Don't think I've read a topic yet on here about the blowout that a certain German musicstore with a big T is having on these amps.
Both the pre and the stereo power amp which used to about 2000 euro's each, can now be had for 599 each. A bargain if ever I saw one.
I decided to take a leap and order the pre-amp and a stereo power amp.
This amp series was released in 2007, and made by Warwick in cooperation with Jonas Hellborg (which is the coolest name ever btw).
The pre-amp is apparently a copy of a Neve channel strip with an input transformer and coil based eq. The power-amp, though solid state, actually has output transformers as mister Hellborg's theory is that this is actually the reason that tube-amps sounds so delicious.
The amp is fine example of German over-engineering and as such weighs a hefty 30 kilo's (or about 60 imperial weight units) when combined with the sleeve.
Last night I had my first band practice with it, playing a Dingwall Combustion V2 and a MIA Fender Jazz Deluxe V (2009) through it into a Barefaced Big Twin 2.
I started out with the eq on the preamp bypassed and was greated with a fat, luscious, unrelenting clear and utterly dynamic sound.
I've allways struggeled with a balans between my higher strings being heard without cutting people's heads off with the highs or destroying their kidney stones with the lows whenever I switch to playing on the low B string. I've tried elevating the cab and taking it away from any boundary reinforcement.
This is no longer a problem, I have never had such a balanced sound.
There is a quality to the sound which is like compression, but without losing any of the dynamics. The low end is just there, however hard or soft you decide to play. The dynamic range on the pre is enormous. On the e.q. a little goes a very long way, but even maxed out, non of the frequencies get bloated or harsh.
Normally I allways tended to add quit a lot of high mids, to be heard (two half stacks and animal on drums in a concrete bunker...... no literally a concrete bunker. Oefenruimtes) but I found myself not needing to do this now.
I was also worried that 500 watts might not be enough, having come from a 900 watt class D amp, but this was not the case. I'm really starting to think there might be something to the whole "lead-sled heft" thing ;-)
Needless to say, I'm still in the honeymoon phase so ymmv and all that.
Does the amp have any downsides?
Sure, it's so heavy it has a gravitational field, It is an utter pain to reach the connections on the back of the pre-amp when rack-mounted and the lights on the front look cool but are utterly blinding in any situation other then bright daylight.
Other then that, it's one of those amps that needs to be heard to be believed.....
Both the pre and the stereo power amp which used to about 2000 euro's each, can now be had for 599 each. A bargain if ever I saw one.
I decided to take a leap and order the pre-amp and a stereo power amp.
This amp series was released in 2007, and made by Warwick in cooperation with Jonas Hellborg (which is the coolest name ever btw).
The pre-amp is apparently a copy of a Neve channel strip with an input transformer and coil based eq. The power-amp, though solid state, actually has output transformers as mister Hellborg's theory is that this is actually the reason that tube-amps sounds so delicious.
The amp is fine example of German over-engineering and as such weighs a hefty 30 kilo's (or about 60 imperial weight units) when combined with the sleeve.
Last night I had my first band practice with it, playing a Dingwall Combustion V2 and a MIA Fender Jazz Deluxe V (2009) through it into a Barefaced Big Twin 2.
I started out with the eq on the preamp bypassed and was greated with a fat, luscious, unrelenting clear and utterly dynamic sound.
I've allways struggeled with a balans between my higher strings being heard without cutting people's heads off with the highs or destroying their kidney stones with the lows whenever I switch to playing on the low B string. I've tried elevating the cab and taking it away from any boundary reinforcement.
This is no longer a problem, I have never had such a balanced sound.
There is a quality to the sound which is like compression, but without losing any of the dynamics. The low end is just there, however hard or soft you decide to play. The dynamic range on the pre is enormous. On the e.q. a little goes a very long way, but even maxed out, non of the frequencies get bloated or harsh.
Normally I allways tended to add quit a lot of high mids, to be heard (two half stacks and animal on drums in a concrete bunker...... no literally a concrete bunker. Oefenruimtes) but I found myself not needing to do this now.
I was also worried that 500 watts might not be enough, having come from a 900 watt class D amp, but this was not the case. I'm really starting to think there might be something to the whole "lead-sled heft" thing ;-)
Needless to say, I'm still in the honeymoon phase so ymmv and all that.
Does the amp have any downsides?
Sure, it's so heavy it has a gravitational field, It is an utter pain to reach the connections on the back of the pre-amp when rack-mounted and the lights on the front look cool but are utterly blinding in any situation other then bright daylight.
Other then that, it's one of those amps that needs to be heard to be believed.....
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