Synergy VH4 vs Diezel VH4

[@marinkovic87]

Honest channel, honest reviews, honest guy. Thanks for all the work you do and giving us your content, John!

[@scottpeters4401]

Close enough for Rock and Roll as they say..I wouldn’t be able to tell which was which,especially in a mix..Every module I have heard sounded really good..

[@FlankinspanK]

the d rect thru my mark 5 fx loop and 2003 recto 412 is stellar

[@eds4754]

can’t wait to check this out! thanks for doing it, love how you present this stuff. Would be great to see how some digital emulations stack up against these too. VH4 is such a beast of an amp, I don’t think anything is quite the same as owning the full 4 channel monster.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Cheers, mate! Yes, the amp is still the king of the hill but looking at what you get for the money, the module is hard to beat. I just bought a Tonex pedal, so I might end up looking into the digital side too

[@eds4754]

@@TheOtherJohnBrowne Absolutely! Also been very impressed by the VH4 pedal based on the comparisons on youtube. I think you’ll like ToneX once you’re up and running, it does a solid job of capturing rigs. The algorithmic stuff is awesome too but takes a few more considerations to match tones (but with the ability to adjust like the real amp). Curious to see how you get on!

[@cycliclife7999]

Great video. Thanks for your honest thoughts! They're much appreciated. I can't wait for the VH4 preamp pedal review

[@ryanmccabe7821]

Great vid. The different poweramp comparisons really show the significance of the poweramp colouring the tone

[@DeathMetalDevin]

They did good on that one! Great video too, thanks John

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Agree!

[@fredcolameo3095]

The module sounds very authentic. That would make it even more similar in the mix. And I certainly wouldn't notice any difference on stage. But what's most important to me is that I love this sound. Thanx, good Work..

[@NickLeonard]

Great work as always! Sometimes I feel like the amp sounds a little more open in the mids, but other times I don't hear any difference, so it's damn close! Once again (I saw Kyle's video) I'm surprised at how big of a difference the power amp makes. I though maybe Kyle hadn't dialed them in perfectly, but this confirms it for me. The Randall seemed closer to the VH4 than the KSR.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Thanks Nick! Yeah, I agree. The Randall surprised me a bit

[@istvannagy9633]

I can't wait to see if the preamp pedal will sound/feel better than the module,like it was in the case for the Herbert module. Thanks you for showimg us more information on the Diezel stuff than the company itself! Great video,John!

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Cheers!

[@zanthraxus]

Ah, Diezels ;) The module really sounds awfully close to the amp! Great tones as always! Cheers - really looking forward to the VH4 pedal. Time to revisit all those Diezel tones in the meantime!

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Cheers mate! Me too

[@idiotburns]

Sweet, I am excited for this video, thanks!

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Hope you like it!

[@idiotburns]

@@TheOtherJohnBrowneSo far the module/amps do seem most different when using boosts

[@lukzriffs1564]

The Module is pretty close . But that vh4 is just beautifull , optical and Soundwise ! ❤

[@Sagerydian]

Sehr subtile Unterschiede. Man müsste schon Haarspalterei betreiben, um die Unterschiede zu erkennen. Aber das tun wir beide nicht. Sehr guter Test, danke!

[@bhosterman]

Great video. I think in the context of a mix you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference. My ear hears a bit of sag in the amp under hard chugs. A blooming effect where the module sounds more instant. But just ever so slightly. Slight resonance and presence differences too. Again, all would be rendered moot in a mix. I think the character of the Diezel is there in the module.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Agree

[@RiffsAndLifts]

I was already looking for this video on your channel. Cool that it dropped now. Btw. right now I’m torn between buying your Randall and buying a Hagen and using it with my syn2.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Cheers! I hope it was helpful. On the amps, I can only offer terrible advice and that is buy both. I am a hoarding consultant. Hard decision. Both are great imo. I'm actually considering pulling the listing for the Randall and selling the SYN-1 instead as I'm done comparing modules to amps for the forseeable future. I don't expect to have the budget for a Bogner, Fryette or Soldano anytime soon. 😂

[@amirtak9886]

Sounds super close. I sometimes think the synergy modules are better value for money than the actual amp.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Often times yes. If you have a module carrier of some sorts, the modules are a great bang for the buck

[@amirtak9886]

@@TheOtherJohnBrowne yeah the powerball is amazing too. And way cheaper than the real powerball

[@tutatis96]

​@@amirtak9886idk here in Italy a used Powerball 1 costs less than 500

[@amirtak9886]

@tutatis96 in America its 2K usd

[@lordgraga]

Kinda subtle, but I definitely draw the same conclussion as you: There's a sense of "immediacy" in the real amp's preamp that you don't get in the Synergy module. The low end in the module sounds slightly more congested, and transients are ever sos lightly less pronounced. Depending on what you want from a Diezel VH4 it's probably fine. I really liked Zach Wish's demonstration of the amp because he hit some of the low gain tones/rolled back tones and really showed the authoritative definitelion and low end end bloom that this amps gives (German style of course).

