NAD: Bogner Snorkler 50

[Bxlxaxkxe]

The back of the amp.

Well now this just feels rude and I will not post the picture

 

[Smash]

@braintheory Please post a pic of the back of the amp. I dont even know why this is a thing,.lol

 

[Brandonrz]

I made a comparison once I got my rev green against a previous clip of my Uber ultra. I never had them both at the same time to dial in even closer but it really shows the huge filtered difference. Uber Ultra was on Uber presence shift and Uber setting on channel 2.

I mean, if you’re running those settings you literally set the NFB on the ultra opposite of the rev green. That’d give you a pretty big difference….

 

[the4thlast1]

I bought a Uber Ultra EL34 when they came out. There are a lot of things about it I loved. Then a friend of mine took it to his studio and recorded it against various other high gain amps.

I was honestly shocked to hear how thin in the midrange it sounded in every clip. It has a large scoop in the middle that is odd to be honest. I didn’t notice it much in the room but it’s clear when you hear it recorded, especially in contrast to other amps. Check out clips online of comparisons and you will notice it too. Kyle Bull did one where he compares it to about 10 other amps.

 

[Smash]

I bought a Uber Ultra EL34 when they came out. There are a lot of things about it I loved. Then a friend of mine took it to his studio and recorded it against various other high gain amps.

I was honestly shocked to hear how thin in the midrange it sounded in every clip. It has a large scoop in the middle that is odd to be honest. I didn’t notice it much in the room but it’s clear when you hear it recorded, especially in contrast to other amps. Check out clips online of comparisons and you will notice it too. Kyle Bull did one where he compares it to about 10 other amps.

That is wild. I haven't heard them recorded, but when I played one along with 8 other top amps, it was very full sounding.

 

[Brandonrz]

That is wild. I haven't heard them recorded, but when I played one along with 8 other top amps, it was very full sounding.

Yeah I mean, I think you can scoop it if you want it. I mean the amp is called the uberschall lol, meant to be brutal. Anyway, sounds pretty good to me here. I like how this dude does a hair section and a more brutal section.



And here…

 

[Smash]

Yeah I mean, I think you can scoop it if you want it. I mean the amp is called the uberschall lol, meant to be brutal. Anyway, sounds pretty good to me here. I like how this dude does a hair section and a more brutal section.



And here…

I really am a fan of @ZEN Amps They do a wonderful job of showcasing an amp. I ofcourse dont care about the softer playing they do with amps, but that is the point. They showcase the whole amp for people that are soft, and for people like us that love high gain

 

[bste328]

What do you want to see? It’s the speaker outs, fx jacks, fx switch, and gate knob. None of the fundamental tone controls are back there just FYI

Is the gate switchable from the back? Is there a level control for the fx loop? By fx switch you mean the fx loop bypass? Is the foot controller a TRS cable input or something else? I am interested because I would like to know how to integrate it in a midi controlled environment

 

[Bxlxaxkxe]

Is the gate switchable from the back? Gate and Fx loop are on the same on/off switch

Is there a level control for the fx loop? YES

By fx switch you mean the fx loop bypass? YES

Is the foot controller a TRS cable input or something else? Regular TRS for mode change only

I am interested because I would like to know how to integrate it in a midi controlled environment

Reasonable. See above for answers. I’ll shoot you a pic when I get home tonight.

 

[bste328]

Reasonable. See above for answers. I’ll shoot you a pic when I get home tonight.

Thank you very much!! Appreciate it

 

[braintheory]

I bought a Uber Ultra EL34 when they came out. There are a lot of things about it I loved. Then a friend of mine took it to his studio and recorded it against various other high gain amps.

I was honestly shocked to hear how thin in the midrange it sounded in every clip. It has a large scoop in the middle that is odd to be honest. I didn’t notice it much in the room but it’s clear when you hear it recorded, especially in contrast to other amps. Check out clips online of comparisons and you will notice it too. Kyle Bull did one where he compares it to about 10 other amps.

