NAD: It was worth the revisit

[MatrixClaw]

As some of you know, ever since the MI Audio Megalith Gamma showed up, it’s basically turned into a running experiment around here: what actually holds up against it?

So when a chance came up to pick up another Fryette Sig:X, I figured it was worth revisiting.

I had one of these a while back and, on paper, it should’ve been perfect - buut no matter how much time I spent with it, I could never quite get it there. Once the gain came up, it always felt a little muddy and like it was just shy of the punch and clarity I was after. I eventually moved it along, but I’ve always wondered if that particular amp just wasn’t right.

Round two:



And yeah… I was wrong the first time.

This one sounds exactly like what I expect from a Fryette: dry, immediate, and hits like a hammer. The low end stays tight, the attack is super responsive and it has that dynamic, percussive feel where your pick attack really matters.

The Gamma is still more saturated and a bit more polished overall. It has more gain on tap and a slightly more refined feel. But the Sig:X brings something different to the table - more raw, more open and it still has a similar weight to its sound. For the first time since getting the Gamma, this isn’t a clear win/lose situation.

The Sig:X absolutely holds its ground.

People call these amps “unforgiving” and that reputation makes sense - but I actually think that’s part of the appeal. The gain structure is cleaner and less compressed than most modern high-gain amps, so everything comes through. Good technique sounds huge. Sloppy playing gets exposed immediately. It makes you play more deliberately, which is a pretty cool change of pace next to something more saturated.

And the Plexi channel? Still a thing of beauty.

So the current scoreboard:

Gamma: still the king of saturation, weight and polish
Sig:X: raw punch and dynamics make it a legit contender

After running a lot of amps against the Gamma, this is the first one that’s felt less like a comparison and more like a complement.

Glad I gave the Sig:X another shot. This one’s sticking around.

 

[nightlight]

Cool story, bro. I had a Sig:X that I sold as well, and then I thought better of it, so I was lucky to find another one at a good price.

 

[DISTORT6]

I totally agree with everything you described about the Sig:X.
Those are the exact reasons I will always have mine.
Bought it when they were released and still own it.

 

[la szum]

Doooooooooooooooooooooooood!!!!



I have literally been on the hunt for a Sig X for years. Just never found one
in a time when I was flush with $$$. Also never been sold on KT88s as my
ideal power amp tube type. Have struggled with them in the past in other
amps. Same with KT66s and 77s.

That's awesome you have been reunited. I am happy as hell for ya!

 

[MatrixClaw]

Doooooooooooooooooooooooood!!!!



I have literally been on the hunt for a Sig X for years. Just never found one
in a time when I was flush with $$$. Also never been sold on KT88s as my
ideal power amp tube type. Have struggled with them in the past in other
amps. Same with KT66s and 77s.

That's awesome you have been reunited. I am happy as hell for ya!

I'm actually right there with you on KT88s. I have never been a big fan of them. They generally have a weird mid range and sound really stiff to me... But the Gamma has a pair of them and they're killer. The SigX has 6550s, which I generally find more appealing in the mids, though. That said, KT77s are my favorite tube ever, it's been quite some time since I've tried an amp with 66s!

Definitely excited to put some more time on this one next week. I have another amp coming towards the end of the week, which I'm hoping gets here early because I'm on vacation next week, so I'll have to wait even longer to try it!

 

[Hollowway]

I played a Siggy waaaay back when in a GC. Didn’t buy it, but shortly after I got a 50CL, and then a UL. One day I want a deliverance, and then maybe the Sig after that. Can’t go wrote with a Fryette!

 

[nightlight]

Thought I'd post a short video of the old Sig:X that I had. New one sounds just as huge. I'm running a tube screamer into it for a bit more of a liquid tone.

 

[maddnotez]

Fryette makes killer amps. Never tried the Sig x but the 100CL I regret selling

 

[la szum]

I'm actually right there with you on KT88s. I have never been a big fan of them. They generally have a weird mid range and sound really stiff to me... But the Gamma has a pair of them and they're killer. The SigX has 6550s, which I generally find more appealing in the mids, though. That said, KT77s are my favorite tube ever, it's been quite some time since I've tried an amp with 66s!

Definitely excited to put some more time on this one next week. I have another amp coming towards the end of the week, which I'm hoping gets here early because I'm on vacation next week, so I'll have to wait even longer to try it!

That's cool. I dig the 6550s best out of the big boy/big bottle offerings.

