Genz Benz vs. Orange

[shadburn]

This forum is full of awesome people so I figured I would let you guys have a turn at giving me some more advice.

I have decided on an omni 15 tallboy. Looks cool, pretty decent size, and all the cabs by bill rock.

So, I am about to buy an amp to power this once I build it. Right now I am trying to decide between the genz benz shuttle 9.0, which puts out 500 @8, or the orange terror bass amp which does the same. Difference being that the genz benz could power two omni 15's bridged down to 4, since it puts out 900w @4, where the orange puts out the same wattage according to the manufacturer ( I personally don't understand that but perhaps someone could give some insight). So in the long run the genz benz might be better.

The orange seems to sound better, but has almost no difference in sound when you turn the eq knobs (from what I have heard), genz benz you can hear a difference. I prefer tone, and once I move up to needing two omni's I could easily get a different amp considering I would most likely have more funds.

So if anyone has insight on one brand vs the other I would appreciate it. I have yet to see a guitar shop that has either of these amps, so before someone says go play them.....I'm trying!

Just looking for any insight, and thanks in advance.
Shadburn

[Gregory East]

Why do you think you'll need two Omnis? It's a pet peave of mine that a lot of players have no idea how to play "loud" without being LOUD. <end rant>

Anyways, the omni is supposed to be very HiFi so you'll want your preampage to provide dirt if that's the sound you're wanting. A lot of players swear by the Sansamp VT pedal. I have used my RBI as my only preamp into PA very sucessfully.

I'm guessing you have a combo amp presently? You may have to hack into the wiring but you can use it to test out your Omni works properly and then go to the shops with it and astound everyone with the thunder while demoing all the amps. I wouldn't buy a new amp without trying it out thru the omni.

[shadburn]

The two omni idea is basically looking waaay into the future. Assuming my band starts "making it" basically. I'm not saying we will in some sort of cocky way, and I guess its rather dumb to even worry about two omni's right now when one will be plenty for quite awhile. Thanks for that rant, it helped my choice quite a bit.

Anywhoo, the orange seems to give quite a bit of dirt once you crank the gain knob up, are you suggesting that it won't "do its job" quite as well in that department due to the hi-fi-ness of the cab? (what a nice little made up word)

I have read many a time that any cab that is bfm designed seems to show changes in eq much better in comparison to a regular cab, so perhaps the orange would follow suit.


Anyone have some more thoughts on the two brands?

[Israel]

I have a Genz benz the GBE 400 great amp really clean sounding it can go down to 2 ohms all night with no overheat and drives my old 412 well over the guitarrists (not to mention one omnitop 12 and a t39)and its so clean and well sounding that i use it sometimes as a monitor amp.

[Zack Brock]

Whatever sound your amp puts out, that is what the Omni will produce, accurately and without coloration. So if you prefer some dirt and the genz gets dirty turning up the gain, then dirt is what you will get.

And I second the suggestion that you will probably only need one as it can get deafening on it's own. So I would pick the amp that meets your tone requirements and your budget.

[jswingchun]

I don't know how concerned you are about weight and size, but I really like having a separate preamp/power amp rack system. It allows more versatility than a standalone bass amp although in a larger package. There are a lot of nice pre's out there that you could couple with a Crown xti1000 or xls1500 and be set for when/if you ever build your second O15. You could get a Crown XLS 1500 from Leland for $385 and a SansAmp RBI for $330 and a $100 rack and still come in just under what the GenzBenz costs.

Lot's of guys like the super light weight of the GenzBenz, and I get that. But my rig is still very manageable with an Ashdown pre and Crown xti1000, and I can drive a 4 ohm load on each side of the xti at 500 watts. Plus it looks cool.



Wait 'til I finish my four Jacks 110s and ditch the Omni 10s.