Soldano SLO vs modelers

[GuitarJon]

Got a real Soldano recently for the first time in my life! It's an incredible amp and I think it lives up to its reputation. Of course I want to compare the SLO 30 to a bunch of amps but also modeling platforms of course! I will be posting all the different modeling comparisons here in this thread to keep things organized.

First up is a comparison between the SLO vs the Solo 100 OD model in the Helix/HX. The results are interesting! Which platform should I do next? I'm thinking Quad Cortex?

Check out the first episode:

 

[SKU]

A is Helix and B is Soldano? The difference I hear on my macbook pro is that A has more mids and B more presence ...

Edit: so it's the other way around. Very nice! Actually in isolation the B sounds a little more muffled in a way .

 

[GuitarJon]

A is Helix and B is Soldano? The difference I hear on my macbook pro is that A has more mids and B more presence ...

Edit: so it's the other way around. Very nice! Actually in isolation the B sounds a little more muffled in a way .

Bonus points for going in blind first! :)

 

[ian_dissonance]

SKU ruined my blind guess, lol, but I didn’t notice any appreciable difference until the descending lick before the “chorus” that didn’t sound like it wouldn’t be easily eq-able. The real amp sounds smoother in the high end and a little more open. But of course this test is invalid because you’re using third-party IRs

 

[Achilles]

"It's perfectly fine to prefer the $3,000+ amplifier........"

*gulp*

 

[MirrorProfiles]

In context I kind of preferred Helix, but in isolation the Helix clip sounded really weird to me and the amp was much better. Guessing the settings being a bit more extreme to match the real amp tone kind of make it sound a little odd. I did some similar tests with my Jet City that was modded to the SLO circuit. Not exact but the settings were maybe a bit closer between them. I dig the Helix model!

 

[TheTrueZoltan!]

I‘m curious how the St. Rock Amperium Live compares to the amp.

 

[GuitarJon]

I‘m curious how the St. Rock Amperium Live compares to the amp.

Thanks for the reminder!

 

[the-trooper]

I think this is the first time I guessed correctly which is which based on tone I liked better.

Also love the little pause after "impedance curve"

 

[GuitarJon]

Also love the little pause after "impedance curve"

That wasn't intentional of course

 

[the-trooper]

That wasn't intentional of course

Of course.

 

[LeftyLoungeLizard]

Have you tried the NeuralDSP Soldano SLO-100?

Soldano SLO-100

neuraldsp.com

 

[GuitarJon]

Have you tried the NeuralDSP Soldano SLO-100?

Soldano SLO-100

neuraldsp.com

I have not

 

[Lysander]

Helix's Soldano models have always been great, IMHO. Anyone splitting hairs between the Stomp and the SLO head in this shootout needs to have their ears checked - they're a couple EQ tweaks away from being indistinguishable from each other. Remarkable for a device which is 1/5th of the price of the amp it models.

I'd love to hear the Quad Cortex next, @GuitarJon. I was never impressed with the SLO models on the QC when i had mine, but i hear they've drastically improved with recent updates.

 

[FuzzyAce]

They both sound great. Nice comparison @GuitarJon .

The real amp has more harmonics and saturation which smooths it out nicely. Helix Native was a bit more focused, tighter. Either one works well in a mix imo. I love Native but haven't really worked much with the Soldano model -- looks like I need to though.

 

[GuitarJon]

Helix's Soldano models have always been great, IMHO. Anyone splitting hairs between the Stomp and the SLO head in this shootout needs to have their ears checked - they're a couple EQ tweaks away from being indistinguishable from each other. Remarkable for a device which is 1/5th of the price of the amp it models.

I'd love to hear the Quad Cortex next, @GuitarJon. I was never impressed with the SLO models on the QC when i had mine, but i hear they've drastically improved with recent updates.

The qc will be next. I haven't checked yet but I hope it has the depth control. Cortex capture will be interesting...

They both sound great. Nice comparison @GuitarJon .

The real amp has more harmonics and saturation which smooths it out nicely. Helix Native was a bit more focused, tighter. Either one works well in a mix imo. I love Native but haven't really worked much with the Soldano model -- looks like I need to though.

It's a fun model! As I said in the video I prefer my real amp as it feels and sounds a bit more bouncy and the amp model is more stiff. I did enjoy playing through the Helix model more than the Fractal model of the SLO.

 

[Elric]

I'd love to hear the Quad Cortex next, @GuitarJon. I was never impressed with the SLO models on the QC when i had mine, but i hear they've drastically improved with recent updates.

Yes, QC SLO model was overhauled. Also if you have access to the amp you can capture it. So Jon could do that also. My #1 preset on the QC is a capture of my SLO30. If I just want a direct version of the amp, I don't even have to power it up or bother with a model.

Most amps don't have a million settings for me personally. Even one as versatile as the SLO... The SLO has maybe five or six basic settings I like/use, which makes sense, its a two channel amp. So, if you have access to the reference gear and know what you like from it; capture devices are a whole new world if you can get a good snapshot of it.

 

[GuitarJon]

Is the QC model based on the newer BAD SLO 100?

 

[Mongillo19]

Is the QC model based on the newer BAD SLO 100?

Good question! I'm not sure if that info is out there?

I wonder if you emailed NDSP if they would divulge that info

 

[V|J]

I only listened on my phone and as a blind test with the speaker next to my ears..

I couldn’t even hear them switching..

Guess I deserve no better than my old Digitech RP50 :/