is the KT45. If you crank the bass and treble controls, you do get a great grind, but only at really loud volumes. It has a lot of clean volume on tap before that happens.
The Stangray also can get pretty loud before break-up through an open back 2X12 cab with Celestion Blues, or a 1X12 Gold.
The MAZ 38 NR gets pretty loud before breaking up, especially on the low input, and the reverb version has a little more "headroom" than the NR.
The EZG-50 gets pretty darn loud before breakup, especially through a Z 4x10 or Z-Best. I don't know if it has quite the clean volume of a KT-45, but it's pretty darn loud.
Even a MAZ 18 can get pretty darn loud through a Z-Best before it gets really distorted, if you set the controls properly.
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Post by bennythekid on Dec 23, 2008 0:55:48 GMT -7
I'm looking for something that gets louder than the mazerati in shear volume, and i can get at least break up out of and use my BB preamp to boost it to great overdrive and heavy tones.
A KT-45 will be LOUDER than a regular mazerati won't it?
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Post by Phil (aka Phil) on Dec 23, 2008 5:14:34 GMT -7
A KT45 is louder than a "regular" Mazerati. The KT45 also takes pedals very well.
However.... if you're looking for something louder than a regular Mazerati that can also get *great* lead tones.... how about the Mazerati GT? When you roll back the guitar's volume the amp cleans up very well and the lead tones with the guitar's volume maxed are great. Don't need a BB with the GT.....
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Post by bennythekid on Dec 23, 2008 16:39:23 GMT -7
how much LOUDER is a GT?
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Post by Phil (aka Phil) on Dec 23, 2008 18:40:19 GMT -7
Whew.... without getting out my dB meter and doing a comparison...
First, there is such a thing as "perceived volume". The human ear is more sensitive to certain frequencies. Some amps, due to the amount of harmonic content they have and which frequencies they accentuate, seem louder than they even are.
Having said that....
The Mazerati GT is a little more than half the wattage of the KT45. Thanks to those darn laws of Physics doubling an amp's power (with *all else* being equal) you do not get twice the volume, only a 3dB increase. However, the GT is the most harmonically complex amp Z makes, and has an incredible cutting Marshall-like midrange. The KT45 has a Marshally top end "crushed glass" sound that also cuts well. The original Mazerati has more of a lower mid thing to my ears; not as cutting as either the GT or the KT.
The "problem" in comparing the amps comes in the way their volume and tone controls respond. The GT basically has one volume, ON, and it's fairly loud, although there are speaker options you can use to tame it somewhat. You can turn down your guitars volume control, but it gets cleaner more so than quieter. This is due to the rather unique "Trainwreck" like way that the amp responds (impedance wise) to your guitar signal.
The KT is much more "controllable" in that sense; you can run the volume at very low levels and get a very clean sound that is very full and complex thanks to the gain structure and EF86 tube. You don't get the overdrive until GT-like volumes, but you can run it clean and add pedals for dirt. It has a much "flatter" Hiwatt like midrange that doesn't jump out at the ears like the GT, but it has an upper mid/top EL34 thing that does. It is more like a canvas you can paint your pedals on.
The original Mazerati is not quite as loud as either the KT or GT, and is somewhat like the KT in that you can get great cleans at lower volumes and use a pedal. It's not quite the pedal-friendly amp that the KT is, only because the KT has a much flatter frequency response and a 12AX7 front end.
They're ALL loud. All tube amps are, even my Z Vex Nano. Sometimes it comes down to where you need a particular amp to be to be in *your* sweet spot. I can play my Delta 88 at home at low levels and it sounds full. To get my original Prescription to reallly grind, it's at 118dB. The Rx is less than half the wattage of the Delta. Who'd have guessed?
You pretty much need to try a given amp with your touch and see if it meets your needs.
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Post by eliot1025 on Jan 5, 2009 3:17:13 GMT -7
I've recently learned that the EZG-50 probably has more headroom than the KT-45, making the EZG the Z with the most headroom.
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Post by gopre29 on Jan 11, 2009 19:12:00 GMT -7
I've recently learned that the EZG-50 probably has more headroom than the KT-45, making the EZG the Z with the most headroom. Im with Phil.... The KT 45 has more, he is a genius
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Post by eliot1025 on Jan 18, 2009 2:45:18 GMT -7
My info comes directly from Dr. Z. He said they're very close but he thought the EZG would have a little more.
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Post by cashandkerouac on Feb 18, 2009 20:31:21 GMT -7
i own a KT and an EZG. i think the EZG has more headroom, but they are entirely different animals altogether and sound totally different. get the one that best matches your sound, as they both have plenty of headroom for cleans and both take pedals very well. if you decide to get the KT i'd definitely recommend an Air Brake unless you are playing some very, very big rooms. my personal recommendation is to get both amps and an Air Brake if your budget permits.
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Post by tweedpro on Feb 22, 2009 10:24:46 GMT -7
I've played numerous large outdoor festivals with my mazerati with a closed back 1x12 and have been told I was louder than the whole band. I didn't even have it that loud. So to want something louder than a Mazerati? Where are you playing?
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