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Post by rdr on Mar 22, 2023 10:54:52 GMT -5
Hi guys. So pray tell what the term "increased headroom" means when applied to dirt pedals? Typically claimed to increase headroom when using 18V power supply.
Thanks.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Mar 22, 2023 11:03:55 GMT -5
My observation has been that with dirt pedals that do 18V they'll have a broader range of control on the clean to crunch to dirty side of business. There's more to it than just that I'm certain but that's what I've seen in my limited experience.
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Post by LeftyMeister on Mar 22, 2023 18:40:29 GMT -5
Headroom typically has to do with the amount of clean boost before breakup when the volume and/or gain knobs are increased.
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Post by reverendrob on Mar 22, 2023 21:05:19 GMT -5
Depends on what you're talking about - some pedals don't have actual headroom and get ugly (not in a good way) if slammed with hot signals.
Others eat line level without issue.
18v etc as far as dirt boxes that support it basically it means they have a better dynamic range - a little less squishy - that I've seen.
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Post by Pinetree on Mar 22, 2023 21:12:31 GMT -5
Did Jimi worry about headroom?
No he did not.
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Mar 22, 2023 21:33:05 GMT -5
Did Jimi worry about headroom? No he did not. I'll bet you do. Especially with low doorways. Headroom is the amount of additional power an amplifier can deliver before the signal becomes distorted. Most all pedals have a gain stage (amplifier) or two, and some are more efficient and can deliver cleaner amplified signal than others can. In simple terms, some pedals can be fed a hotter power supply and that can increase headroom because more power in means more power out. |
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Post by Lesterstrat on Mar 23, 2023 10:13:42 GMT -5
I submit if you worry about headroom on a dirt pedal, you picked the wrong pedal. Sounds to me like you’re really interested in a boost pedal.
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Post by rdr on Mar 23, 2023 11:30:03 GMT -5
I'm not seeking headroom on a dirt pedal, just wondering what it practically means when dirt pedals are advertised (and repeated by reviewers) as having increased headroom with 18V power.
I'm gonna guess that it means, with any gain setting, there is a wider range of pick attack to go from low to heavier distortion.
Anyway, apparently my just purchased Prince of Tone has it with 18V. Yay! And after selling my BM for $149, I made a dollar profit buying the POT for $148. Thanks to Moe's for notifying me!
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Post by Pinetree on Mar 23, 2023 11:32:12 GMT -5
My new Wampler Moxie can run on 18v, but to me it's not worth the trouble of hooking up a different power supply.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Mar 23, 2023 12:06:14 GMT -5
Here's my simpleminded observation. I hooked my Wampler Euphoria to my pedal power supply's 18V connection because of available ports. There is less gain at say 9 o'clock than there is at the same setting when connected to the 9V port. While I don't use that pedal for high gain settings I'm guessing that with it maxed it would be about the same under either power source.
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Post by Leftee on Mar 23, 2023 12:21:11 GMT -5
My limited experience seemed to demonstrated more dynamic range with the higher voltage. There are a couple of posts above which I believe are saying the same thing.
If you think about it in amps terms, the low volts option provides a more compressed range and it seems to be easier to get into OD.
What pedals I have tried that have this ability, the volume pot on the guitar also worked better to clean up the tone when the pedal was running at 18v.
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Post by rdr on Mar 23, 2023 15:09:19 GMT -5
I'll be trying the 18v when my new pedal arrives. I have an 18v port on my battery pack so it's no hassle.
Thanks for all the replies!
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Post by LeftyMeister on Mar 23, 2023 15:12:23 GMT -5
My Fulltone Plimsoul is running on 18V and it sounds more...ummm...lively than on 9V.
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