Owner’s Manual
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION – The new Streamliner™ 600 bass amplifier has been manufactured to the highest degree of engineering standards and practices, resulting in a unique blend of classic and leading-edge technologies. This compact design blends a simple, intuitive and versatile high voltage, 3 tube, 6 stage classic style analog preamp with an internationally proven high performance Class D power amplifier and switch-mode power supply (switchable from 100-240 volts). The result is a versatile bass amp that exudes fat, rich tones while remaining very articulate. The All Tube Class A preamp operates at over 300 volts and can be used to add a little warmth to your tone or dialed up a little to provide a wide range of natural tube overdrive.
Our simple “streamlined” objective was to build an amp that allows the player to focus more on their playing style and less on adjusting the knobs on their amplifier. So, whether you’re a straight ahead 4 string player or an extended range expressionist, your voice will come through.
The Streamliner™ 600 features a rugged chassis with solid extruded aluminum panels and a faceplate that is CNC machined from solid billet aluminum. The entire chassis is then brushed and anodized Gun Metal Blue. The chassis is designed for roadworthy durability, superior fit and finish.
Simply put, this 600 watt bass amplifier offers a more streamlined approach to finding your voice, yet still carries forth the GENZ BENZ reputation for performance, reliability and innovation.
INPUT – The Streamliner™ 600 is equipped with a ¼” unbalanced instrument input directly feeding a conventional tube voltage amplifier stage. The input sensitivity range is from 15 mV to 1.6 volts with an input impedance of ~1M ohms.
INPUT SIGNAL MUTE SWITCH – With this Mute switch, you can place the amplifier (and the Direct Output) in mute mode without having to change any of your amp settings. This feature can also be used for silent tuning since the Tuner Out stays active when the mute is engaged. A red indicator LED above the switch indicates when the Mute function is active.
GAIN SWITCH – This switch sets the gain sensitivity of the preamp gain stages. With the switch set to the IN position and the Amber indicator LED illuminated, the gain stages are set to a higher sensitivity, driving the preamp gain stages harder, producing more harmonic content and overdrive. The degree of overdrive will depend upon the output level of your bass guitar pick-ups and preamp as well as your playing style. This switch should be used in conjunction with the Gain control for setting the overall gain structure of the preamp. This switch can also be used as an Active/Passive switch. The lower gain position is more suitable for high output level active basses and a cleaner tone.
GAIN CONTROL – This control sets the input gain of the 12AX7 TUBE preamp. The volume of the signal is then controlled by the Tube Preamp Volume control and also the Master Volume control. Note that overdriving the input tube gain stage may be a desirable tonal characteristic of your playing style. This control, in conjunction with the Gain switch, Preamp and Master Volume controls, allows you to set the amount of tube overdrive or clean tone your amp produces.
PREAMP VOLUME CONTROL – This control sets the volume (and make-up gain) of the preamp after the Input and EQ stages but before the Effects Send jack. Use this control in conjunction with the Gain and Master Volume controls to achieve the necessary gain structure for your playing and music style.
SETTING YOUR INPUT SIGNAL – Use the following guidelines to set your amplifier input stage for the type of bass used and your personal playing style. These guidelines are just a suggested starting point.
1)Set your instruments controls (volume and tone) where you normally prefer to run them.
2)Now set all controls on the Streamliner™ to 12 o’clock and the Gain switch “out”. It may be best to start with the Master Volume at 9 o’clock.
3)For a clean tone, your Tube Gain and Preamp Volume settings may be set to similar positions. For a clean tone using a hot Active bass your Tube Gain setting should be set more towards the 9 o’clock position and the Preamp Volume at noon to 2 o’clock positions.
4)For overdriven tube tones with Active or Passive basses your Tube Gain setting will be set higher and the Preamp Volume set lower. If you are looking for an even more overdriven sound, engage the Gain switch for even more preamp gain. Set your Master Volume for your desired overall volume. We suggest experimenting with different settings for best results.
