Rack Owners- What's your fave power amp??? And why???

[BigBrewtus]

After using the Carvin TS100 longer, I'm nothing but pleased. It sounds awesome even at low volumes and seems to be a solidly built unit thus far. No complaints here .

It doesn't seem to color the tone much either, which is great for me.

I'd recommend one if you're looking for a tube power amp and wanna save some $$$.

My experiences with Carvin amps have been great. I have been wanting a TS100 for quite a while. So useful. Steve Vai even uses one for his monitors. That and Vintage 30s for a monitor setup!! Great idea.

 

[iekobrid]

I'm currently awaiting delivery of a top secret combo amp I plan on converting to a head that'll serve as my RM-4 power amp

Never mind -- it came today and sounded like ***. On to Plan B!

 

[kc2eeb]

Nomad has a good point. To build an equivilent power amp to a Fender
Super or Twin would not be all that hard to do. Schematics can be easily found and what used to be the hard thing to find, transformers, are easy to find. Randall used a long tail pair PI in the MTS series which is very much like the Fender Twin Reverb with different values.

 

[Mattfig]

I'm currently awaiting delivery of a top secret combo amp I plan on converting to a head that'll serve as my RM-4 power amp

Never mind -- it came today and sounded like ***. On to Plan B!

Keep trying iekobrid- I dig that you are trying new ideas and have a good attitude about things not working out! Nice combo of attributes if you ask me...

Let us know when you hit something magical...

 

[jonnykingv]

Without a doubt- i would say VHT 2150 - very clear dynamic and punchy.
Not to mention incredible headroom- you could fire up 4- 4x12's if you wanted!

 

[nomad100]

No kits, a few yrs ago i did some research.
Almost all high gain power amps like what's in the Randall are 90% identical. The difference i've noticed is the screen grid resistors value, and the power supplies.
AX84.com has a schematics and info, when you built it yourself you can add switchable options.

 

[iekobrid]

Keep trying iekobrid- I dig that you are trying new ideas and have a good attitude about things not working out! Nice combo of attributes if you ask me... Let us know when you hit something magical...

I'm generally a pretty cynical person, but some kinds of failure I can't help but view as a form of positive momentum. Like on an episode of House, every wrong answer gets us one step closer to winnowing out the right one.

Plus I knew this particular idea was a real long shot going in, and luckily an inexpensive one too. If I had dropped a serious bundle on a time-tested, proven power amp solution like a 2:90 or 2150 and my tone was still in the toilet, I'm sure I'd sound waaay less upbeat right now and would soon begin pestering you to hook me up with your soul authentication guy. heh

 

[fuzzboat]

I just have my RM4 - Pod PRo XT (for effects only) and use a Marshall
MG100DFX for a power amp (people give these amps a bad rap - for a cheap studio power amp that just kicks *** thru a 4X12 & sounds just as righteous with the master Vol set at 2 as it does on 10, it can't be beat IMHO)

My recording Setup has never been simpler and I've never been happier

that HDD power function realy works well on the MG100 and plus its
alot cheap than those old outdated tubeworks mosvalve's

 

[bhuard75]

Shirley Manson is Hot. I'd love to B@N9 her on my VHT Classic 2100 power amp. The GRAND DADDY of power amps.

 

[iekobrid]

After using the Carvin TS100 longer, I'm nothing but pleased. It sounds awesome even at low volumes and seems to be a solidly built unit thus far. No complaints here .

I notice you sold a TS100 in the classifieds this week. Did you have more than one, or have you discovered a better power amp already?

 

[Rod]

I'm with Matt on attenuators. I have had about 6 different brands and the mts stuff just works better without them. Save your $$

 

[fuzzboat]

Shirley Manson is Hot. I'd love to B@N9 her on my VHT Classic 2100 power amp. The GRAND DADDY of power amps.

Her Thick Scottish Accent Drives Me Nuts !!

 

[trimix]

I only ever used this power amp with my Mesa Studio Preamp, but I used to own a Mesa Simul 395, and it was ridiculous. Keep in mind that it was a simulclass power amp, so it had some tonal qualities that other power amps don't have. This may or may not have worked very well for MTS, because it was specifically geared towards Mesa type tones. I snagged it used (and requiring a retube) for under $500, and eventually sold it for about the same amount. The only reason I sold it was that I only ever used one of the two sides, and I didn't see the point in lugging around a whole extra transformer and other hardware that I never took off of standby. Side note: I wish somebody made a single mono tube power amp!

I'm usinq a Mesa Simul-Class 395 stereo power amp with my RM50 (Clean/SL+/UltraXL) as a preamp, and love it in comparison to the stock Randall power section. I think 3D would be a good description of the difference. Originally, I hooked it up to try a wet/dry/wet set-up, but preferred the Simul-Class amp enough that I'd rather just play through that with blended effects.

 

[grbassist]

When I had the RM4 I ran through a Randall RT2/50, a Mesa Simul 2:90, a VHT 2:Ninety:2 and a VHT 2150. The 2:90 and 2 :ninety:2 were killer, but I liked the 2150 best, huge tone....Wish I still had it! The Randall wan't even close btw.

 

[bhuard75]

When I had the RM4 I ran through a Randall RT2/50, a Mesa Simul 2:90, a VHT 2:Ninety:2 and a VHT 2150. The 2:90 and 2 :ninety:2 were killer, but I liked the 2150 best, huge tone....Wish I still had it! The Randall wan't even close btw.

As good and convenient the RT2/50 is (I had one)... I have to agree with grbassit. Fryette & VHT are just in another class no matter what model... 2150, 2100, 292, 252.

 

[Graham Pearson]

I have an RT2/50 and a Mesa Stereo 20/20. Here's a picture of my Stereo 20/20 rig:

The DigiTech GSP-2101 is wired into the Parallel Effects loop of the RM4. The output of the RM4 goes straight into the input of the Stereo 20/20.

The GSP-2101 has both an analog effects section and a digital effects section. I use only the digital effects section in the RM4's parallel loop.

The only reason I prefer the Mesa over the RT2/50 is the fact that it is lighter and it takes up only 1 rack slot. Both are up to the job tone-wise.

 

[Big Daddy]

I'm kinda partial to my Egnater Modded Marshall EL34 100/100. I am changing from EH EL34's to JJ E34L's because I think the low end is more focused with them, other than that it's a great amp

WARNING: I'm not a big 6L6 guy. If you like those, you're probably better off with another amp

Your mileage may vary

H