Anyone using the Engl Fireball 25?

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Soundstorm

Soundstorm

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So I've decided to give a brand a shot that I've never tried before- Engl. I know they have something of a reputation for having QC issues around here, but in my quest for kickass metal tone, I can leave no amp unturned. So after watching some demos I went ahead and put in an order for the Fireball 25 through Sweetwater so I can try it out for a couple weeks and just return if I decide it's not for me. If I decide to keep it, I'll have that 2 year warranty with them in case of any fuckery. I've been going down the rabbit hole of high gain low watt heads lately and the Kyle Bull demo on this one sold me on it.

Anyone else own/try one?
 
Techdeth said:
Best little amp I’ve ever tried . Monster
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Ditto. I've had the 6L6, but now have the Limited Edition KT77 version. It's a beast! Never had any QC issues with owning several Engls. And their onboard noise gate rules.

I've had my share of low watt small heads, and this is the best of the bunch, (the PT-20 V2 is up there too, but I prefer the big bottles). The Fireball 25 sounds huge.

If you have the cash and can wait, I got mine from Pitbull audio. They gave me 15% off and I got $127 in cash rewards to spend. They were doing double points at the time.
 
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napalmdeath said:
Ditto. I've had the 6L6, but now have the Limited Edition KT77 version. It's a beast! Never had any QC issues with owning several Engls. And their onboard noise gate rules.

I've had my share of low watt small heads, and this is the best of the bunch, (the PT-20 V2 is up there too, but I prefer the big bottles). The Fireball 25 sounds huge.

If you have the cash and can wait, I got mine from Pitbull audio. They gave me 15% off and I got $127 in cash rewards to spend. They were doing double points at the time.
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The noisegate and scalable power soak options are huge pluses at this price point. I already ordered from Sweetwater, but thanks for the tip on Pitbull. My only real complaint with Sweetwater is their slow af shipping.
 
napalmdeath said:
Ditto. I've had the 6L6, but now have the Limited Edition KT77 version. It's a beast! Never had any QC issues with owning several Engls. And their onboard noise gate rules.

I've had my share of low watt small heads, and this is the best of the bunch, (the PT-20 V2 is up there too, but I prefer the big bottles). The Fireball 25 sounds huge.

If you have the cash and can wait, I got mine from Pitbull audio. They gave me 15% off and I got $127 in cash rewards to spend. They were doing double points at the time.
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How does the KT77 compare to the 6L6?
 
One of the most impressive lunchbox or small footprint high gain amps i've ever played, the 6l6 and KT77 sound basically the same to me.
I am way too neurotic to ever own one because of the difficulty of potential repairs, but they definitely do sound great

The power soak and gate are great ease of life add-ons

In the same realm as the nitro SS, mini nightmare, and KSR orion as far as "punches way above its footprint" - they're all just different flavors/tones of the maximized version of the lunchbox type high gain amp, at least among the ones i've played

It's way way way way ahead of the evh/6505, revv, and marshall studio stuff - absolutely kills those amps as far as sounding "big" - though it wont carry the weight of big iron cranked up with a 4x12, it can totally hang and hold its own in a band, which a bunch of those types of amps pretend they can do but actually can't unless you've got a killer sound guy and PA system.
 
DanTravis62 said:
One of the most impressive lunchbox or small footprint high gain amps i've ever played, the 6l6 and KT77 sound basically the same to me.
I am way too neurotic to ever own one because of the difficulty of potential repairs, but they definitely do sound great

The power soak and gate are great ease of life add-ons

In the same realm as the nitro SS, mini nightmare, and KSR orion as far as "punches way above its footprint" - they're all just different flavors/tones of the maximized version of the lunchbox type high gain amp, at least among the ones i've played

It's way way way way ahead of the evh/6505, revv, and marshall studio stuff - absolutely kills those amps as far as sounding "big" - though it wont carry the weight of big iron cranked up with a 4x12, it can totally hang and hold its own in a band, which a bunch of those types of amps pretend they can do but actually can't unless you've got a killer sound guy and PA system.
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I was really close to grabbing one of the small EVH options. This is strictly for recording. Running out of my studio room into a cab that shares a wall with my mix position, so I've been all about the low wattage offerings lately. Finding something that can sound powerful and punchy without being too loud and bleeding through the walls so I have an easier time dialing the amp in. I don't have full band considerations as of now :sad:
 
Soundstorm said:
I was really close to grabbing one of the small EVH options. This is strictly for recording. Running out of my studio room into a cab that shares a wall with my mix position, so I've been all about the low wattage offerings lately. Finding something that can sound powerful and punchy without being too loud and bleeding through the walls so I have an easier time dialing the amp in. I don't have full band considerations as of now :sad:
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Yeah the FB25 is way better than the smaller EVH stuff IMO

