EVH 5150III 100S EL34 vs Marshall JCM800 2203 [Update]

[braintheory]

Yes. You need to know them and their taste.

Yes, like any reviews of any products you should know the reviewer’s background, but as long as that part is solid then it’s usually helpful info IME

 

[braintheory]

You need to know and consider all the variables in the Clips.

Yes. Of course. All of that But i don't hear the SLO as being an amp with clarity.

Absolutely, but often times it’s not fully disclosed what all the variables in the clips are, especially with the bs like added reverb or delay, so that all muddies things up a bit and then knowing everything we can about how it was recorded: what mics, how were they placed, what pre’s, post stuff done and it’s a lot to account for

SLO’s are not really tight or fast amps. In the context of fast or more modern metal riffs it can come off as not an articulate amp, but at least in person there’s a level of detail or overtones going on around the notes and clarity to chords more apparent on slower/sparser stuff that the peavey 6505/5150’s just don’t have in the cards. I still can enjoy 6505’s/5150’s and they actually suit me better, but for that reason they come off cheap sounding to me vs not just SLO’s, but any amps in that league of clarity like also mark iic+’s, wizards, Naylor’s, Hermansson’s, or good modded vintage Maeshall’s. Just higher level amps to me, yet somehow we get these comparison clips where it doesn’t always come off this way, but in some you can sort of hear what I’m talking about. I think it’s just recordings not being able to fully capture some important details that we get in person. For those only concerned with recording maybe it doesn’t matter

 

[Techdeth]

So, back in 14 I used the EVH settings on the lead ch, which if I remember right were: B 8-10, Mids 3-5, Presence 10, Treble-bring up from 0 till it just gets bright enough...Gain was 5-7, then I boosted it with a simple Dano Fish n Chips EQ pedal, frown mid bump. Through a G12 65 cab it was glorious. With that boost it was tighter too...maybe not metal tight but def 80s HR tight.

I use it live it’s great . I get a fear factory tone

 

[Racerxrated]

You need to know and consider all the variables in the Clips.

Yes. Of course. All of that But i don't hear the SLO as being an amp with clarity.

Have you played one? If so, did you open it up to 3-5 on the vol? I've always felt it has GREAT clarity. Far better than ANY 5150 iteration.

 

[Simon Dorn]

I think majority of the time people say clips aren’t representative of how an amp sounds are listening to stuff on an iPhone. If you have a monitoring system or hook your phone up to your Bluetooth on a system, or car I can definitely get a real feel of what an amp sounds like. I think some factors like compression and overall clarity may differ from there depending on how high an individual runs the gain themselves... But I don’t feel like I’ve ever got an amp and been shocked one way or the other after hearing it; again I hear these on a good system.

I’ll add that 9/10 people don’t even know you can turn your iPhone sideways to get an actual stereo image and is how they designed the speaker set up lol

The other thing worth thinking about is if you’re listening to a mono signal or stereo signal. Obviously listening in real life you have a full stereo image vs some videos that are mono and not fully engulfing. Why some guys like iPhone videos vs a mono sm57 signal.

You need to know your speakers. Sometimes i don't even have to plug in my AKG in my Laptop

I prefer the 5150 as the percussiveness lends to a bit more clarity. Your mic setup may be contributing to this, or you may need to dial the 800 more towards what the mic hears & translates vs how it sounds in real life. I'm sure the marshall sounds sick in the room but here its a bit smear-y.

I think if you lowered the gain a bit and added a high pass filter it would help.

I have lots of other clips, with different Settings on my Channel. I have a hard time to decide what i like best.
It's rare that i "get one" with the sound - and that same sound can (most likely will) sound like shit on the next day

 

[Simon Dorn]

Absolutely, but often times it’s not fully disclosed what all the variables in the clips are, especially with the bs like added reverb or delay, so that all muddies things up a bit and then knowing everything we can about how it was recorded: what mics, how were they placed, what pre’s, post stuff done and it’s a lot to account for

SLO’s are not really tight or fast amps. In the context of fast or more modern metal riffs it can come off as not an articulate amp, but at least in person there’s a level of detail or overtones going on around the notes and clarity to chords more apparent on slower/sparser stuff that the peavey 6505/5150’s just don’t have in the cards. I still can enjoy 6505’s/5150’s and they actually suit me better, but for that reason they come off cheap sounding to me vs not just SLO’s, but any amps in that league of clarity like also mark iic+’s, wizards, Naylor’s, Hermansson’s, or good modded vintage Maeshall’s. Just higher level amps to me, yet somehow we get these comparison clips where it doesn’t always come off this way, but in some you can sort of hear what I’m talking about. I think it’s just recordings not being able to fully capture some important details that we get in person. For those only concerned with recording maybe it doesn’t matter

When i find the clip unusable i just move on to the next clip.
Yes, i agree.

