Orange Amps Forum

So I've had a Fulltone OCD and an older version Fatboost for a while, never tried running them off 18 volt power supply as I don't have one. Is there really that much difference in sound when running these boutique overdrive pedals off 18 volts as opposed to the regular 9 volts, and what exactly does it do to the sound? They say it gives you more headroom, I know what that means in regards to amps, but why would you need more headroom in a pedal? I primarily use these pedals for clean boosts with solos and in the case of the Fatboost; in the effects loop. Wondering if it would be too much input for the amp's effects loop to handle (tube buffered loop, no option for line level or -10db on the loop). Would it make a big difference in tone running em on 18 volts???

You bet. My monarch overdrive sounded very grainy/fuzzy at 9 volts. Using 18 volts really opened the pedal up with a bigger grungy tone, like the vintage Orange amps it's supposed to be modeled after.

think of it much of the same way as a 50W amp and a 100W amp. the one with more power will have more headroom, which inherently means less compression, as well as a bigger, fuller sound. it actually does make a difference with most pedals...i had a Fulltone OCD which loved to run on 18V.

The OCD is a great pedal to use with your Orange Amp and I use mine on 18V all the time. It behaves much more valve amp like used this way, more dynamics by responding to how hard you play the strings and cleans up really well using the guitar volume.