Honestly I think there is something missing from the 5150 type tone when you remove the big components, I don't have the technical knowledge to explain it, but it's one of those amps where the difference between a classic block letter and the 6505MH or EVH lbx is wildly bigger than the difference between say, a DSL20 and a DSL100 or something like that

There's definitely something being lost in translation
 
DanTravis62 said:
Yeah the FB25 is way better than the smaller EVH stuff IMO

Honestly I think there is something missing from the 5150 type tone when you remove the big components, I don't have the technical knowledge to explain it, but it's one of those amps where the difference between a classic block letter and the 6505MH or EVH lbx is wildly bigger than the difference between say, a DSL20 and a DSL100 or something like that

There's definitely something being lost in translation
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I don't know. Personally I liked the sound of LBX better than its older brother 5150III 50W. I didn't miss anything about the LBX compared to the 50W, rather the opposite. But I understand your point.
 
mcstinger said:
I don't know. Personally I liked the sound of LBX better than its older brother 5150III 50W. I didn't miss anything about the LBX compared to the 50W, rather the opposite. But I understand your point.
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Ironically, the 50 watt was more manageable than the LBX. The master on the LBX jumped pretty quick.
 
napalmdeath said:
Ironically, the 50 watt was more manageable than the LBX. The master on the LBX jumped pretty quick.
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Yes. And it was too loud for apartment and too quiet to hold with loud drummer. But soundwise I liked it.
 
napalmdeath said:
Ditto. I've had the 6L6, but now have the Limited Edition KT77 version. It's a beast! Never had any QC issues with owning several Engls. And their onboard noise gate rules.

I've had my share of low watt small heads, and this is the best of the bunch, (the PT-20 V2 is up there too, but I prefer the big bottles). The Fireball 25 sounds huge.

If you have the cash and can wait, I got mine from Pitbull audio. They gave me 15% off and I got $127 in cash rewards to spend. They were doing double points at the time.
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I’ve been split between Engl FB25 and EVH stealth 50w. After some research I think I’m going for the Engl. I play classic rock and metal and I already have a Mesa mark V and a Marshall silver jubilee 20w. The Engl is meant to cover the ground between Mesa and Marshall. I was going to order the 6L6 version of FB25, then I saw the KT-77 edition that looks and probably sounds better? @napalmdeath you seem to prefer KT-77 over 6L6? I saw a video comparing the two concluding little differences in tone and maybe a tad less mids in KT-77. What’s your experience having had both 6L6 and KT-77? Thanks!
 
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orthöhead said:
I’ve been split between Engl FB25 and EVH stealth 50w. After some research I think I’m going for the Engl. I play classic rock and metal and I already have a Mesa mark V and a Marshall silver jubilee 20w. The Engl is meant to cover the ground between Mesa and Marshall. I was going to order the 6L6 version of FB25, then I saw the KT-77 edition that looks and probably sounds better? @napalmdeath you seem to prefer KT-77 over 6L6? I saw a video comparing the two concluding little differences in tone and maybe a tad less mids in KT-77. What’s your experience having had both 6L6 and KT-77? Thanks!
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The KT77 version just seems more aggressive and tighter, (they're both tight). They both pack a lot of punch for a small amp. Plus the on board noise gate is worth the price of admission.
 
napalmdeath said:
The KT77 version just seems more aggressive and tighter, (they're both tight). They both pack a lot of punch for a small amp. Plus the on board noise gate is worth the price of admission.
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So not less mids in KT-77 as he says in this shootout?
 
orthöhead said:
So not less mids in KT-77 as he says in this shootout?
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KT77's aren't real super mid-forward, they are somewhat subdued. They have more punch and are certainly more aggressive. I did try some E34L's in it that sounded really good. The 6L6's have smoother mids, and more low-mid frequencies.

I could be wrong here, but it looks like he had the mid boost on with the 6L6 head and mid boost off on the KT77 head when playing high gain. Wouldn't be a true comparison. And, shows how bright he is.
 
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Not that I need another mini amp… cough… cough… but how would compare that mini Engl to a mini Rectifier?
 
BenoA said:
Not that I need another mini amp… cough… cough… but how would compare that mini Engl to a mini Rectifier?
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More balls. More manageable. The master on the mini recto goes from zero to holy shit real fast. They do sound great though. I always ran an EQ in the loop to fatten it up. You'll only get so much with EL84's.
 
How does the FB25 do with mid-gain tones ala Black Crowes, GNR, etc?
 
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