5)Now, turn your attention to the EQ section and make the adjustments for your desired tone. Because this is a semi-active EQ network, any larger settings of cut or boost will affect the gain level of the preamp which will allow for even more variability in overdriven tones.
6)After setting your EQ it may be necessary to go back and adjust your gain and volume levels level up or down accordingly.
EQUALIZATION – The Streamliner™ 600 contains a 3 band equalizer with a user switchable midrange center frequency control. This equalizer is best described by breaking it into its component parts, the shelving bass/treble section and the midrange band-pass section. The Bass and Treble shelving filters are modified passive designs based on the classic Baxandall topology that was developed in the 1950’s by Peter Baxandall. This type of eq is nicely suited for instrument amplification (in addition to classic professional recording consoles) due to its gentle slopes and musical transition between the two bands. Our modified design keeps the interactive nature of a Baxandall design to a minimum while retaining all of the benefits.
The Bass frequency is a shelving type with approximately +/-12dB of effective cut/boost at 55 Hz.
The Treble frequency is a shelving type with approximately +8/-12dB of effective cut/boost at 4K Hz and approximately +/- 12 db at 12.5K Hz. In the boost position it offers the advantage of boosting the highs for clarity, without drastically increasing the upper mids, providing a more tonally balanced top end. In the cut mode it acts much like an instruments passive tone control.
The active tube driven mid frequency filter features +/-12 dB of effective cut or boost with a bandwidth approximately 1 octave wide. The center frequency of this filter is user adjustable to 220Hz, 600Hz or 2.5kHz with the Mid Freq switch.
MASTER VOLUME – The Master Volume control adjusts the overall volume of the amplifier and the effects return. Typically, best results are obtained when this control is operated between the 9:00 and 3:00 positions. The Master Volume control adjusts the signal level after the Effects Return jack.
POWER SWITCH - The Power switch provides the power to the amplifier from the AC mains source. The Streamliner™ contains a fully automatic turn-on time delay (approx. 20 seconds) of the output power amplifier to allow the high gain tube preamp to fully bias up and stabilize before audio is allowed to pass. This is similar to the standby procedure recommended on classic all tube bass and guitar amps. The RED WARM-UP LED will illuminate during this period. The amp is ready to play as soon as the LED disengages.
MASTER SECTION STATUS INDICATORS -
•The BLUE “POWER” light indicates that the amplifier is ON and the high voltage power supplies are active.
•The RED “WARM-UP/PROTECT” LED provides 2 functions. During the Turn-On process of the Streamliner™ this light will illuminate for approx 20 seconds while the tube preamp is allowed to bias up and stabilize. When the amp is in use, after the Warm-Up period, the LED also can indicate when the amp enters “protect” mode. It will illuminate during any internal fault condition such as thermal and overcurrent faults. If this happens, first turn the amp off, check for a blocked cooling fan, wait 1 minute and try again. It the amp remains in protect, remove the speaker cable and try again. If the amp now comes out of protect this is an indication of a short circuited load and your speaker cable is the most likely problem. If the Protect LED remains on, consult a service technician.
•The AMBER “PEAK” LED indicates that the power amp is near its maximum power. Under high output conditions it is normal for this LED to light with the strongest pulses of the signal. Driving hard beyond this point will cause the amplifier to gradually begin to clip which may become audible. If using a very mid focused bass tone and while driving the amp hard, it may be possible to hear some distortion before the PEAK LED is lit. This is normal and is a result of the harmonics generated by the preamp tubes during the overdrive process being more audible since the ear is more sensitive to upper midrange frequencies.
3DPM™ -- 3 DIMENSIONAL POWER MANAGEMENT – Our proprietary 3DPM™ technology insures greater and more solid sounding output while retaining the feel and playability of a more traditional tube based power amplifier. When driving the power amp hard, the result is increased heft and girth while maintaining the dynamics and articulation of the individual notes. The result is an amplifier that achieves a more 3 dimensional tone and feel, like a tube amplifier power section, without the anemic flatness other amplifier designs can exhibit.
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