METAL Amp Comparison! (20-40w)

Thanks for checking out this fourth episode of my new tube amp comparison series. This episode focuses on 20/40 watt tube amp heads. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Episode 1 with 7 2-channel 100w/120w heads:
• Amp Comparison PART 1!...
Episode 2 with 7 3/4-channel 100w/120w heads:
• Amp Comparison PART 2!...
Episode 3 with 8 60w/60w heads:
• METAL Amp Shootout! (5...
Gear used in this video:
- Schecter E1 Apocalypse Red Reign
- ENGL Fireball 25
- Mesa Boogie Mini Rectifier 25
- Marshall DSL20HR
- Orange TH30
- Peavey Invective MH
- Friedman JJ JR
- Hughes & Kettner Tubemeister Deluxe 40
- RedSeven Amplification Amp Central
- OwnHammer Rockbox V30EN-1999A IR
- Steven Slate Drums 5.5
- Cubase 12 Pro
Thanks for watching! Please subscribe along with the bell and follow SDS at:
/ sonicdrivestudio
/ sonicdrivestudio_official
/ jon_symons
#amplifier #comparison #metal
Timecodes:
00:00 Introduction
00:38 Comparison Details
01:33 ENGL Fireball 25
03:26 Mesa Boogie Mini Rectifier 25
05:20 Marshall DSL20HR
07:08 Orange TH30
09:01 Friedman JJ JR
10:51 Peavey Invective MH
12:40 Hughes & Kettner Tubemeister Deluxe 40
14:23 AB Back To Back Comparison
18:46 Conclusion

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Which one was your favorite?

[@KillaFXZ]

Engl and TubeM.

[@TudorAdrian]

Fireball 25 takes this one

[@DonnieDistortion]

The DSL20 in the mix and the Fireball by itself. I find that the whole DSL (2018) line has this mix-ready quality to its sound that requires barely any tweaking (to my personal taste).

[@mikebodnarchuk2056]

Engl I’d say was best overall, H&K second but the rectifier was awesome Too on some parts i have a soft spot for recto’s though

[@exaymssik]

Engl. Would like to see some love for the Friedman PT-V2 on your chan at some point.

[@woochyna]

Nice video as per usual, John. That ENGL sounded like a big amp compared to others, you were right to claim it would be hard to beat.

[@trentonmooneyham1231]

The Recto, TH30, and Tubemeister were all my favorite.

[@rompofotters]

I usually prefer the Orange amps in these, but that Peavey sounds fantastic.

[@Sylvain44]

Recently bought a Fireball 25 and it's absolutely amazing 🔥 For metal of course but it's also really good for clean and crunch!

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Great choice!

[@therewasascene]

Always love to hear when someone else cares about cleans on a metal amp.

[@TheoPwet]

Because of or due to Sonic Drive Studio, I get my Fireball 25 few months ago. I only have one thing to say, thank you to introduce us to this masterpiece. I have been a 6505+ user for a decade (I still like him) but the Fireball has something... What are you favorite settup ? For metal or clean Sylvain ?

[@Sylvain44]

@@TheoPwet Honestly I keep things pretty centered, like EQ 566, Pre 6, clean gain at 3 and lead gain to taste... I like it at any position from 1 to 10 depending on the guitar and what I'm playing. I'm mainly playing in 1W mode with lead and master around 2, mid boost for lead and sometimes clean.

[@TheoPwet]

@@Sylvain44Ahh i can't agree more !

[@oscarivancastrogarcia9583]

Mesa Boogie, Hughes and Kettner , Orange, ENGL, Friedman and Peavey.

[@CorrosiveMatter]

Like always your tones are awesome. To my ears on the isolated tracks they are all their own sound and all but the JJ sound good to me.

[@robertdonosobuchner3129]

Great video as always. The Engl amp is my favorite in this comparison. 😊🤘

[@david_farmer]

Great demo! They all sounded great and I gotta say the back to back comparison is fantastic! It REALLY showcases the differences in ways that are much harder to pick up than the full mixes. The ENGL, Marshall, and Peavey were my favorites overall. I want to give you props for putting these together. I top my cap because this is a lot of work. Thanks for doing these!

[@stiman1]

The Invective was the best IMO, but also sounded the most modern.

[@cz875]

Love your videos, and this one was really helpful. I have been eye balling an Investive MH for a good bit for home play and recording. This has put me over the edge for my purchase. Thank you so much, and keep doing what ur doin!

[@SonicDriveStudio]

That's a killer little amp

[@ruskasielu6261]

Another great video! Something i would love to see is one of these but in the context of a live band. All these amps always sound good on their own, in the studio but sometimes it's a completely different story live with a drumkit and all

[@ramilrodriguez8340]

My favorite, the Engl, followed by the H&K

[@MarcusW87]

Yes, love these video’s! Fireball and DSL20 for me. 🤘🏼

[@gaberox1]

I love my Invective MH it's got a very distinct character that when I get it dialed right sounds awesome. It's more challenging for me to dial in then my 15wat 5150 Stealth but when it's on its on.

