5150 (6505) vs ENGL Powerball

[JeffTD]

Ah yeah... I can see what you mean, but honestly, I think it's the best amp for a 2 guitar extreme metal band without spending 3x the price of one.

 

[Fragle]

"Ah yeah... I can see what you mean, but honestly, I think it's the best amp for a 2 guitar extreme metal band without spending 3x the price of one."

i second that

 

[Hexer]

Kazrog: no, I acually tried it with a Marshall 412 (dunno which exact modell though).

Fragle: shure I know we'll probably never agree on this but thats not really the point:Spin:

with the powerball (or ENGL as a whole) its just like that I guess: you either like it, or you dont.
personally I havent found an amp that I like better so far! and ENGL just seems to be my thing.

as I said: I can easily(!) get it to cut through now and it has MASSIVE amounts of really tight low-end if you want that (can get TOO much depending on the setup/cab/placement)
what is definitally true is, that the powerball has problems with some cabs! I've heard people praise cabs from ENGL, Bogner, Mesa and Genz Benz in combination with the Powerball.

I also know, that the 5150 most probably is a very good amp, I'm just saying that I personally didnt really like it from what little experience I've had with it

the Powerball really doesnt have as much mids as some other amps, thats for shure, but you can turn on the focused mids and turn the mid-knob up, that will definitaly help quite a bit (though not enough for some people). now if you use a good cab that has a middy sound by itself, this problem will pretty much vanish (at least thats my experience)

as I said: with Powerball+ENGL212VH it seems I can cut the rest of the band into pieces if I go the extreme way:hotjump:

to avoid a war, lets just put it like that: You guys like your 5150s, I like my Powerball, so we're all happy

 

[Vovus]

Emperor's Prometheus album is recorded with Engl Powerball and I think it beats the others in aspects - sound saturation, tightness of low end and better for low tunings. It is my favorite amp together with Fireball, even Mesa Rectifiers cant' be compared, IMHO.. The only minor side is less mids, but it can be easely be fixed with turning up the knob and matching good midsounding cab, as Line 6 Valve or Engl XXL Pro.

 

[LSD-Studio]

Emperor's Prometheus album is recorded with Engl Powerball and I think it beats the others in aspects - sound saturation, tightness of low end and better for low tunings. It is my favorite amp together with Fireball, even Mesa Rectifiers cant' be compared, IMHO.. The only minor side is less mids, but it can be easely be fixed with turning up the knob and matching good midsounding cab, as Line 6 Valve or Engl XXL Pro.

wow, what unexpected resurrection

still:

6505/Recto= Great
E650 Compressor (Mud/Fizz-Ball)=Shite

 

[jesterroot4]

Kazrog. You have a 6505+ head dont'chya? Curiously, have you ever tried that new Peavey Valveking head by chance?

my guitarist got one, and if your thinkin about using it for metal, dont lol
i dunno wat it is, but like, wen i compared it to the peavey classic, it sounded solid state:| and i really couldnt get a tone that satisfied me out of it

 

[Meisterjäger]

my guitarist got one, and if your thinkin about using it for metal, dont lol
i dunno wat it is, but like, wen i compared it to the peavey classic, it sounded solid state:| and i really couldnt get a tone that satisfied me out of it

I whole-heartedly disagree with the 'don't use it for metal' thing. I'll have to try and get some VK clips up, cos this thing truly RIPS. Not face-peeling like a 6505, but running the gain at pretty much full useable kick (around 9 o'clock, input 1, A/B mode, gain boost on) gives me to good stuff for pretty fast metal.

 

[Torniojaws]

The amp also is very, very feedback prone when put the gain anywhere above 10:00. You're going to have to pick up a noise gate of some sort.

Mmh? The Powerball is/isn't many things, but it certainly is not feedback prone. And it already has a built-in adjustable noise gate that does the job very well.

 

[abyssofdreams]

Yeah, it can add some chainsaw highend, but you can tweak around it. For reference, my settings are:

Gain on 4
Bass on 6-6.5
Mids at 2-3
Treble at 4-5

No chainsaw highs for me! I find if I keep the mids up too high (past 4), it gets a bit chainsaw-y. OD808 settings are Level at noon, Gain at 9 o clock, tone at 11 o clock.

Ha! Exactly my settings! Though sometimes I'm havin the Bass a lil higher and mids a tad lower but I'm on Engl V60 speakers anyways, so....
What tubes do you have?

 

[Chryst Krispies]

Ha! Exactly my settings! Though sometimes I'm havin the Bass a lil higher and mids a tad lower but I'm on Engl V60 speakers anyways, so....
What tubes do you have?

I think those are most people's settings haha.

That's like "the" sound.

 

[Metaltastic]

That, and the fact that (at least on my old 5150 combo) the only control that really makes any noticeable difference (meaning, the only one that can turn the amp to "suck") is presence - it's about the most fool-proof amp I've played

 

[hagen626]

I've owned both. Both are great. each has their pluses. Here's two great videos demoing each of them. I listened to it in 1080p with a pair of $500 headphones for the best clarity and I vastly prefer the powerball. He recorded these within the same week so it's a pretty accurate comparison. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yq0NIeOoiBI&feature=iv&annotation_id=annotation_435375[/ame]

 

[Ola Englund]

People claiming Engls have a problem cutting through a mix or a live gig just don't know how to set up an Engl. :Smug:

 

[slayercannibalsuffohead]

Have a 5150, 6505+ and a XXX.
Now I have an E570 and E850/100 on the way.
Can not wait! :hotjump:

 

[prostetnic]

Marty Friedman uses Powerballs and ENGL cabinets on his current tour. The goodness blew my head clean off at the show Definetely an amp to invade Poland with. Still, I think it lacks a bit of definition for rhythm. Sound is too dark. I guess it's best to have both the ENGL and the Peavey For live use, I'd definetely prefer the 5150 because its simple and reliable.