New Mini-Mark V 25!

[gibbycustom]

I've seen a lot of people hoping for one of these, and here it is. Mesa tweeted this link today for the demo! Looks awesome and sounds great...enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcuF5n9f-Hk

 

[sduck]

Yes, this looks pretty amazing. It might even be the first thing that could possibly replace my Mark IV. Probably not, but who knows? For $1K3 it's a steal.

 

[gibbycustom]

Hmmm, not sure this would replace my beloved Mark IV. Although I do think that this amp will dethrone the mini rec as king of the lunchbox amps. Mesa hit a home run with this one.

 

[Agustín Collia]

YEEEEEAHH!!! Finally, I can't believe this day has come!

 

[igfraso]

Are you happy with the choice of EL-84s as power amp tubes? I really don't get it. I thought 6V6s were going to be a better choice.

 

[Agustín Collia]

I'm happy with the fact that they actually released it... I honestly thought it was not going to happen.
I agree, 6V6 would have been a better choice, but I kind of knew they were going to use the Dyna Watt for this amp, it's been around for quite some time, and it's what they've been using in all the lower wattage amps since the DC series. Perhaps they tried to adapt the Dyna Watt so that it would work with 6V6's, but they didn't find a significant difference.
Anyway, I won't give any judgement until I actually test the amp, maybe the mods the did to the pre really compensate for the different power section.

 

[igfraso]

Yes, that is a possible explanation. Thank you.

I have a Mark V head, and I am very happy with it, but was looking for something more portable. Previous Mark heads are usually 18" wide but Mark V's are 22.5" wide.

A mini head just 14" wide really makes a big difference and I was eagerly waiting for the mini Mark where I thought Mesa was going to use 6V6s since that is the option they offered in the Mark IV (Mark I RI and Lone Star Classic, as well).

I understand that judging an amp based on a demo and through the PC speakers is hard but, somehow, I felt that the EL84 sound was too compressed. Of course, an open back cabinet will make it sound different.

Maybe, space allowing it, Mesa could have offered Progressive Linkage like in the Blue Angel where you can use 6V6s and/or EL84s.

 

[Agustín Collia]

Yeah, I get what you say, I also would've liked it to come with 6V6s, but I still won't make a decision until I am able to play it myself.
I honestly didn't find the sounds/settings I would use in that demo (I play mostly Progressive Metal/Rock, Dream Theater, Rush, that kind of thing; and that's an aspect that wasn't showcased too much in that video).
Ohh, I didn't know the Blue Angel had that feature... Was the power section for the Blue Angel a Dyna Watt? How did they solve the pin compatibility issue between 6V6s and EL84s?
Anyway, do you really think (given that the power section was still the Dyna) that just the tubes could make that much of a difference?

 

[igfraso]

Agustin:
I don't think the Blue Angel has a Dyna-Watt power section. It is a dual rectifier with "pure Class A power".

No problem with pin compatibility because all 6 power tubes are in place at all times (2 x 6V6 + 4 x EL84).
With two 6V6, you get 18 watt and, with four EL84, you get 33 watt. When you combine all six together, you get 38 watt.

I wish I had an answer to your last question.

 

[Agustín Collia]

That sounds more like it, I thought Progressive Linkage allowed you to swap between 6V6 and EL84, like you can do in the Mark V between 6L6 and EL34. Then I think it would be hard to apply the same concept in the Mark V 25, as you can hardly fit any more power tubes in there! Although I reckon it would be interesting if it came with 6V6, or if you could choose between 6V6 and EL84.