Another Pentode vs Triode question

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Jfriley

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I know this has been asked before, but I’m still not getting the P vs T thing. I have the Mark V 35 and I play Metal. As I understand it, the 10W mode is Triode while the 25/35 Watt is Pentode. I’m currently playing in 10 Watt to allow me to crank the master up more. I play on the xtreme channel, and if I bump it up to 35 watts it sounds “fuller” but also VERY loud. Is there an agreed “preferred” way for the metal players?
 
Can't speak directly about the Mark V, but I've noticed slightly more punch on the Mark IV when set to Pentode. At stage volume, you can hear a difference between Triode and Pentode but it's subtle. I don't play much metal nowadays, but I was playing high gain 80s style metal.

When I set it to triode, it made the low end a lot warmer but also loose. A little more mid compared to the pentode having higher mids and treble. I wasn't getting the chug in triode that i like in pentode, although with a ts9 circuit, it made both sound similar.
 
On the Mark V it's a little easier to compare, as you can switch between them both in 90w mode and not have the headroom change be as much of a factor, and without the volume jumping. (Although I suspect in Tridoe it's more like 75w).

Triode seems a little smoother, more liquid. Pentode is a bit bolder, more highs and lows. John Petrucci specifically liked the 60/100w IIC+s because they were Pentode, and it's definitely a little more aggressive and chunky. But I'll still switch between them regularly.

In the Mark V 25/35w you've got more going on because it's also dropping to 2 tubes and significantly reducing the headroom and volume. That change in headroom might be more noticeable than the tone changes and is certainly harder to compare when the volume is jumping. I'll say in most cases for high gain metal power section overdrive can hurt more than help, it can take you big low end and make it feel flubby, it can blur your definition. There is a reason Rectifiers come in 150w and most heads are still 100w when that power isn't really needed for much anymore. Lots of preamp gain with a clean power section seems to be a winning trend.

However, this stuff is all subjective, and do what sounds good to you :twisted:
 
IronSean said:
Triode seems a little smoother, more liquid. Pentode is a bit bolder, more highs and lows. John Petrucci specifically liked the 60/100w IIC+s because they were Pentode, and it's definitely a little more aggressive and chunky. But I'll still switch between them regularly.

In the Mark V 25/35w you've got more going on because it's also dropping to 2 tubes and significantly reducing the headroom and volume. That change in headroom might be more noticeable than the tone changes and is certainly harder to compare when the volume is jumping. I'll say in most cases for high gain metal power section overdrive can hurt more than help, it can take you big low end and make it feel flubby, it can blur your definition. There is a reason Rectifiers come in 150w and most heads are still 100w when that power isn't really needed for much anymore. Lots of preamp gain with a clean power section seems to be a winning trend.

However, this stuff is all subjective, and do what sounds good to you :twisted:

The middle paragraph is throwing me off, is that a vote for the Pentode or Triode mode? I get myself into trouble because what I think sounds good changes from day to day.

I recently tried a new trick, installing a passive attenuator into my pedal board. Previously I kept the volume around 8:30 or so, otherwise it’s deafening. To me, at that volume, the 2PC and Mark 4modes sound like ***. With the attenuator on I could push the volume almost to noon. Then I could also switch to 25/35 watts AND the JP2C and Mark 4 started sounding Great.
 
I was saying 10w mode at gig volumes where you're getting power tube distortion might take away from your clarity and definition on a high gain tone, and that might be a bigger change than the Triode/Pentode difference is. Using your attenuation maybe you can compare at a more listenable volume.
 
In case folks weren’t aware, the 10W mode on Mark V is hardwired pentode. The pent/triode switch will have no effect.
 
Pentode - More headroom and punch. For metal, I'd use this mode for rhythm because of it's increased dynamics.

Triode - More compression. For Metal, I'd use this mode for lead.

If they ever update the Dual Recto again this is a feature I'd love to see on it.
 
For metal, I find the MKIV mode on pentode and 90w to be the best sound. That being said I will switch to triode sometimes for smoother sound with less attack. The key thing for me is is the MKIV mode. I'm actually disappointed in the extreme channel. There is less gain, more bass and just louder in that channel and find the name of the channel to be misleading.
 

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