 

[Simon Dorn]

Have you played one? If so, did you open it up to 3-5 on the vol? I've always felt it has GREAT clarity. Far better than ANY 5150 iteration.

Yes, i played one and i also opened it up. On 5 it started falling apart. The Lead Channel was unboostable, for me. Crippled the pinch harmonics.
I liked the Crunch-Channel boosted. But to me it's just an americanized 2203. So it made no sense to me to keep it, since i already had a 2203.

 

[DanTravis62]

Let's revisit the 5150II SLO clip. By that clip, yes they both sound nearly identical. Yet, I've played both, and they are VERY VERY different in person than that clip can show. For example, the 5150 is a tighter amp by a good margin straight in. The SLO is an amp that has the clarity to make the 5150 sound smeared at best. The SLO has a 3D bloom to it, that not many other amps have...ime only a Wizard or a good vintage Superlead/Rev C Recto/C+ has. I'm sure there are more amps that bloom like that but my experience are those I mentioned. But the 5150, any of them, they don't have that. The voicing OF COURSE is going to be close since it's common knowledge that the 5150 was the amp that Peavey designed after EVH gave them his SLO and said "make it this!".
For some, these differences I mention are small and don't matter. But, for me and many others these differences end up HUGE in our opinion of an amp, and they can make/break our decision on a purchase. That's why clips just don't tell me much other than a 'general' tonal example, which is cool, but to me it's less than half the story I want to know about an amplifier.

I love 5150s, but attempting to put it on an SLOs level for clarity, detail, thump, richness of harmonics is actually hilarious. Especially the OG SLOs with the DeYoungs.

That's getting into the glenn fricker/youtuber retardation zone - you're comparing a primer/matte muscle car to a fucking ferrari.

It's insane to me that people watch videos like that and take it as objective or factual

 

[braintheory]

Yes, i played one and i also opened it up. On 5 it started falling apart. The Lead Channel was unboostable, for me. Crippled the pinch harmonics.
I liked the Crunch-Channel boosted. But to me it's just an americanized 2203. So it made no sense to me to keep it, since i already had a 2203.

I agree, around 5 or so it starts squishing too much and actually losing complexity and clarity, but until that point it’s great imo. With the gain on the amp set low enough I liked it with boosts
It is like a more American 6L6 Marshall-esque amp. For some that is great and different enough to have along with Marshall’s and for others they just prefer Marshall’s. I sold all the SLO’s I had, so I don’t disagree, but still really good amps imo that don’t sound or feel at all to me like 6505’s/5150’s

 

[Racerxrated]

Yes, i played one and i also opened it up. On 5 it started falling apart. The Lead Channel was unboostable, for me. Crippled the pinch harmonics.
I liked the Crunch-Channel boosted. But to me it's just an americanized 2203. So it made no sense to me to keep it, since i already had a 2203.

Was it a newer, post 2018 version by the company Soldano sold his rights to? Or an OG version? If it fell apart at 5, that's NOT an SLO thing at all. I've had 4, all pre BAD buyout and every one stayed together to almost 11 on the master. Not that you need that kind of volume, but the only amp I've had that stays together like that is a Wizard. Not even my 72 Superlead can do that.
Yes, I too sold mine since I plug in to one of my old Marshalls 99% of the time. Didn't make sense to keep an amp worth that kind of $ when I hardly played it.

 

[tjnx]

You need to know your speakers. Sometimes i don't even have to plug in my AKG in my Laptop

I have lots of other clips, with different Settings on my Channel. I have a hard time to decide what i like best.
It's rare that i "get one" with the sound - and that same sound can (most likely will) sound like shit on the next day

Just checked em out and there ya go, in the mix it sounds great! So I guess with these isolated comparisons take feedback with a grain of salt.

I like the Master Blaster vid. It sounds a bit more clear there is that just because its mixed vs raw, or just in context?

I know personally I can get ear-blind to things if I listen to them too much. When you have them back to back it makes things poke out a bit more.
But I still think knee-jerk reactions are valuable as they're usually coming from the honest reptile-brain.

