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No.
If it was, anyone could get that much gain with a Plexi.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Have a look at the Dan Hawkins video from NAMM on the Marshall YouTube - gives a pretty good idea of how much gain there is and the general tone.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
I would expect pre-amp to be normal Superlead voltages or they'd have to play around a lot to keep the headroom and gain structure the same. I'd also expect 20W mode to be less than a normal Superlead, maybe around 400V. ICBM was saying the lower 5W mode was actually just lower drive - preset master volume - rather than reduced power.
Of the amps I've played which are roughly comparable in power and circuit I prefer the (sadly discontinued) Orange Rocker 30, although that's cheating in a way because it has a separate clean channel. I haven't played the Laney LA30BL yet but I have a suspicion I might like that better too from what I've heard in clips.
I'll have to try the JCM800 one at some point - from the Marshall demos I thought this one sounded better, but my favourite Marshall of all is a JMP 2203...
I thought so from where the relay is on the PCB, but I was definitely wrong! Earlier posts now edited .
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Power valve plate voltage in 20W mode - 288V
Power valve plate voltage in 5W mode - 174V
Screen voltage in 20W mode - 281V
Screen voltage in 5W mode - 170V
Phase inverter plate voltages in 20W mode - 183V and 174V
Phase inverter plate voltages in 5W mode - 115V and 111V
Cathode follower plate voltages in 20W mode - 166V and 265V
Cathode follower plate voltages in 5W mode - 182V and 295V
V1 plate voltages in 20W mode - 150V and 152V
V1 plate voltages in 5W mode - 166V and 167V
So it is in fact a 'power scaling' arrangement not a virtual MV. The preamp voltages are roughly comparable with a full-size Super Lead, and the rise in the V1 and V2 voltages in 5W mode will be due to the lower current rather than deliberate switching - or that would be getting very complicated indeed.
Interesting, and not what I expected at all! But it does confirm what I've always thought, that power scaling sounds more like a master volume control and not as good as attenuation...
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Interesting info - thanks
Wow, under 300V for the '34 anodes. Didn't expect that. I guess lower voltage filter caps and lower impedance OT will save some cost.
Is the 5W mode just reducing the final anode/screen supply or is it also reducing the drive to compensate? Probably hard to tell without fully tracing it out.
I've played with power scaling in a variety of guitar amp circuits. It works a treat in my 5E3, scaling the whole amp. Also pretty good in an own design SE low watt amp. I built it into a JTM 45, just scaling the PA and good for moderate power reduction. Horses for courses, or amps.
Thanks for measuring that, interesting stuff.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
You've always spoken highly of the rocker 30,
I've been playing through a borrowed rocker 30 combo quite a bit lately at band practices.
I find that the EQ seems to be very "warm" sounding, and I'm struggling to get the kind of upper mid detail and punch that you get from a typical" brit" sounding amp.
Does that sound about right?? I'd like to get a bit more upper mid sizzle in there if I could.
It might confirm your opinion in your own mind, but that's all!
I find it hard to understand how you can say that, but then I'm speaking for my own PS installations and can't answer for some others, and I have heard some less-than-great iterations of VVR/VAC etc. The way it appears to be implemented in that amp for instance, isn't what I would call good.
Most of the installations I do have both PS and master volume, as I favour the 2-knob system. Like you I think PS or attenuation is best served by balancing against the MV, especially at low volumes.
However on an amp with both PS and MV, you can directly compare the effect of one and the other, and how anyone could think they sound anything like the same confuses me.
Anyway, this is off-topic, so apologies, but I feel someone has to contradict @ICBM now and then, otherwise these things become accepted wisdom. I also don't have an issue with JJ preamp valves.
By the way, I'm not a zealot for PS, despite having installed it hundreds of times. It's a useful tool that some like and some don't, some have a use for, some don't.
They’re comparative prices at the moment so seems like a fair question to be honest.