ENGL 570 preamp or CAE 3+ SE pre

[SpecialEdYaay]

I know about the features of both, so how do they compare soundwise ?

I want a fat, tight, mean sounding preamp with a fast responce. Which would be better ? I'm going to mate it to my Strategy 400 power amp.

[hippietim]

I've note played that particular ENGL but I have a CAE 3+SE and it is smokin'. Channel 3 will handle your job nicely. My power amp is a Boogie 2:100 which is pretty much the power section of a Rectifier.

Check out http://hugeracksinc.com for folks with experience with that ENGL.

[Dave L]

The 3+SE is one of the very few things in the amp department that I´m still GASing for, it´s an awesome preamp and it can be fat, tight, mean and a hundred other things. The 570 is a very good piece of gear as well, but like several recent Engls I think it´s a bit generic... it kills in its own right and gets all the jobs done with ease, but it doesn´t reach out and grab me as anything truly special.

[Cleveland Metal]

My CAE3+se, is pretty cool. Lotsa tone. Not really a modern metal thing tho. Personally, when I plugged it in at first, I found it to be flubby, fuzzy at high gain and was pretty sad.

The clean tones are awesome tho.

For my use, I had to tweak the CAE a lot to really get it smoking for shred guitar stuff, (EMG 81>EMG PA-2 Preamp, and lotsa tube crafting) and it's sounds just great for that with these tweaks (a parametric helps a bit too). But still not quite heavy enough for me. The leads sing well and are sweet, but for me, the low end is lacking for the brutality I need.

The ENGL: is more modern sounding and has that low end brutality, but I wonder (doubt) if it will have the overall nice tone that the CAE has.

That said, I'm dying to get a 570 and see if I can finally ditch the CAE.

[SpecialEdYaay]

My CAE3+se, is pretty cool. Lotsa tone. Not really a modern metal thing tho. Personally, when I plugged it in at first, I found it to be flubby, fuzzy at high gain and was pretty sad.

The clean tones are awesome tho.

For my use, I had to tweak the CAE a lot to really get it smoking for shred guitar stuff, (EMG 81>EMG PA-2 Preamp, and lotsa tube crafting) and it's sounds just great for that with these tweaks (a parametric helps a bit too). But still not quite heavy enough for me. The leads sing well and are sweet, but for me, the low end is lacking for the brutality I need.

The ENGL: is more modern sounding and has that low end brutality, but I wonder (doubt) if it will have the overall nice tone that the CAE has.

That said, I'm dying to get a 570 and see if I can finally ditch the CAE.

Good advise, thanks. I figured the CAE would be more tonefull, whilst not having the ** cliche alert! LOL ** "brutality" of the ENGL. I'll probably go with the ENGL.

I've yet to try any ENGL for that matter, and I can hear a somewhat "generic" quality to some of the clips I've downloaded over the years, but I think it'll be OK with my Strategy 400 power amp as it has alot of character and I like its hyper aggressive sound.

[srommes]

Two completely different preamps. I had the 3+SE and it wasn't for me. It had a nice rounded sound and a killer clean but it has a dated sound. If you are looking for a great 80's/90's tone then it's the ticket. Yeah, I know you can ship them to a tech and have them tweaked to your specs, but for what they sell for it seems stupid that you should have to get it modded to sound the way you want. If you want a more modern sounding, very versatile preamp then the E570 is the way to go. I have both the E570 and E580 and love them. Another really nice preamp is the RM4 from Randall. Sounds killer with their RT2/50 poweramp.

[SpecialEdYaay]

Two completely different preamps. I had the 3+SE and it wasn't for me. It had a nice rounded sound and a killer clean but it has a dated sounded. If you are looking for a great 80's/90's tone then it's the ticket. Yeah, I know you can ship them to a tech and have them tweaked to your specs, but for what they sell for it seems stupid that you should have to get it modded to sound the way you want. If you want a more modern sounding, very versatile preamp then the E570 is the way to go. I have both the E570 and E580 and love them. Another really nice preamp is the RM4 from Randall. Sounds killer with their RT2/50 poweramp.

Thanks. I was considering the 580 as well. Strictly tone wise, how does it compare to the 570 ?

[srommes]

They sound very similar but the E580 just takes it a step beyond with its versatility. You essentially have eight channels with the E570 if you consider each of the four channels has a high/low gain. You can get just about any tone you can imagine with these eight channels but for some that isn't enough(if you're playing in a cover band or in the studio etc.). The E580 covers the whole gamit of sounds as well but it also allows you to save EQ settings etc. from patch to patch. You can't go wrong with either one. You just need to decide how much versatility you need.

[SpecialEdYaay]

They sound very similar but the E580 just takes it a step beyond with its versatility. You essentially have eight channels with the E570 if you consider each of the four channels has a high/low gain. You can get just about any tone you can imagine with these eight channels but for some that isn't enough(if you're playing in a cover band or in the studio etc.). The E580 covers the whole gamit of sounds as well but it also allows you to save EQ settings etc. from patch to patch. You can't go wrong with either one. You just need to decide how much versatility you need.

Gotcha. Last question: is the 570 a bit more organic or real sounding compared to the 580 ? I'm speculating the 580's more complex circuitry (due to all that programability) may result in a less "head like" sound than the 570.

[srommes]

Gotcha. Last question: is the 570 a bit more organic or real sounding compared to the 580 ? I'm speculating the 580's more complex circuitry (due to all that programability) may result in a less "head like" sound than the 570.

I personally don't think so but I've heard others say that. I've never had the chance to play thru an Engl head so I can't make a direct comparison as to whether the preamps are as organic sounding as the heads. You really can't go wrong with either preamp.

[Robotechnology]

I'll say this, don't use a VHT 2/50/2 with a 570. A 2/90/2 or Mesa 50/50 or Mesa 2:90 will do a better job tonewise. I was very surprised at this. I agree about the CAE being more 80's sounding and the ENGL more modern. The ENGL can also do Jazz though so don't think it's just a metal machine.