Nad - 6505mh

[FJP467]

Happy NAD to me. I have been in the market for a mini head and I have agonized over the offerings from Peavey. I could not decide between the Valveking or the 6505mh. I finally decided on the 6505MH. I just picked it up from my local dealer at a GREAT price. I can't wait to get it home and put it through its paces. Pics and my thoughts on the amp to follow. It is going to be a great night!

Rock on Everyone!!

[thetruthguy]

Cool. I had the combo version of the Valveking for awhile and liked it a lot. I'm sure the head is nice and the 6505 mini even better. Would love to hear a tone report.

[FJP467]

I did not have all night to spend with the amp. I did get about an hour to play around though. My initial impression is that this thing is an absolute beast of an amp. The tone controls are very responsive. The slightest twist of a dial and you instantly are reshaping the output. Overall, this thing has way more gain than mere mortals will ever need. However, on the clean side, there is no clean side...lol. If you are looking for Fender like cleans, this is not your amp. The clean channel is usable but not very inspiring. The clean channel with the crunch button engaged seems to have some potential, but I need to spend more time there before I can give an informed opinion. The gain channel is where it is at. More gain than you will ever need. I have no doubts this thing can easily do modern day chugging back to 80's metal no problem. The sweet spot seems to be on the lead channel with pre-amp gain set between 9 o'clock and 12 o'clock. If you get past the half way point, it starts to get fizzy quick. Also, the built in attenuator seems to work very well too. The is a big drop in output when going from 20 watts to 5 to 1. I hear some comments about the amp not having the bottom end of its big brother. I do not see that. I did find 1 watt to be a little thin, but I think that can be eq'd to sound better. 5 Watts in the bedroom is too loud cranked, but you can easily dial back and find a manageable level that produces some great tones. 20 Watts is definitely loud enough to play a small venue. It is every bit as loud as my DSL-40C. Overall, I would say that Peavey has hit a homerun with this amp. It is sonic bliss to my ears. As much as I want to be a Marshall guy, this amp walks all over my DSL. Not to mention, this thing stomps my Blackstar HT-5 metal too. I will definitely do more homework and let you guys know what I think but right now she looks like a keeper.

[BenoA]

Cool and congratz for NAD!!! Have you tried the USB output? I'm curious about it.

[horns666]

NICE STUFF MAN!!! I didn't know about the 6505MH either. I should get another firebreather for my other music room upstairs. Those amps rule!!!

You'll have lots of fun with it..enjoy!!

Billz

[FJP467]

Cool and congratz for NAD!!! Have you tried the USB output? I'm curious about it.

Sorry, I have not tried the USB output yet. I can not give you any report on that. Hopefully I can mess with the USB this weekend and let you know. Just by judging the overall quality of this amp, I am sure it will work as it should.

[lefty]

Great score! That amp is no. 1 on my wish list...

[BenoA]

Sorry, I have not tried the USB output yet. I can not give you any report on that. Hopefully I can mess with the USB this weekend and let you know. Just by judging the overall quality of this amp, I am sure it will work as it should.

Thanks for the reply and no hurries. I'm just curious about it has the one on my small Yamaha THR5 works pretty good for late and silent recording sessions.

BTW, anyone compared the mini 6505 to its bigger brother?

Also, anyone tried the Classic version of this small amp?

[FJP467]

Thanks for the reply and no hurries. I'm just curious about it has the one on my small Yamaha THR5 works pretty good for late and silent recording sessions.

BTW, anyone compared the mini 6505 to its bigger brother?

Also, anyone tried the Classic version of this small amp?

I have not tried the Classic. However, I like the 6505 so much, I actually found a new Valveking 20 at a great price and picked it up. It is a beast of an amp too. Much smoother gain and the clean channel is just awesome. I can only surmise that the Classic has to be every bit as good as advertised. The other 2 in the mini series are homeruns for sure.

[horns666]

Peavey 3120 is the closest Uber sounding amp I ever played. I had tons of 5150's and 6505+, an older tweed Classic as well /reverb..great. Definitely not 6505 territory.

But I have a first series Uberschall and tried everything under the sun. The only amp that seemed close gain/tone wise was the 3120.

These are facts. I don't have opinions. Opinions suck...IMO

For smooth tight gain..Blackstar, Freyette and JVM rule. Had a Engl Powerball, Freyette, for a little while..I flipped 'em. I though the JS peavey was cool. Prolly find one cheap on Craiglist. $400-500. Thats alot of amp for the money! I slowed down buying stuff. I found my tone..it was me all along.

I found my tone when I first started playing. The old tapes sound exactly like me. Fast sloppy hell, but it's still me.

[BenoA]

I found my tone when I first started playing. The old tapes sound exactly like me. Fast sloppy hell, but it's still me.

Quote of the year! Pretty true and same for me. I always sound like me, whatever the gear I try. Rock on!

[horns666]

Ha...well quote on man!! Good to see ya!

I don't care if it's Pignose or a Marshall stack..it's sound exactly like me.

[Electric]

That's the truth for sure. I've been through a Mesa Rectifier, ENGL Powerball, Peavey 6505+, Mesa Mark V, EVH 5153, Diezel Lil Fokker, and now have a Bogner Uberschall. While they all have their own flavor and feel, I definitely still sound like me through whatever rig I play through. I distinctly remember taking my Powerball to the first band practice after I got it. I had just switched from my Mesa Single Rectifier and was expecting the rest of the band to hear a huge difference but they pretty much thought it sounded the same.

Doesn't stop me from continuing to amp whore though. That's half the fun.

[horns666]

These are facts. I think I'm done buying stuff now. Just bought a Balckstar and played with it all night. Oddly it seems more forgiving than the Peavey. The Peavey sounds more like a tube amp..even tho they're both tube amps. I gotta get it LOUD this week to see if I'm keeping it or not. I don't think I'm going to sleep..today.

It's sound soooo good at medium and very low volume. It sounds Marshall-ish. More than any non Marshall amp I had so far..like you guys too much too list.

[BenoA]

WHat Blackstar model did you get horns666? And you would it is more forgiving?

And at FJP467 did you try the USB output? Does it have a speaker emulation when using the USB output? I really dig the way my lil' Yamaha TH5 can be used as an audio interface and it sounds damn fine for silent recording. JUst curious about the Peavey. Smell the GAS?