[@str11pes]

I'm buying a new amp this weekend. This video has helped me greatly.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Which one are you looking to get?

[@lozovoymax1941]

ENGL and Orange sounds the best for me for that particular riff-style.

[@s0t33W]

Orange, Engl & H&K sounded best to me.

[@colebengston3963]

The JJ was my favorite! I own a Mesa Express 5:50+ (graphic EQ) and it is close enough to the Mini Rectifier that if I were to get a different amp-head, it would likely be that JJ!

[@MarcelloElMars]

The back to back comparison at the end was really useful, I thought it would be harder for me to choose as there are many great amps in the video, but surprisingly ENGL was clear choice for me in all the parts of the song.

[@gilgsn]

The Friedman and Marshall sound thin to me. The others, choice would be more a matter of features and price. I like the low end of the Orange but it doesn't have a line-out or power-soak. The Mesa is too expensive. Not sure about the Invective, too bad the 6505mh wasn't in there. I would probably choose between ENGL and HK.

[@romanshredz]

Cool video Jon 👍 my favourites were the ENGL fireball, Mini Rectifier and Peavey Invective MH 🔥 My next amp is either the Fireball 25 or Mini Rectifier… so hard to choose 🤔 I think the Rectifier would be a bit more versatile in terms of tones u can get from it …

[@therewasascene]

ENGL fave overall Orange seems like it would satisfy that citrus craving in the same way that the Peavey would for 5150 needs Friedman was unique tonally and I agree it sits super well in a mix. Tubemeister too - had an awesome snarl to it and the separation was really impressive - best out of all the amps. Oh my goodness you have a lot of videos featuring the fireball 😂

[@Mumumumykul]

its definitely the Mesa, Invective, and H&K for me, but i was blown away by how great they ALL sound in a mix.

[@kesamek8537]

For this kind of riffing the Mini Rectifier stands out for a great sound in the mix.

[@GrMfull]

Awesome vidéo Marshall and Peavey sound best to me

[@milkandmeat]

I feel like the MT15 would have excelled here, even though it's technically listed at 15 watts

[@JohnWiku]

Those are the loudest 15 Watts ever 😂😂

[@nick_scherf]

TH30 🫶🏻

[@LucasLeCompteMusic]

MY fav was the one with the tubes.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Mine too!

[@stephenwinchester6668]

Got the fireball 25 and ran it through a Mesa 2x12 vertical, sounds great but through an Engl 2x12 vertical cab sounds killer!!!!

[@rd_rae]

Mesa, Engl, H&k for me 😊

[@blackmagic8039]

Engl and Orange for me

[@mikemunro811]

Fireball !🔥 But where was the MKV35?😢 I hope it’s in the next one 😃 Tubemeister gets things warmed up in the AB comparison (quite Mesa-ish), but the Mesa MkV after that would have been crushing. Great video still!

[@JKissling]

Came here to say this 👍🏻

[@Kami_81]

Top 3 to my ear, Organge TH30, H&K Tubemeister, Friedman JJ JR.

[@stiman1]

I can't get over how good the Ownhammer Rock Box IRs are. Just amazing. I don't care at all which mics are used, they're the pros, just give me some good combos. And that's exactly what these are. Modern, classic, blend - perfect.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Couldn't agree with you more!

[@ManuelTrujano]

Ok, I'll choose de Hughes & Kettner, the Friedman JJ jr and the orange, love how smooth they sound, creamy mids

[@necroticpoison]

Deluxe 40 sounds massive, in the mix, and iso

[@jroobz]

i like the invective the best here

[@SudzieDoom]

Nice work! I also own an Apocalypse but 7 string version - truly fabulous guitars!!!! Too bad you did not have a Laboga Beast to throw in the comparison. I love mine, wonder how it compares to these brands....

[@orkus53]

I like Engl Fireball 25 and Peavey Invective MH the best. Separate and full mix sound. Full and punchy sounds. But of course it's a matter of everyone's taste.

[@sisyphushappyband]

I prefer the Invective here, though the Fireball is a close second. The TH30 and the Mini Recto would be interesting to blend with a more mid-forward amp like the DSL, though; I bet that would get some interesting results.

[@stefanmaciolek6540]

Nice comparison! The mesa destroyed the others, and I'm usually an orange guy!

[@MarcoBulgarini]

Engl, Peavey and H&K are the best also for me. But the DSL is the best in general if you consider the budget.

