I used headphones, closed my eyes, and could not tell the slightest difference at low gain. On high gain some sounded maybe 1% brighter or darker. But I will vote for the 1s1588 because it looked the coolest and everyone knows that looks improve the sound quality.
Hi soup, thanks for watching! YES! It's all about the looks, I couldn't agree more! The cooler looking the diode, the more mojo! 🤣 While I like the 1S1588 the best with its blue line, I'm also liking the MA161 with the big M printed on it. (at least I think it's an M)
I hear the most difference in tone with the MA161 diodes across the entire range of the test, the others did show some slight differences to my ear but also sounded extremely similar if not identical in some of the samples, but every time a line was played with the MA161 I would look at my screen to see which one was so different in tone. This difference is also one that I actually like the most of the five compared, it seems like it imparts a lot of richness and response into the sound. Great little comparison, and now I know what to look out for to test in my circuits! Thank you Aritone!🤙
Hi PATRIK67KALLBACK, thanks for watching again! And thanks for sharing your vote, I have a feeling that the 1N4148 might win the polls, there's probably a good reason why it has become the standard in clipping diodes.
Yeah the differences are so minimal that I can bet even the most trained ear would never be able to tell which was which. Which means the whole diode thing is overblown. The germanium diode catch phrase makes pedals go for quadruple their price, yet has a negligible sonic benefit (from what I’ve heard here and in the other video). Very interesting shootout!
I just started breadboarding a couple months ago and soon I will start with perf board. So far I only have 1n4001; 1n4148; and 1n914 diodes and I prefer them pretty much in that order. I like the airy and touch-sensitive quality of Red LEDs, but they are heavy on the mids and only have a moderate amount of possible clipping.
It is necessary to understand what to listen for in this comparison, which to me are the amount of saturation, harmonics and compression in relation to dynamic range. That being said the differences were almost imperceptible with the exception of the 1N4148, which to me sounded like the most compressed. This may possibly result from the saturation curve seemingly producing more odd-order harmonics. I heard little to no difference between any of the diodes regarding frequency response except the 1N4148 which consistently sounded throaty and unpleasant to me. You did a fantastic job presenting this information. I look forward to seeing more of your videos.
Thanks for watching! And thank you for sharing your tone impressions and detailed analysis, great to hear you enjoyed the comparison! There are several other comparison videos on the channel, so please check them out if you're interested.
By the way, I think that it is most easy to hear the difference when the signal is strong (when you hit the strings hard). It is in this domaine the diodes is working the most.
They all sound so close to each other that I do not understand all the "fuzz" made about them .... the real differentiator between different distortion pedals is not the distortion core, but the pre- and postfiltering.
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![Are Elusive Magic Diodes REAL? Germanium Diode Overdrive Tone With 9 Vintage Japanese Diodes [1N34]](/img/tr.png)
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More Shootout Videos: ua-cam.com/play/PLuGyFi1zEmqbyeXcyZgBuAb3NBJP4mzTH.html
I used headphones, closed my eyes, and could not tell the slightest difference at low gain. On high gain some sounded maybe 1% brighter or darker. But I will vote for the 1s1588 because it looked the coolest and everyone knows that looks improve the sound quality.
Hi soup, thanks for watching! YES! It's all about the looks, I couldn't agree more! The cooler looking the diode, the more mojo! 🤣 While I like the 1S1588 the best with its blue line, I'm also liking the MA161 with the big M printed on it. (at least I think it's an M)
I hear the most difference in tone with the MA161 diodes across the entire range of the test, the others did show some slight differences to my ear but also sounded extremely similar if not identical in some of the samples, but every time a line was played with the MA161 I would look at my screen to see which one was so different in tone. This difference is also one that I actually like the most of the five compared, it seems like it imparts a lot of richness and response into the sound. Great little comparison, and now I know what to look out for to test in my circuits! Thank you Aritone!🤙
Thanks for watching! And thank you for sharing your impressions on the tones!
From 7:49 it is most easy to destinguish between the different diodes. Maybe I'm boring but I wote for the 1N4148 diode.
Hi PATRIK67KALLBACK, thanks for watching again! And thanks for sharing your vote, I have a feeling that the 1N4148 might win the polls, there's probably a good reason why it has become the standard in clipping diodes.
very interesting, thank you for this video. Loved watching it. My Cobra 2000 CB radio uses a lot 1S1588's now I can sub for a 1N4148
Thanks for watching" Great to hear you enjoyed the video! I don't know much about CB radios, but hope this info was helpful!
Yeah the differences are so minimal that I can bet even the most trained ear would never be able to tell which was which. Which means the whole diode thing is overblown. The germanium diode catch phrase makes pedals go for quadruple their price, yet has a negligible sonic benefit (from what I’ve heard here and in the other video). Very interesting shootout!
Thanks for checking out this video as well! And thanks again, for sharing your thought with us! Great to hear you enjoyed this shootout too!
I've run these same tests, they all sound pretty much identical.
Hi Scott, thanks for watching! Thanks for sharing your experience! I wish I could make that 6th option in the poll for "they all sound the same..."
I just started breadboarding a couple months ago and soon I will start with perf board. So far I only have 1n4001; 1n4148; and 1n914 diodes and I prefer them pretty much in that order. I like the airy and touch-sensitive quality of Red LEDs, but they are heavy on the mids and only have a moderate amount of possible clipping.
Hi, thanks for watching! Thank you for sharing your experiences and impressions on the diodes!
It is necessary to understand what to listen for in this comparison, which to me are the amount of saturation, harmonics and compression in relation to dynamic range. That being said the differences were almost imperceptible with the exception of the 1N4148, which to me sounded like the most compressed. This may possibly result from the saturation curve seemingly producing more odd-order harmonics. I heard little to no difference between any of the diodes regarding frequency response except the 1N4148 which consistently sounded throaty and unpleasant to me. You did a fantastic job presenting this information. I look forward to seeing more of your videos.
Thanks for watching! And thank you for sharing your tone impressions and detailed analysis, great to hear you enjoyed the comparison! There are several other comparison videos on the channel, so please check them out if you're interested.
Ma161 has a sustain and headroom.. is1588 big sound and crunchy tone..
Thanks for watching! And thank you for sharing your impressions with us!
By the way, I think that it is most easy to hear the difference when the signal is strong (when you hit the strings hard). It is in this domaine the diodes is working the most.
Yes, as you pointed to in the other comment, the high gain samples seem to show any differences that might be present.
They all sound so close to each other that I do not understand all the "fuzz" made about them .... the real differentiator between different distortion pedals is not the distortion core, but the pre- and postfiltering.
Thanks for watching! And thanks for sharing your impressions and thoughts with us!