rack question

[*eleven*]

if i bought a mesa 50/5o power amp do i need a preamp to run with it like say for example a rocktron chameleon or a mesa v-twin??

[Soloist1]

Re: rack question

Absolutely. You need the preamp to boost the signal to a useable level for the power amp.

[*eleven*]

Re: rack question

thanks for the quick reply

also i have been reading hear that the mesa 20/20 is a better sounding power amp then the 50/50 is that my best bet the 20/20 ?

thanks rick

[*eleven*]

Re: rack question

thanks for the quick reply

also i have been reading hear that the mesa 20/20 is a better sounding power amp then the 50/50 is that my best bet the 20/20 ?

thanks rick

[rodrigo_echeverri]

Re: rack question

Listen to my clips.... I do strongly believe that the 20/20 sounds better. To me that is a pretty obvious choice. However, I only use it at home for recording so I only care about tone and not volume.

Look at this thread:

Cheap dream rack

Ask any more questions if you want.

[rstites]

Re: rack question

I don't think you can come up with any univeral statements on the 20/20 or 50/50 are better. For some people, one or the other will sound better. Even more importantly, I think you'll find that for different applications (different preamps and different cabs) that one will work better than the other.

I'd suspect that for the vast majority of players, either will have plenty of volume for live applications. The 50/50 will stay cleaner a bit longer and will tend to color the tone less. The whole idea of the 20/20 is to add some power coloring characteristics to the sound - whether it's actual distortion or just coloration (EL84s naturally do this more than 6L6s). Either is a strong contender for a good power amp, but neither is much good without a good preamp and a good cab to go with it.