NAD 2015 Bogner Helios 100 Quick Review

  • Thread starter Thread starter Texhex
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Having had all three the 100 stands out to me against the 50 for the following reasons.

Bigger soundstage as in fuller. The 50 is sweeter in the way a Friedman sounds and feels like a recorded amp. Lots of compression and a tameness to it. I lent my 50 to a local studio player for a record and he said it recorded perfectly. Was going for a modded Marshall thing on a country rock record. The 100 is more open and raw sounding with a bigger sonic footprint. The low input hit with pedals on the clean side is amazing. Same with 70s and 80s in high input. Not as much gain as the 50 but more lively sounding. Great taper on the master and a really great amp. I need to drag it out to gigs as I have been using a Suhr Bella with a pedal board but the Helios 100 has a great sound.
 
@tonedog thank you for a more comprehensive answer! Did you mess with the Loop volume and it's relationship to the MV on either channel on the front? Lastly how much less gain than the 50? I use the 70's mode with the gain between 8 and and dimed and an overdrive mainly as a clean boost.

Would it be better than this? We do a lot of outdoor gigs in large open spaces with a regular pub (not stadium) pa That would be my rationale for going bigger, but i am concerned the volume would be too immediate -BUT there is the loop volume to back down to allow more pre amp push right?

 
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cragginshred77 said:
@tonedog thank you for a more comprehensive answer! Did you mess with the Loop volume and it's relationship to the MV on either channel on the front? Lastly how much less gain than the 50? I use the 70's mode with the gain between 8 and and dimed and an overdrive mainly as a clean boost.

Would it be better than this? We do a lot of outdoor gigs in large open spaces with a regular pub (not stadium) pa That would be my rationale for going bigger, but i am concerned the volume would be too immediate -BUT there is the loop volume to back down to allow more pre amp push right?

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I would do it yes. Has plenty of gain and you can hit with a boost for added gain and fluidity. I run the back loop at unity volume but you would have a bigger presence with the 100. The 100 is punchier and a bit more in your face but can be eq'd to do anything.
 
And the lack of being able to foot switch from the true clean channel to true gain channel was the ultimate deal breaker.
 
Not for me, I live in hard Rock land. I do a variation of the 4 cable method to by pass the pre amp section and it's a great clean for the little bit I need it!
 
scottosan said:
And the lack of being able to foot switch from the true clean channel to true gain channel was the ultimate
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Isn’t there a mod that can be done to switch? I get it though… should’ve been built in.
 
Been playing around with 70s mode. Pretty killer roll off / on. Almost traded this for a BE100 (wanted the BE originally) but I'm so glad I didn't. Figgin love this amp.

 
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PDC said:
I had a Helios 50 for a while and loved it. Sold it during my merry-go-round / amp-of-the-month phase and in hindsight, it’s one I should have kept. I do think I would prefer the added ‘headroom’ of the 100. This thread makes me want to track down a 100 watt version.
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Me too. Had the 50 watt, loved it.
 
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