I felt those qualities you mentioned were quite apparent for me also in person in the room, but like you said, I definitely did hear them more strongly when I tried close mic’ing later and then it became harder to unhear. I’m not great at recording lol, but I try sometimes. I don’t know if I hear it as a thin midrange, but it’s probably just a different way we’re describing the same things we didn’t care for about it. I heard it as filtered like not full frequencies extending or maybe like overtones are being filtered from coming out as much, not sure, but I know it’s something I really don’t like about many recent amps. This Snorkler doesn’t have that at all

 

[OldGtrGuy]

I felt those qualities you mentioned were quite apparent for me also in person in the room, but like you said, I definitely did hear them more strongly when I tried close mic’ing later and then it became harder to unhear. I’m not great at recording lol, but I try sometimes. I don’t know if I hear it as a thin midrange, but it’s probably just a different way we’re describing the same things we didn’t care for about it. I heard it as filtered like not full frequencies extending or maybe like overtones are being filtered from coming out as much, not sure, but I know it’s something I really don’t like about many recent amps. This Snorkler doesn’t have that at all

I never recorded with the one I had, just cell phone in the room so I can't speak on that.

I heard a rumor that the latest knocked loose stuff they used one and while I think it's buried in the mix and needed some more guitar volume, it sounds pretty damn good.

 

[rsm]

Well now this just feels rude and I will not post the picture

 

[braintheory]

Nothing wrong at all with disagreeing, we all hear/experience things differently. You and I have similar thoughts in some respects to gear but here we clearly have different opinions on other things. I have to wonder if you played mine the way I have it set up with pretty unconventional settings if your opinion would change. I honestly don't care a lick and not some some UU fanboy in the least. In fact, when I first got mine I hated it, like listed it the very next day hated it, but after some bias adjust (which was grossly off), and tweaking of settings and chain, I found some settings that really impress me.

The way I have it setup and boosted, its juicy as hell, like really juicy and it has that Bogner chewiness with a little bit of bloom going on in power chords. The warmth part is where we likely perceive things most differently and that could also be due to the variation in setup/signal chain but it could also just be we just perceive that aspect that differently.

I know your opinions and preferences and you very much prefer all things vintage which by nature is gonna have a "woodiness" a "roundness" that can translate to "warmth". Guitars, amps, pedals, speakers...you are very vocal about how much you prefer vintage attributes of all gear. So it would make sense you find modern gear "cardboardy" "plastic" "synthetic", "processed" "filtered". You also apparently have an exceptionally keen ear and must detect things that many of us just don't hear. I hear these things too and can pick these attributes out but I guess when it comes to more modern metal tones, I've learned to accept some degree of "synthetic" "filtered" nature of a lot of modern gear. Some gear has way too much of that "filtered" thing going and I can think of several amps and OD pedals I owned that didn't last long especially when AB'd against something like a Wizard, Naylor, or TC1140, or SD-1.

Yeah these are good discussions and agree with a lot of that. It may not at all seem like it, but I actually don’t prefer the vintage flavor itself nor the dated or softer aspects of it, but I do absolutely prefer a more complex, nuanced, 3D tone and gear that feels more alive/connected to play and vintage gear just usually tends to be better in those departments, but thankfully some modern stuff can have it too, but not the warm or raw part the same way IME and I don’t prefer roundness at all for metal or most high gain styles. I like modern when it’s done well for me like the Hermansson, Dino or Hell Razor. Those amps are all about as tight and sharp sounding as it gets. You have a point that the vast majority of modern metal gear has those qualities I don’t like, but found some amps here and there for me that are still in their own very modern without the qualities I complain about

I think the perfect gear for me is stuff that is modern, but still very 3D/complex tonally. It’s a tall order since I’m asking for 2 things that typically go against each other, but it exists sometimes at least lol. This is also why I love Marchione and Tao guitars. They’re very modern and sleek but also to me have amazing tone. I don’t like that the ‘57 LP Jr is my best sounding guitar, never liked their look/vibe, but it is what it is and not many guitars can rival it

 

[tonedog]

 

[MetalHeadMike]

Interesting that your UU was severely underbiased....if that's the case for those amps in general, that would explain the reason why many of the owners returned the amp.
Speaking from experience, if I receive an amp that sounds terrible I immediately check the bias and 100% of the time it's WAAY underbiased. Typically manufacturers would do that to protect against warranty claims as these modern tubes are shit and test at barely 80% on my tube tester, when I've bought any new amps(MT100, EVH stuff).