[@FastRedPonyCar]

Sounds awesome but the trick is if you don’t have the real amp to slave its power section, what’s the next best thing from a practical budget standpoint. Duncan power stage, Fryette power station, a rack power amp, KSR lunchbox power amp, or just run into a good cab sim and roll with a DI signal. 🤔

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

That is a great question and would make an interesting video for sure. I don't have that much experience with dedicated power amps. I hear the Fryette stuff is supposed to be great

[@FastRedPonyCar]

@@TheOtherJohnBrowne With any luck, I'll have at least one video out next week with the SYN1, XTC module and the 2 notes CabM+ and the Waza TAE. Our bass player has my powerstation using it with his quad cortex. It's still a killer device (especially for the decently low price they go for used these days) but, if I'm being honest, it's a bit weak hitting for a 50 watt tube power amp. It doesn't hit NEARLY as hard or as loudly as my SLO or Jubilee, which are both 50w amps.

[@RhombusZero]

Did you mention which cathode settings you used on the module? I couldn't find mention of it.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

I did not mention it. I used it in the stock setting recommended in the manual.

[@guitashmurtz4772]

Hi, thank you very much for this great shootout, I had one more question, is the synergy module sounding closely to the the amp than the vh4-2 pedal? thank you very much!

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

I'm afraid I don't know as I don't have that pedal. I do have the single channel VH4 pedal and will be shooting that out against the amp in the near future though

[@guitashmurtz4772]

Thank you, it will be great!

[@gab.lab.martins]

Minute differences when in the same power amp, but that can be a consequence of even the way you pick the strings. Sounds really fucking good. I wonder what are the differences between this and the Savage module. Would you consider making a video comparing the "German Giants"?

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

I'm open to make any video if there is a demand/need for it. The problem here is, I don't have a Savage module anymore. It might be my least favourite Synergy module. Unlike the Savage amp, I did not like it at all. I could compare the amps.... but that doesn't really help you, right?

[@gab.lab.martins]

@@TheOtherJohnBrowne yeah I really love the Savage amp for rhythm tones. But I can't afford it, and it doesn't cover all the sounds I need, so the module would solve the problem if it was good. If you come across one again, I'd really like to see how it fairs against the VH4 module. Is there any you would recommend to approximate the viciousness of the Savage amp?

[@idiotburns]

note: I for some reason the thought the module was Ch. 2 & 4 from the VH4

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

The VH4s channel 2 is more of a heavy crunch channel. Not a lot more gain than a JCM 800 on that channel

[@idiotburns]

@@TheOtherJohnBrowneIm over here using my Blue module channel that way, haha 😂

[@ITheFight]

Both sound really good 😅 Is the synergy module relay controlled?

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

I believe so, yes

[@joshuamontoya-fk5ei]

Why is your level for the preamp volume so high shouldn't it be like at 4 or 4.5 not 7 just my thought

[@ChrisCardenDrums]

I've never heard any other piece that is as huge and articulate sounding playing chords as a legit vh4. I understand it's ungodly expensive and the synergy would get it done in all practical purposes, probably, but I'm also a guitar player, I don't really do practicality LOL

[@ryanmccabe7821]

Did you ever compare the pedal to the module?

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

I had both at the same time but never A/B'd them directly but the pedal was great too. Caught the spirit and feel of the amp well

[@wolfgangfranken2041]

Diezel ❤

[@FlankinspanK]

the head has a certain midrange gaaaaaangk sound that is subtle but very important

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

On point!

[@kahlrhoam6769]

Great video, I’m a new subscriber & aw, SH!+! I’ve got a tic-tock attention syndrome. 🙄🤘

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Haha! Cheers

[@dblink6228]

To my (non-amp elitist, plugin-using) ears there's really no contest. The module gets very close to the general profile of the amp but has very little of its snarling, guttural character. Like if someone could imitate a good singer but by tightening up their throat and sounding stifled rather than being able to let loose. And that's not to say the module sounds bad in general, just in comparison to the actual VH4 I would say it does.