The 'Bogner Über-Ultra EL34' vid is sick, I want one.

 

[Simon Dorn]

I love 5150s, but attempting to put it on an SLOs level for clarity, detail, thump, richness of harmonics is actually hilarious. Especially the OG SLOs with the DeYoungs.

That's getting into the glenn fricker/youtuber retardation zone - you're comparing a primer/matte muscle car to a fucking ferrari.

It's insane to me that people watch videos like that and take it as objective or factual

Yeah, but one could still like the Peavey better, no problem.

 

[Simon Dorn]

I agree, around 5 or so it starts squishing too much and actually losing complexity and clarity, but until that point it’s great imo. With the gain on the amp set low enough I liked it with boosts
It is like a more American 6L6 Marshall-esque amp. For some that is great and different enough to have along with Marshall’s and for others they just prefer Marshall’s. I sold all the SLO’s I had, so I don’t disagree, but still really good amps imo that don’t sound or feel at all to me like 6505’s/5150’s

Fair enough.

 

[Simon Dorn]

Was it a newer, post 2018 version by the company Soldano sold his rights to? Or an OG version? If it fell apart at 5, that's NOT an SLO thing at all. I've had 4, all pre BAD buyout and every one stayed together to almost 11 on the master. Not that you need that kind of volume, but the only amp I've had that stays together like that is a Wizard. Not even my 72 Superlead can do that.
Yes, I too sold mine since I plug in to one of my old Marshalls 99% of the time. Didn't make sense to keep an amp worth that kind of $ when I hardly played it.

Yes, it was the BAD-Version.

 

[DanTravis62]

Yeah, but one could still like the Peavey better, no problem.

Sure, or it could just work better for your style, etc - or even, you don't think the SLO is worth the extra cash, also fair enough.

But to say they're on the same playing field just screams "I haven't played an slo at volume before"

 

[Simon Dorn]

Just checked em out and there ya go, in the mix it sounds great! So I guess with these isolated comparisons take feedback with a grain of salt.

I like the Master Blaster vid. It sounds a bit more clear there is that just because its mixed vs raw, or just in context?

I know personally I can get ear-blind to things if I listen to them too much. When you have them back to back it makes things poke out a bit more.
But I still think knee-jerk reactions are valuable as they're usually coming from the honest reptile-brain.

The 'Bogner Über-Ultra EL34' vid is sick, I want one.

Thanks!
I wish i could see the Amp Settings. But the levels are only halfway up on the boost. "Production" plays a big Role for sure. Can't remember what i did.
Yes. You may not compare them
Thanks again. I did not keep the Amp. It sounds quite filtered.

 

[Simon Dorn]

Sure, or it could just work better for your style, etc - or even, you don't think the SLO is worth the extra cash, also fair enough.

But to say they're on the same playing field just screams "I haven't played an slo at volume before"

I never said that. I like high-quality amps and builts. I would love it if the Diezels would work for me. They are of really High-Quality. Perfectly built and relatively cheap here in Germany. But they unfortunately they do not work for me.

 

[braintheory]

Sure, or it could just work better for your style, etc - or even, you don't think the SLO is worth the extra cash, also fair enough.

But to say they're on the same playing field just screams "I haven't played an slo at volume before"

Yeah they’re different flavors, almost apples vs oranges. If the SLO is an apple in the analogy, it’s a higher quality apple, but some just won’t like apples no matter how good it is. The 5150/6505 is imo a 6-7/10 orange

 

[braintheory]

I never said that. I like high-quality amps and builts. I would love it if the Diezels would work for me. They are of really High-Quality. Perfectly built and relatively cheap here in Germany. But they unfortunately they do not work for me.

The amps they made in ‘90’s were something else, but after that got sterile and many models too processed sounding unfortunately. I don’t like them either

 

[Rex Rocker]

The 5150/6505 is imo a 6-7/10 orange

I wouldn't agree that the SLO is an apple and a 5150 is an orange.

I'm not going to get an argument wether there is some magic to SLO's that 5150's have or not. There probably is in the room. Plenty of good recordings made with the SLO too. But saying the SLO and 5150 aren't related is simply disregarding facts.

They're not clones, and if one can't tell them apart when having them side by side probably means he is not very experienced with amps or doesn't have very discerning ears, but it's been discussed to death how they're related. I'd classify an SLO and a 5150 as more closely related than not, personally.