I haven't seen any mention of this yet:

https://vintageking.com/thermionic-c...valve-enhancer

A new revision of the Culture Vulture aimed at mastering. Fully recallable etc. I'm a big fan of Thermionic Culture, but I know a lot of people aren't too into culture vultures on the mix bus. I wonder how it compares to the usual suspects like the Blackbox HG-2 or the Overstayer MAS.

Looks good. I wish it had dry wet control especially for mastering.

I think they've rebadged the 20A version:

https://www.thermionicculture.com/in...02-02-7-detail

vs

https://www.thermionicculture.com/in...vulture-detail

Definitely looks similar. The press release says they “built” on the anniversary version, but who knows what that means exactly. TC releases so many variations of their products it can be hard to keep them straight.

Thought this was fairly clear:

20A Valves:
Input 2 x M8100, Distortion 2 x 6AS6, Output - 1 x 5963
Ultra Valves:
Input 2 x 5654, Distortion 2 x 5725, Output - 1 x 5963

It appears Input/Distortion are the same type between the two but different models are used.

And just highlighting the spec differences:

20A
Frequency response: 35 Hz to 35 kHz, +/-1dB
Max Output Level (MOL): +17dBu, 3% distortion
Gain available: 47dB line, 53dB DI input
Noise: 88dB below MOL
Ultra
Frequency response: 20 Hz to 25 kHz, +/-1dB
Max Output Level (MOL) +19 dBm, 2% distortion
Gain available: 46dB line, 52dB DI input
Noise: 90 dB below MOL (2%)

Max Figures
20A
Distortion (THD): 98%
MOL: +21dBu, 20%+ distortion
Gain: 76dB, P1, min. bias.
Ultra
Distortion (THD): 98%
MOL: +24 dBm, 20%+ distortion
Gain: 70dB (approx), P1, min. ‘Bias’.

20A weight 5.4kg
Ultra weight 6kg (maybe all because of the different transformers?)

And operationally, the Ultra has (which the 20A doesn't have):
Presence
This switch operates only on ‘+10dB’ gain. It broadly boosts
mid to high frequencies by up to 4 dB.

Hey Pentagon thanks for the posts. You’re right I should have said “what the differences mean in practice “. I’m actually really interested in this unit. Hopefully they get some demos up soon.

Bump

anyone tried yet or compared it to other versions?
How good is the stereo-balance?

I haven't compared it but I have one and no issues with stereo balance as each channel has separate controls. It's somewhat fiddly to align and the controls don't end up exactly the same on each channel when it's matched sonically. It sounds good, and in the context of mastering it's not an issue. When mixing, I usually use it on two different mono sources so I don't get distracted thinking about alignment.

The tube compliment looks more practical and will possibly sound better.

Hi Paul, how do you find the left/right alignment?
I not only mean the level, also the amount of THD.
Is it necessary to measure it all the time or are the markings good enough aligned?

thanks

I ditched mine as it wasn’t accurate enough. It was all fuzz or nothing. That why I like the HG2.

You had the Ultra Vulture version?
If correctly adjusted I like my Super15 a lot.
But I wanted to know if it could get better about adjustments witht the new Ultra.
HG is not the sound I like btw...

I had the anniversary version which was all over the place. No sweet spot where the HG2 or the AAE are super flexible.

I have the Ultra, it’s not “all over the place” but if I align the bias and set the output to the optimum position (according to the data/test sheet they include), then the drive knobs will be slightly off from one another to get the same volume. I haven’t measured THD.

Usually, I only adjust bias from that point and control I/O gain via the switches (+|- 10db) and the send/return on my console.

It’s the only piece I have that requires that level of attention and I nearly sold it for that reason. It does sound good.

thank you for that information!

Does anyone understand how the Ultra Vulture compares to the Culture Vulture Super 15? Seems that the latter has the additional "functions" but rest might be the same? I cant find information on the tubes in the Super 15...

see post #6

Does anyone know when the Thermionic Ultra Vulture was released? I can't seem to find a dated article/press release covering it.

From a feature-perspective, which of the distortion functions (if any) overlap between the Ultra (Function = T, P1, P2, P3) and the Super 15 (Function = T, P1, PK1, PK2, PK3, PK4, PK5, SQ1, SQ2, SQ3)?

Also, the product description mentions that the front panel controls are indented, are these actually stepped switches or does it just have a light indentation feeling?

light indentation on the controls

not sure about the function overlap

Thanks for the info. How do you like the Ultra overall? Is it pretty flexible and useful during tracking, creative distortion application and mastering as well?

I think it sounds great but has a higher learning/knob-twiddling curve than I usually want. I think I prefer it for creative/mixing functions though that's less to do with the UV; I just like mastering ITB more.

I try to find a dedicated use for things; lately I've been liking it most as a dual mono insert on the kick and bass. It contains/limits the dynamics without time constants, and can add presence with distortion and/or the EQ switch (I have a mix blend on the insert which helps). The Ultra version is probably overkill for this, but the extended low end doesnt hurt.

So yeah, I like it but I have kind of a specific workflow

Awesome, thank you for sharing your experience with the Ultra Vulture!

I love it on 2bus. Very mild settings, adds a great dimension to things.

Ah right I wasnt aware that the 20A is the same as the Super 15!

i owned the OG and 20A, currently own the Super15 and Ultra.

the 20A was the worst sounding of them all, honestly, and that's keeping in mind the sometimes heinous noise floor of the original. this, i felt, was in large part due to its frequency response not covering the very low end so it leaned toward acidic rather than warm and 'crumpled up' even on conservative settings.

the Ultra is easily the best sounding iteration as its noise floor is the lowest and it reaches down into crucial sub territories. send a signal into it until the needles twitch or flex a bit and you get dimension that no other distortion device can touch, and that includes the lauded heavyweights from overstayer and black box.

stereo balance is as fiddly as ever, though. it doesn't matter how tightly matched the tubes are; the 'steps' aren't actual steps and there's always a bit of this-and-that to get things dialed right. absolutely worth it, though.

For balance, I've used the Super 15 and 20A for a while and find them almost identical at the same settings. The Super 15 has slightly less body but I attribute this to the age of the valves which were in daily use for a few years before I got my hands on the 20A.

not surprising considering the Super15's own frequency response. i give the '15 more leniency because it's a more versatile sound bender, but i still wouldn't use it on a mix or master bus unless it was in parallel.

Unboxed my new Ultra the other day. I was surprised how much bigger it was than the original version.

Now let us have a glimpse inside