[@KreativeDevices]

🔥

[@Neogeofanatic]

Who cares about the amps, I have those riffs in my head now xD great man

[@tylerjames460]

Engl definitely took the cake for me! I absolutely love the back to back comparison at the end. I'd really be curious to hear the tones you sculpt out of the new Soldano Astro. Any plans on acquiring one? It seems from other videos it's a really well rounded amp. I'm wondering if you could inject some SDS fire into it!

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Would love to feature one but it's not very likely atm

[@moonelfcosmo]

I can say with certainty that the Astro is awesome and very versatile!

[@moonelfcosmo]

I LOVE the Fireball 25!! 🔥🤘🏽 In all fairness I don’t find my DSL20 matches that great with V30’s. Much better with Creambacks in my opinion.

[@OfficialSNMvids]

All the amps sounded great, but I did own briefly a FB25 and a Mesa Recto 25 at the same time I personally think they both sounded very similar and you cannot go wrong with either amp, but I kept the Mesa and returned the Engl FB25 only because the Mesa has more versatility compared the the FB25. Just my opinion.

[@strangelet4588]

ENGL for my ears. Aggressive without the fizz the others had.

[@driftthekaliyuga7502]

Engl at 16:35 sums this up nicely. It's really a great amp and I'm glad I got it. I have the Marshall DSL20 also and it's big fat disappointment. Tons of fizz, horrible bottom end, adding mids just adds fizz. Can't even fix it in the DAW. I'd like to hear that Friedman boosted.

[@matt926uk1]

I always like the sound of the dsl in KZbin videos, are you sure you didn’t just get a bad one? It’s kind of a specific sound, to me it sounds like it would be good for some old school thrash metal.

[@progpogs]

Friedman is just a beast period

[@pbosche]

Engl for the win! You can hear it at 15:08. The fullest most well rounded tone. Looks Amazing. It has some of the best routing options in the back. In the room he even stated twice that it’s a standout. Glad he likes the HK though…I really want one for no other reason than to decorate my living room with 🤣. I used to think the MT15 was going to be it but actually the PRS Archon is superior and THE competitor for this ENGL.

[@djentleman5129]

My top 3 are Invective, Fireball and Friedman. Friedy is little bit nosy in this video, but as always tighter as my first girlfriend

[@MadMagicPaul]

For future videos - something about home useable amps for metal. So like the solid state Fender Tonemaster series, but using amplifers that can do rock and metal without pedals. I have no idea why Marshall aren't noticing Fender's success with the TM amps and doing JCM800 and Plexi solid state amps.

[@texasbuttercup]

Gotta be honest, I really dig that marshall, there's just something about the chunk, its a good middle ground I think between the 2 kings, the peavey and the mesa.

[@tiagoandrade5826]

Engl is just massive. Sounds like a big boy. Hk and peavey are ballsy too, the others sounded a bit thin and some without low end.

[@jrlee243]

Great comparison, dig the engl, and the Marshall. I do have one question. I owned the peavey invective MH. For me, I mic my cabs for everything. I noticed, or I think I did that when I would turn up the amp, the power section would start to break up along with the preamp gain, and it would clash in a not so good way. If I kept the volume down to about 10 o'clock, it sounded pretty good. When I go noon or further, mainly for live uses, it didn't sound so great. Did you notice any of that with the amp? And with other smaller amps.

[@PacMan592]

That is normal for an amp with EL84 power tubes. They work best with volume between 8 and 10 o'clock.

[@ILikePeeps]

Awesome shootout! For me... H&K sounded best overall perhaps. Mesa has that awesome gnarly sound without getting all fizzy. Marshall was the worst, IMO - wayyy too fizzy. Orange might be great in a mix, but it's good for solo bedroom playing as well. The Invective surprised the hell out of me - that and H&K are maybe tops in this comparison. H&K/Invective > Mesa > Friedman > ENGL/Orange > Marshall. But then again ENGL is just awesome, so maybe higher up in list. It just depends if playing solo or in a mix also probably. But DAYUM again that Invective! And the H&K - plus 3 channels and looks amazing.

[@Ontariosound]

Invective sounded really good. But minor adjustments of tone and gain controls on any amp make big differences, as we all know.

[@JohnWiku]

I know it's all about how PRS marketed their amp, but the MT-15 needs to be here hanging with these amps. It can almost output 30W, and surely more powerful than the EL84 based amps in this comparisons.

[@kagunmarx5914]

Another great video Jon. The Engl was my favourite.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Thank you!

[@IamMusicNerd]

Soldano for me, but there are a lot of great ones.

[@TheToecutter69]

Engl because of the 6l6 tubes. I know this is the 20w to 40w but the MT15 has massive sound. It’s all about the full size tubes in these mini heads imo. Awesome vid!👍👊 🤘🏼🤘🏼

[@nathanieljohnson8727]

The Marshall and the boogie are great. I've had the Friedman and it just feels like something is missing to me.

