Soldano questions (Avenger, HR) and Mesa Mark IV

[JacksonUSA]

my band plays music in the style of Dream Theater, Metallica, Symphony X, Ozz, In Flames and stuff like that

I know a Mark IV would very likely do the job for what I need but I was wondering if the Soldano amps can get in that territory as well. I don't mean to copy Metallica's tone or DT's tone either but I'd like to have something in that genre. I wouldn't mind adding an overdrive pedal in the mix to add gain either.

I was wondering what were the main differences between the Soldanos other than the wattage and the number of channels. Like are they all PTP and stuff like that. Also, are they smoother than Peavey 5150s ?

 

[dylan7620]

i've played an avenger 100 and a decatone. i liked the avenger alot. altough i had alot more time to play with it. its basicaly a slightly more agressive version of the SLO's lead channel. the one i played had the same tranny as the SLO. its very high gain. but its VERY clean sounding compared to a 5150 or recto. not in a bad way, some may think its not quite as "brutal" sounding but i got a chance to really mess with it (my friend left it over at my house for a few months, needless to say i was more than happy to oblige :lol if you gently scoop out some of the mids (to tase) you get a rediculous chunk which rivals anything i've ever heard.

 

[flieger67]

I was wondering what were the main differences between the Soldanos other than the wattage and the number of channels. Like are they all PTP and stuff like that. Also, are they smoother than Peavey 5150s ?

As for the PTP question, Soldanos are built on PC boards. Here's a portion of a tech article from Soldano's site: http://www.soldano.com/mharticle.htm

Point to Point vs Printed Circuit Boards
In the early days before circuit boards were designed, technicians relied on various "anchor points" to connect wires together. Primitive layouts consisted of terminal strips screwed to the chassis or even pieces of cardboard fitted with brass eyelets. Components and wiring were then soldered, point to point , to these terminals or eyelets to create the circuit. As time went on, clever technicians figured they could etch the wiring patterns into copper foil laminated to a strong and rigid phenolic board. The components could then be soldered directly to these copper "traces". This was the beginnings of modern printed circuit (PC) boards. In today's boards, epoxy reinforced glass fiber replaces phenolic and more than one layer of copper is now possible. When using PC boards, precise parts placement and consistent wiring is guaranteed.

I feel that point-to-point wiring is still very useful when designing an amplifier prototype or building a custom one-of-a-kind amp. It's quicker, easier, and cheaper to do than a one-off printed circuit board, and it's generally easier to make circuit modifications when using this method. Well done point to point wiring is also very nice to look at - if you've ever seen the inside an early Hiwatt, you'll know what I mean.

In my opinion, however, it is far more cost effective and less labor intensive to use PC technology in a production environment. To you the consumer, this means a better amp for less money. I believe that an amp built with well designed circuit boards is easier to work with, is far more consistent and reliable, and more rugged mechanically than a point to point wired amp. Another advantage is that, since the circuitry is clearly mapped out on the board, PC boards are also quicker and easier to service.

In closing this discussion, one should bear in mind that there is absolutely no sonic difference between point to point and printed circuit board wiring. Detractors of PC boards have argued that they are less reliable due to cracked solder joints or failure prone do to burned traces - neither of these complaints are even an issue with a properly designed board.

 

[JacksonUSA]

I was wondering what were the main differences between the Soldanos other than the wattage and the number of channels. Like are they all PTP and stuff like that. Also, are they smoother than Peavey 5150s ?

As for the PTP question, Soldanos are built on PC boards. Here's a portion of a tech article from Soldano's site: http://www.soldano.com/mharticle.htm

Point to Point vs Printed Circuit Boards
In the early days before circuit boards were designed, technicians relied on various "anchor points" to connect wires together. Primitive layouts consisted of terminal strips screwed to the chassis or even pieces of cardboard fitted with brass eyelets. Components and wiring were then soldered, point to point , to these terminals or eyelets to create the circuit. As time went on, clever technicians figured they could etch the wiring patterns into copper foil laminated to a strong and rigid phenolic board. The components could then be soldered directly to these copper "traces". This was the beginnings of modern printed circuit (PC) boards. In today's boards, epoxy reinforced glass fiber replaces phenolic and more than one layer of copper is now possible. When using PC boards, precise parts placement and consistent wiring is guaranteed.

I feel that point-to-point wiring is still very useful when designing an amplifier prototype or building a custom one-of-a-kind amp. It's quicker, easier, and cheaper to do than a one-off printed circuit board, and it's generally easier to make circuit modifications when using this method. Well done point to point wiring is also very nice to look at - if you've ever seen the inside an early Hiwatt, you'll know what I mean.

In my opinion, however, it is far more cost effective and less labor intensive to use PC technology in a production environment. To you the consumer, this means a better amp for less money. I believe that an amp built with well designed circuit boards is easier to work with, is far more consistent and reliable, and more rugged mechanically than a point to point wired amp. Another advantage is that, since the circuitry is clearly mapped out on the board, PC boards are also quicker and easier to service.

In closing this discussion, one should bear in mind that there is absolutely no sonic difference between point to point and printed circuit board wiring. Detractors of PC boards have argued that they are less reliable due to cracked solder joints or failure prone do to burned traces - neither of these complaints are even an issue with a properly designed board.

thanks for the link

 

[flieger67]

thanks for the link

You're welcome. Glad to be of help.

 

[RoadsterAbuser]

i've played an avenger 100 and a decatone. i liked the avenger alot. altough i had alot more time to play with it. its basicaly a slightly more agressive version of the SLO's lead channel. the one i played had the same tranny as the SLO. its very high gain. but its VERY clean sounding compared to a 5150 or recto. not in a bad way, some may think its not quite as "brutal" sounding but i got a chance to really mess with it (my friend left it over at my house for a few months, needless to say i was more than happy to oblige :lol if you gently scoop out some of the mids (to tase) you get a rediculous chunk which rivals anything i've ever heard.

That's IMPOSSIBLE as the tran is what seperates the SLO from all other amps in the planet. Do you even know which tran in the SLO? Of course not. Take a guess how much that tran costs?

Unless there as person stupid enough to take the tran out of the SLO and put it in the Avenger..but what would be the point?

Thanks for the great info now I know to stay away from your input in the future since you have no clue as to what you're saying.

 

[scotbot]

deyoung transformers are in the SLO. how do i know? look at my sig.

 

[RoadsterAbuser]

deyoung transformers are in the SLO. how do i know? look at my sig.

Correct! The Avenger uses Mercury Magnetics. I know.. it's my favorite amp all time as is the SLO.

If the Avenger used the DeYoung tran it would cost $1000 more.

This is how rumors and bad info gets around.

 

[scotbot]

dont get me wrong. mercury transformers are awesome too! my 101b has them.