Valeton GP5 "NAM" Block -vs NAM Software .... interesting Video

[BenIfin]

Ok .. ok .. ok .. I know static captures are boring.

See the Video Below

The Video compares the Valeton GP200 NAM Conversion Block - which uses the exact same Snaptone NAM Conversion as the GP5 - to the gold-standard - the NAM Software Player

What are you guys hearing ?

Differences to my ears ?

1 => the Valeton NAM conversion has more gain -> a very easy and quick fix
2 => it has a touch more low end and a touch more midrange -> a very easy and quick eq fix
3 => the high end is a touch less "high" -> a very easy and quick eq fix

I wouldn't change the NAM block settings themselves at all - I'd just put a simple EQ Block before the NAM Block and easily "fix" these 3 things if you wanted or needed to.

Downsides ?

Tonex ONE Latency is ~1.5ms. Latency on GP5 is ~5.0ms

Tonex ONE has a "123dB dynamic range which is achieved through its 24-bit/192kHz A-D/D-A converters" whereas best I can tell, the GP5 is "24bit / 44k" (?)

How "impactful" or "important" these are for day to day gigging / recording use ... don't really know ?

 

[laxu]

The thing that bothers me is that the issues seem very obvious, and should be something that could've been fixed when they tend to repeat themselves across different NAM files.

Hotone had similar issues where there's a lot of excess low end added when loading NAM files, and you have to use an EQ block to remove that. When it was present in all the files I tried, I can't understand how they didn't catch that at Hotone.

By comparison the differences in the rest of the frequency response were more minor and after correction NAM files were certainly more than usable.

The latency difference is IMO not a big deal. I was playing the A2 Stomp through my Mark V in full 4CM which would be I think about 5-6ms latency total, and it just wasn't a major problem.

Compared to Tonex One, in the tradeoff you get a much more capable suite of effects on the Valeton GP5. To me the GP5 is more of a super compact all-in-one unit than something you make part of your pedalboard.

I just don't have any real need to go that small. The super small pedals suck as a form factor for anything that isn't a simple effect like a compressor, modulation or overdrive.

 

[BenIfin]

Agreed.

Looking just to try it or Tonex in Loop of my HX Stomp for Amps ..

.... well "converted" NAM" Captures and Midi control -vs- "unconverted" Tonex Captures and no Midi Control.

Just on playback tones,this Valeton NAM conversion strikes me as MILES better than all the others claiming NAM importing.

Very little would be needed to make them effectively almost identical.

Just based on this video I reckon the GP5 has the sonic edge although the 23db dynamic range difference on the input *could* majorly affect guitar playing dynamics (?) ... although running it in the HX Loop may make this possible dynamic range issue immaterial (?)