Digital Igloo (Eric Klein, YGG)

Digital Igloo said:
We do alllllll sorts of tests. Double-blind A/B/X tests have the original matched cab always active for both the amp (so it's loaded properly) and model. Null tests measure output signals from the preamp outputs, power amp outputs, and mics in front of said cab. Studio monitors are sometimes used, but the real test is in front of the cab in the live room. Success for us is if the model sounds and feels somewhere between two different amps of the same make and model (and ideally, same year); if it's outside of those two, we've failed and we keep tweaking. Sometimes we'll scrap it and start over.
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As someone who's recently gone back to 112 tube amps, I have to say the overall simplicity and ease of enjoyment has been quite liberating. That said, I'm still using my full-fat Helix for an elaborate and excellent pedalboard. The most obvious difference to me is how a real guitar speaker acts in a room, in my case a 65 Greenback, and I have good "FRFR" monitors for comparison, two 12-inch co-axials from Dynacord who have now been bought out by Electro-Voice.

When I was testing, sometimes I was convinced that I wasn't set up correctly because of the way the guitar speaker spreads from both front and rear and an open-back combo, it can almost have a stereo effect in the room. What I’m not so sure about is it really the same thing to hook up a Class D power amp to a guitar cab and run a digital model into it? Do tube power amps not behave and respond differently than a flat Class D amp? What's the data on that?
 
CakeEater said:
But can the audio signal emulating the power amp behaviour make them sound the same, or are there physical or electrical differences that go beyond the signal.
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Of course it can be emulated. Whether that's already happening is another thing.
And then there's a certain interaction between tube power amps and speakers. Some modelers are as well emulating that, but if you are monitoring through a class D amp and a guitar cab, the modeler would ideally use the same "invisible" cab to recreate the interaction, which possibly wouldn't be available. But we might already be in the land of diminishing returns here.
 
CakeEater said:
What I’m not so sure about is it really the same thing to hook up a Class D power amp to a guitar cab and run a digital model into it? Do tube power amps not behave and respond differently than a flat Class D amp? What's the data on that?
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So I currently own a Fryette PS-100 (100W all-tube, neutral poweramp) and a BluGuitar Amp 1 Mercury Edition (Class D solid-state poweramp rated like a 100W tube amp).

It's been a while but I've tried them both through the same cab with the Axe-Fx 3. The difference between the Fryette and BluGuitar when used with a modeler was IMO that the BluGuitar acted more like a guitar poweramp, because that's what it's designed to do.

With a full amp model running into them, the BluGuitar can be a bit more hyped in the highs and lows, whereas the Fryette is more neutral. The Fryette's presence/depth controls are fairly subtle until you turn them pretty high. I should test that scenario next time I can to see if that makes the Fryette more "guitar poweramp-ish".

Now take this with a grain of salt because the BluGuitar is one of the better Class D amps out there, thanks to some BluGuitar proprietary black magic. I've always been happy with how it sounds with any modeler, and it's of course a kickass amp in its own right.

The Class D poweramps are not all built equal. You will find a lot of different stuff that runs the ICEPower Class D poweramp modules. These are found in many bass amps, the Seymour Duncan Power Stage, Kemper Toaster, Fender Tone Master combos...they're alright, but might not blow your mind.

So to answer your question, technically the modeler and SS poweramp should be enough...but experience can vary.
 
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