Rocker 30 (612) sounding "congested & flubby"?

[Boy_Narf]

Hello Everyone,

Resident Rockerverb hater/dramatic reporting in...

So we just moved to a new place meaning my amps are no longer crammed in my hoarder style office and finally have some room to breathe. The old room was around 10x10 with laminate wood floors. It was packed floor to ceiling with gear and storage providing some wonderful sound dampening I'm sure

New room I would say is around a 12x12, but has a few weird angles and a partially dropped ceiling. Floors are also bare concrete.

What I'm coming to find is that my R30 612 stack sounds quite terrible now. I've seriously altered the EQ compared to my old space and it's still not how I remember it sounding. If you can believe it the TT through the top speaker of my Port City cab sounds so much more alive, open, and "IN YOUR FACE". Tubes in all the amps are old, but the TT tubes are around 5 years older. Oh and don't get me started on the R30 combo. I fired it up last night and wow, does that thing sound like a POS now. boxy and tragic is all I have to say at this time.

Is it time for???

1. Sound dampening in the room.
2. New tubes.
3. Why the heck do you have so many amps sell em all!
4. You have matured to a point where a 3/4 stack is no longer epic and has become a reminder of your blatant obsession with consumerism and the mental toll has convinced you it sounds like garbage when in reality it sounds amazing. Uh what? hahahah.
5. Every parent has a favourite and you just can't hide it anymore.

What do we think?

Wife is napping after working night shifts all week, but I plan to wire the R30 up to the Port City (seriously amazing cab) once she heads out. Could just be the directional and slightly boomy (IMO) nature of the PPC412 that isn't making me smile anymore. Might be time to switch to open back land.

[Ronnie Robinson]

Sell everything and buy a rockerverb which your now clearly going to have a different view of !!



You need the change the acoustics in your new room as your clearly very use to the old one.

I'd definitely do something with that floor first, laminate if that's what your use to but definitely try an open backed cab, I've even converted my Orange ppc 112 to an open back sounds great in a small space.

[Boy_Narf]

But I love the gross concrete floor It's got wine stains that look like blood stains! Well he said it was wine stains. uhh...

I know the "flubs" can probably be tamed with wall treatments, but I don't ever remember it sounding this congested, nor the R30C this boxy. Seriously if the room has ruined my favourite amps, what does that mean for all the gear I've auditioned and publicly shamed? Woops... Except for the RV100. Good riddance

Does a floor really make that much difference?

[Ronnie Robinson]

yes... ever played a gig on a tiled floor then moved to a carpet?

[Boy_Narf]

That is a negative ronrob. I haven't played guitar in a band for nearly a decade.

Have played tons of gigs on drums though. Biggest change in sound are the floor toms. Probably because they are bouncing sound off the floor . Never noticed much of a different tone with the guitar though. Would it have more to do with acoustic coupling for a guitar amp?

[Boy_Narf]

Hmm so I did some testing.

Everything through the port city sounds more open and present. Both amps also have a touch of the fizz though (PPC cabs totally tamed the TT fizz! darkness). Surprisingly the PC cab sounds as big as the PPC412. PPC has a touch more punch, but the PC has more clarity. PPC212 alone let me down big time! Sounds super dark! Used to prefer the 212 to the 412 but I haven't run them on their own for almost over 5 years now. Very interesting. R30 through the 412 on it's own is quite punchy and has decent top end. Through the 612 it seems less "open" (coked/darker) even with the treb cranked. 15 watts each must not be enough juice to bring out the lovely "punch" of the 412. Or perhaps it's a slightly darker tone running out of both 8ohm tap opposed to the single 16 ohm tap.

Curious indeed.

[Mystic38]

fwiw I prefer the PPC212OB for the R30 over the ppc212cb