[@DisturbedBurger]

The H&K seemed to incorporate everything great about it's previous competition except the Mesa, Orange and Engl mids.

[@olegkargin8121]

Hi! please advise which guitar MINI amplifier sounds like old peavey 5150 as much as possible?

[@smeemusic]

I feel like the Engl would represent me the best. The invective and H&K also sound really great to me. The rest are obviously useable but have qualities that I would consider less favorable for me.

[@smeemusic]

Oh haha I just got to the end of the video and you picked out the same ones I did. Lmfao. Great ears listen alike I suppose :)

[@daavidmurphy3562]

I know that it's 45w, but the KSR Orion is 4.2 great channels at only 18lbs. The ENGL is amazing, but for the money and the added power, I'm going KSR.

[@kcpolog]

In isolation Friedman sounds like it almost has too many mids, more like the dsl, but in the mix it really kicks ass. Although I'm a Marshall guy, the dsl seemed to be out of place here. Great amp, but not in this context. That Engl tho ❤

[@harshgarrett]

Best answer is to blend your two favorite amps.

[@RandyRapprentice]

Definitely try the bogner 3534 35w next time

[@awwal7375]

I like it when someone says.... "there are no Clean and Crunch Tones in this video"

[@davidezaccagnini6392]

Your videos and the engl never disappoint! Is intresting to see when you can a video of comparison of different string gauges.

[@MetalZoned]

The Engl dominates, no comparison honestly it really crushes them all

[@Guitar-rh8cd]

Omg than engl sound is amazing

[@nafis6668]

Invective much smoother , have nicer mids , more neat sounding overall.

[@jedmarsillo]

Great comparison video. I would have to agree with your top 3. Engl Peavey and H&K. The Engl was miles ahead of all of them though. It just sounded huge.

[@wickedmetalhead]

Am I wrong in assuming that you can make all of these sound almost the same using an eq pedal?

[@Juppi13]

Always thought i was crazy to find some Oranges are voiced a bit like a Rectifier, but it showes here. In this particular comparison i would go with the JJ for its crunchy mid structure.

[@flprmn9448]

The Recto seems broken, almost like it was launched before its design was properly finished -- but that is what gives it so much character. I love it for that unique sound though!

[@tsigo2]

Hello Jon, is it possible to give info about what tuning u used here and some chord info? thanks!

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Drop C iirc

[@taylolz]

Rectifier, always.

[@Clinthopanonymous]

If I had to choose it's a toss up between the Fireball and the Invective. and i was a bit surprised how much i disliked the Marshall.

[@GlenHyden]

The Invaders amp is my choice.

[@shredward666]

ENGL for the win. Orange has a woofy low end, Friedman has no low end, all the others sound like fizzy balls. I own a Fireball 100 and a Kruse modded Powerball. ENGL fanboy for life 🤘😎

[@toxictime9604]

Really cool video (structure). I was already skipping back and forth for direkt comparison until I realized you put it at the end 😂. To me it was a "head to head fight" between Engl and mesa but I maybe biased by owning a thunder 50 and a mark V. Longing to get an orange but in this vid I'm happy with what I already got. Would have loved a astro 20 in this particular shootout though. Anyway, great job, appreciate all the effort you must have put into this.

[@blickfang3751]

@SonicDriveStudio Jon can the ENGL keep up volume wise with a hard rock drummer?

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Yes

[@matthewduncan9405]

ENGL dominated! For the price point the Marshall is nice. The Mesa and HK are hairy in ways I don’t like haha.

[@thomasfoster4091]

Are you doing any post processing? Any eq moves on these amps?

[@SonicDriveStudio]

No

[@davidelizalde3844]

was expecting to hear the prs mt15 again ;p

[@hrz8533]

the rectifier and the orange sounds exactly the same!!!!

[@benoitcote3527]

engl mesa and peavey

[@paulrib86]

Rectifier

[@Skygge.]

Engl and Invective.

[@BrandonBames]

Revv needs to ship a G20 to Jon STAT

[@ssmetalrulz]

Which of these amps has the best clean channel to use as a pedal platform for distortion pedals? I want a small high gain head but its clean channel should also be able to take distortion pedals..

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Recto or Invective in this case

[@ssmetalrulz]

@@SonicDriveStudio Thanks !!

[@ssmetalrulz]

@@SonicDriveStudio how about the clean channel on the Engl Ironball SE ? How well does that take distortion pedals?

[@old_school_death_metal]

ENGL reigns here very clearly.

[@balmain2496]

ENGL and Friedman are a cut above the rest

[@nicopoppe4838]

peavey and H&K

[@Peuf74]

The mesa mark V:25 is missing ^^

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Don't have one. I have the 35 thought, for the next one