hankspencer
Member
Does anyone know of the power amp of the orange super crush 100 is the same as the orange pedal baby? On the surface, they look the same but trying to confirm.
Orange Super crush 100 and pedal baby
- Thread starter hankspencer
- Start date
zeropluszero
Well-known member
Allegedly they're the same.
I have a pedalbaby, I have wondered if it actually does have a functional preamp.
I have a pedalbaby, I have wondered if it actually does have a functional preamp.
hankspencer
Member
How do you like the pedal baby?
zeropluszero
Well-known member
I'd be lying if I said id given it a chance. I should probably sell it since I play headphones basically. Not a complaint on the device, and I don't really have the experience to say it's better or worse than another product.
Related: someone on TDPRI posted a gutshot of the Orange Super Crush 100 in this thread, Solid State amp recommendation needed. You can't see it in the picture, but the poster says there are two TDA7294 chips. (He also mistakenly says these are class-D, which is incorrect, so take his commentary with a grain of salt.)
That essentially makes the power section of the SC100 a "Gainclone". The TI LM3886 is the more popular chip to use for HiFi Gainclones, but the concept is the same. The TDA7294, LM3886, etc are basically "power op-amps". With a careful layout, it's pretty easy to create a solid class AB power amp, suitable for HiFi (or guitar amps, as Orange has done).
After I saw that gutshot, I thought it would be easy to create a DIY class AB solid state guitar amp (and it should be pretty easy if you want to do it Gainclone-style, like Orange did). As I started researching it, I stumbled on Rod Elliott's site, this project in particular: Project 27: 100W Guitar Amplifier Mk II. Here are plans for a discrete power amp, and it appeals to me because he specifically overbuilt it to survive the rigors of stage use.
That essentially makes the power section of the SC100 a "Gainclone". The TI LM3886 is the more popular chip to use for HiFi Gainclones, but the concept is the same. The TDA7294, LM3886, etc are basically "power op-amps". With a careful layout, it's pretty easy to create a solid class AB power amp, suitable for HiFi (or guitar amps, as Orange has done).
After I saw that gutshot, I thought it would be easy to create a DIY class AB solid state guitar amp (and it should be pretty easy if you want to do it Gainclone-style, like Orange did). As I started researching it, I stumbled on Rod Elliott's site, this project in particular: Project 27: 100W Guitar Amplifier Mk II. Here are plans for a discrete power amp, and it appeals to me because he specifically overbuilt it to survive the rigors of stage use.
hankspencer
Member
Thanks, looks like I have some studying to do
That's a bit forward isn't it?
hankspencer
Member
Hahaha
Need constant concent for consensus nowadays.
Question about this. So how much of the tone of a good guitar amplifier is the interaction between the power section, an output transformer, and the speaker, vs. directly driving the speaker from the power section directly?
With tube amps vs solid state amps. the output transformer is born out of necessity rather than for tone-shaping. Tube circuitry runs at extremely high voltages and relatively small currents. The output transformer lowers the voltage and thus increases available current to drive the speaker(s). In solid state amps, the output transistors run at a voltage appropriate for the speakers and are capable of sourcing/sinking enough current to drive them.
That's the objective reason for a transformer to exist in tube amps. How that translates to "good" and/or "feel" is a very subjective discussion. I suppose one thing we can say with certainty, if the output transformer is under-spec'ed, then you could get some distortion ("distortion" in the engineering sense, i.e. difference between input and output signals). Whether that's a good thing or not is subjective, as some might perceive it as added "warmth" or part of the inherent low-fidelity charm of tube amps.
When you get into tube+transformer impedance versus speaker impedance, and damping factors... I don't understand that stuff enough to give a useful reply.
Yeah the thing I wonder about is precisely that. Impedance, damping factors, etc. The interaction.