Bias was like 10mA/tube on one pair and 19mA/tube on the other pair. It sounded bad. I normally don't notice a difference between hot/cold bias Tom but in this case they were drastically low and it sounded like ass.

 

[MetalHeadMike]

I bought a Uber Ultra EL34 when they came out. There are a lot of things about it I loved. Then a friend of mine took it to his studio and recorded it against various other high gain amps.

I was honestly shocked to hear how thin in the midrange it sounded in every clip. It has a large scoop in the middle that is odd to be honest. I didn’t notice it much in the room but it’s clear when you hear it recorded, especially in contrast to other amps. Check out clips online of comparisons and you will notice it too. Kyle Bull did one where he compares it to about 10 other amps.

Just crank the mids to 3 o'clock or full on, they're there...LOL! I play the UU with presence max treble near max and mids 3 o'clock to max, so definitely dialing with my ears not eyes. Its got full low mids and plenty of mid and upper midrange the way I unconventionally dial. Plus I'm boosting some treble and midrange frequencies with the trusty MXR 10 band in the loop, as I do every amp.

I think this is the key difference for me, using the mXR in the loop. I think every amp sounds like ass without it...LOL!

 

[MetalHeadMike]

Yeah these are good discussions and agree with a lot of that. It may not at all seem like it, but I actually don’t prefer the vintage flavor itself nor the dated or softer aspects of it, but I do absolutely prefer a more complex, nuanced, 3D tone and gear that feels more alive/connected to play and vintage gear just usually tends to be better in those departments, but thankfully some modern stuff can have it too, but not the warm or raw part the same way IME and I don’t prefer roundness at all for metal or most high gain styles. I like modern when it’s done well for me like the Hermansson, Dino or Hell Razor. Those amps are all about as tight and sharp sounding as it gets. You have a point that the vast majority of modern metal gear has those qualities I don’t like, but found some amps here and there for me that are still in their own very modern without the qualities I complain about

I think the perfect gear for me is stuff that is modern, but still very 3D/complex tonally. It’s a tall order since I’m asking for 2 things that typically go against each other, but it exists sometimes at least lol. This is also why I love Marchione and Tao guitars. They’re very modern and sleek but also to me have amazing tone. I don’t like that the ‘57 LP Jr is my best sounding guitar, never liked their look/vibe, but it is what it is and not many guitars can rival it

Yeah, I like our discussions. You are in tune with many of the nuances and adjectives I am and we tend to dive deeper than many in that regard. Not only are we filthy gear whores but snobs too...LOL! I'm like that with many other things, just my nature. Using beer as another example...put a can of domestic beer in front of me and I'd sooner dump it down the toilet than put it to my lips...LOL!!!

I get you on the 3D/complex aspect. Many of the new amps are sterile/2D in that respect but like you said, there are fortunately some new builders getting it right. Yes!!! tight, razor sharp attack...that's how I like them but they do need some warmth otherwise its just not musical and very uninspiring.

 

[Racerxrated]

Bias was like 10mA/tube on one pair and 19mA/tube on the other pair. It sounded bad. I normally don't notice a difference between hot/cold bias Tom but in this case they were drastically low and it sounded like ass.

That's bad. Ugh. I remember picking up a 1983 2203, complete with new looking GE 6550s and the bias was way down like that. Sounded like a bad AM radio station. Terrible.
Whole new sound after re bias.

 

[OldGtrGuy]

Just crank the mids to 3 o'clock or full on, they're there...LOL! I play the UU with presence max treble near max and mids 3 o'clock to max, so definitely dialing with my ears not eyes. Its got full low mids and plenty of mid and upper midrange the way I unconventionally dial. Plus I'm boosting some treble and midrange frequencies with the trusty MXR 10 band in the loop, as I do every amp.

I think this is the key difference for me, using the mXR in the loop. I think every amp sounds like ass without it...LOL!

I couldn't ever do max presence on that amp. Definitely like it very high but after 75% or so the sizzle gets a bit insane.

One thing I really liked about the amp is while it always has it's "core tone" you can shape it endlessly. Definitely some heavy stoner fuzz type to the absolute crushing zero mid OSDM that id never use but yes also it can be very present.

I've said it a bunch of times already but to me it's essentially a perfect amp. It could stand to get tighter and Definitely needs a "faster response" and a built in gate imo.