You definitely get something different in the marriage of preamp and power amp
when you use an amp that has those Big Bottles, as you know. Sometimes I love
all that clean headroom, and other times it can feel like a bunch of preamp gain
being fed into an high powered PA. Not a lot of breakup with those, is there? Which, I
suppose is the point. It makes an amp girthy and wide... and perhaps a bit obnxious.


Quite a few years ago I had a Tube Amp that would accept any and all Octal Style Power
Tubes and man, that amp taught me so much about how VERY different Power tubes
inherently are when it comes to power, headroom, feel, and breakup. It also made me
eternally immune from the nonsense from people who say it's the circuit that makes
ALL the difference and Power Tubes make NO difference. Bullshit.


With that Amp the circuit never changed, but you could roll different Power Tube Types
in there (as well as Rectifier Tube Types) and, literally, everything would change in that
Amp. It was 13 watts with a pair of 6V6s and a 5Y3 Rectifier Type. It was nearly 40 watts
with a pair of 6550s and a plug in Solid State Rectifier. So educational.

 

[MatrixClaw]

That's cool. I dig the 6550s best out of the big boy/big bottle offerings.

You definitely get something different in the marriage of preamp and power amp
when you use an amp that has those Big Bottles, as you know. Sometimes I love
all that clean headroom, and other times it can feel like a bunch of preamp gain
being fed into an high powered PA. Not a lot of breakup with those, is there? Which, I
suppose is the point. It makes an amp girthy and wide... and perhaps a bit obnxious.


Quite a few years ago I had a Tube Amp that would accept any and all Octal Style Power
Tubes and man, that amp taught me so much about how VERY different Power tubes
inherently are when it comes to power, headroom, feel, and breakup. It also made me
eternally immune from the nonsense from people who say it's the circuit that makes
ALL the difference and Power Tubes make NO difference. Bullshit.


With that Amp the circuit never changed, but you could roll different Power Tube Types
in there (as well as Rectifier Tube Types) and, literally, everything would change in that
Amp. It was 13 watts with a pair of 6V6s and a 5Y3 Rectifier Type. It was nearly 40 watts
with a pair of 6550s and a plug in Solid State Rectifier. So educational.

Agreed on all counts. I think it also depends which amp it is. I've found some amps that CAN take different power tubes don't change much by swapping to a different type of tube, while others do. I assume it has to do with the topology of the power amp itself, but I'm right there with you that most amps that tend to have the bigger bottle tubes tend to sound like hifi power amps which makes them sound sterile to me. I of course, say this now owning an amp with KT88s and 6550s in the power section, which I really like. However, tubes definitely do change the sound an feel of a power amp in general and the people who say otherwise must have tinnitus or something

 

[MatrixClaw]

Quick update for the Gamma vs Everything saga - another amp entered the room yesterday.

I ended up trading for a Marshall JVM 410H and so far I’m really digging it. I honestly haven’t even scratched the surface yet because the thing is absurdly versatile. Four channels with three modes each (basically 12 channels), individual reverbs per channel, two master volumes, series/parallel FX loop… it’s basically Marshall’s "greatest hits" amp where they tried to cram every era into one box.



What’s funny is I remember trying these when they first came out and thinking they sounded a bit artificial. This time around though, I’m not hearing that at all. My tastes have definitely shifted over the years, but this one sounds killer so far.

In a lot of ways it reminds me of the old Marshall 6100, which I’ve owned all three versions of. Those were cool amps, but honestly this feels like the same idea executed better, with even more range.

What’s also been interesting is how close the SigX can actually get to some of these sounds. I’ve never really thought of Fryette amps as particularly "British," but there’s definitely some overlap in certain settings, which surprised me.

Overall though, the Gamma, SigX and JVM feel like they live in three different tonal worlds that complement each other really well.

• Gamma: saturation, weight, polish
• Sig:X: dry punch, dynamics and that unforgiving feel
• JVM: versatility and classic Marshall grind

I’m sure the JVM won’t fully replace a real Plexi or JCM800 if that’s the exact sound you want, but it gets impressively close while also doing a whole lot more. Honestly it kind of makes me wonder why the DSL line has even existed so long after the JVM was released… the JVM just crushes it.

Still early days, but first impressions are very strong. Looking forward to spending more time with this one

The gear shuffle isn’t done yet either—another amp is already on the way. It’s about as far away from the Gamma/Sig:X/JVM side of things as you can get. Unfortunately it’s arriving while I’m on a cruise, so it’ll be sitting there waiting for a week before I can plug into it

Oh and you'll notice in the pics there's a few guitar boxes in the background there... I've got a few of those to share, too LOL!