Hey Zilthy,
My main concerns about the Synergy amps revolve around changing the tubes. Since they are tube amps and tubes wear out after a while, they will need to be changed eventually, and that means biasing. Will I have to take it somewhere to have it biased for the new tubes, or is it self-biasing?
The SYN 5050 is based off the LXII power amp, the only difference is the EQ it has, because the LXII was designed for amp modelers, as opposed to actual preamps.
I know what you mean about EytschPi's videos. He IS a bit long-winded
I wouldn't mind going to a Synergy preamp/poweramp setup, as it does seem pretty streamlined and simplified, but I wonder how I would be able to switch between preamp selections if I wanted to use more than just two preamps in the same rack? I'm not sure if a MIDI controller would do that or if I need something else. They are kind of vague in that respect. I'll have to go back to the Synergy site and read the manuals for the SYN 2 rack modules and see if there is anything about that there. I got more answers from the manual for the 5050 than I did the forums. One of the things I wanted to know about the poweramp was, could I use 5881 tubes instead of 6L6's? This is because the poweramp section of a Soldano uses those, so this would give me more of a Soldano-esque type of sound with the SLO preamp module. The tubes it comes with are Sovtek 6L6/5881's, so I might be able to get away with that. Now to address the biasing...
I'm not sure if my understanding of the term is the same as everyone else's. but when I hear the term "headroom," I think of how much volume I can get from my clean sound before the tube distortion begins to take over. Let's take my old Fender Twins for example. Normally on a stock Twin, when you turn your volume up to about four, (non master volume amps), you are running the amp at full power. As you turn up past that, it begins to get distorted. I use higher gain rated 6L6 tubes in mine so I can turn up to five or six before it becomes a noticeable distorted tone. What I get in that "sweet spot" area, is more audible harmonic overtones, and because of the increased volume, and rich EQ, some musical feedback at that level. Sovtek tubes always seem to begin breaking up early which is why I don't like them. I've played large halls and venues with two Twins before, and while it seems loud as hell, it actually blends in better with the rest of the band.
That's just my two cents. I could be totally wrong about the meaning of "headroom."
Harley