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Engl 820 2x35 to replace my Marshall el34 20/20


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I'm sorry I have asked that question, but it might be among others, in a thread dedicated to other issues. It's very urgent, I have to decide wether to replace my Marshall el84 20/20 by the Engl E820 2x35 poweramp or not. The Engl costs as much as my Marshall el84 cost me. Not like the Marshall, the Engl has 8 tubes el34, 70 watt of power and 4 knobs (not 2) to control 2 channels: the level and presense for each channel and aslo two(!) standby's. Besides, the Engl is 2u which imho is rather fairer than a 1u Marshall.

 

I must make up my mind asap.

 

thanks for ur patience.

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Still, the Marshall el84 20/20 is too week to reproduce lows properly despite the Deep button. I use it into the same cab that I use with my Randall RG50's loop and the Randall's poweramp gives much more lows. Since the RG50 has an 8 Ohms imedance at max, the power gets down to 25 watts. So they are comparable.

 

A preamp that is run through the Randal's 'return' poweramp into the cab first and then through the Marshall into the same cab loses its lows and sounds like a toy. That's why I mean to get something else. I also found a used old Mesa/Boogie 50/50 (not to confuse with 2:fifty), but the price is a bit too high fro me $700 for a used one.

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i bought a 50/50, and i won't EVER regret... it's just sweet... nice lows, but they're not dominating... it has quite a lot of headroom, which i find very useful, as i get enough gain from my preamp, and i don't want distorted cleans...

anyways - i'd stick with the engl anytime if i had to choose between engl and marshall! i compared the 50 watt engl to the 50 watt marshall and the mesa 50/50, and i found the 50/50 to suit my taste better, but the engl was close behind... the marshall on the other hand, was pushed too easy into poweramp-distortion, so it was out of the picture...

 

lastly, you oughta listen to- and compare the gear yourself before buying anything... i usually do that... there's only one ear (or two, preferably), that can tell you whether you like the piece of gear or not, and they're stuck on each side of your head ;)

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If only I could check all things out before bidding them on ebay. So your comments may come instead. I've won the Engl 2x35 and it will come to me soon. I'll compare the two amps and sell the one I don't like. The Mesa 50/50, well, is a sorta exspensive, but it has an attenuator down to 15 watt!!! And 2 types of tubes can be used as well. Like you I wouldn't like to distort the poweramp, so 6L6 will be better for me.

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Still, the Marshall el84 20/20 is too week to reproduce lows properly despite the Deep button. I use it into the same cab that I use with my Randall RG50's loop and the Randall's poweramp gives much more lows. Since the RG50 has an 8 Ohms imedance at max, the power gets down to 25 watts. So they are comparable.


A preamp that is run through the Randal's 'return' poweramp into the cab first and then through the Marshall into the same cab loses its lows and sounds like a toy. That's why I mean to get something else. I also found a used old Mesa/Boogie 50/50 (not to confuse with 2:fifty), but the price is a bit too high fro me $700 for a used one.

 

 

If you're playing at anything besides bedroom volume, turn off the deep button. The lows are getting muddy because it functions like a "loudness" button on a home stereo, boosting the lows and cutting the mids. Turn it off when you turn it up and try again.

 

-W

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Not like the Marshall, the Engl has 8 tubes el34, 70 watt of power and 4 knobs (not 2) to control 2 channels: the level and presense for each channel and aslo two(!) standby's. Besides, the Engl is 2u which imho is rather fairer than a 1u Marshall.

 

 

Isn't it 8 EL84's?

 

Jun

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Yes, it is! Do you know anything about that?

 

The marshall is still too edgy for me. I can't explain in what way, but there's a sort of sound i don't like because it is a bit too hard or harsh or stiff. Among tube preamps I found it is the Piranha and the H&K TubeFactor's clean channel. They sound very good, but there's something that makes the sound kinda shrill. Some annoying frequencies in the sound that cut your ear or so. For example, my ADA mp-1, Egnater ie4 sound ok, round, not sharp at all. The Engl 620 sounds also tasty, though its sound is more agressive. The sound charachter these amp's produce is not that irritating. Well, the same thing is about my Randall which poweramp section is not edgy nor annoying. BUT... playing through the Marshall 20/20 I find this annoying flavour in sound. I tried correcting with an EQ, vain.

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Yes, like I said the Marshall sounded too edgy. The Engl 2x35 that I all the same bought is better for my taste. The Engl gives out what I may call a sound just right, very resonant and not too harsh. The amp doesn;t have as much as lows as the Marshall, but in the Marshall it is done artificially which makes it tone a little boxy. Besides the Engl isn't as heating as the Marshall and the cooler is quiet too.

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