valve power amps - Engl??

[achren_git]

ok, I currently use a jmp-1, rocktron hush, rack eq, marshall el34 50/50 rack. I'm happy with the sound of it and I much prefer the el34 to the other (5881?) version, I like to use the power amp distorion to cut through the mix.
I tried the Engl fireball and I've decided it's totally not the sound I'm looking for- too much gain, too bassy, not enough clarity and not very versatile. (feel like the odd one out on the forum as I went to try it out on the back of the great reviews here! heheh)
I play thrash/black but I don't want a load of gain, I want to cut through the mix and crunch...

Now, problem is, the Marshall power amp I have wants to die, I don't want to spend any more cash fixing it. I've noticed engl do a power amp for not too much- e840/50
Just wondered if anyone has any experience of this amp (which has el84s i think) or knows of anything else I should be looking at. No chance of trying this stuff out by the way, as I've only ever seen one rack power amp in a shop in Scotland, second hand...
cheers
Callum

[Fragle]

Re: valve power amps - Engl??

engl ritchie blackmore head. less gain, less bass, more clarity, and a hell lot more versatile than the fireball. you should at least give it a try.
it also cuts almost as well as my jcm800.

other than that...well, el84s have less power than other tubes, and therefore start to saturate much earlier. soundwise they are less midrangey ("honkey") than el34s, but also don't have the huge bottom of 6l6s. to my ears they sound a lot like a low wattage version of a mix between those two. build quality is decent, too.
if you don't need all the volume the marshall gives you, the engl would be an option, as it's most likely going to be more quiet. if you like power amp distortion, you can't go wrong with el84s

but still, check out the blackmore [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[achren_git]

Re: valve power amps - Engl??

hmm.. I'LL need to give the Blackmore a try (although I think that's going to be a pricey option?).
Playing at reh last night though, and I'm starting to think it's the mid range "honk" that I like...