One thing I love about your channel is how simple it is. When you show the tones you don't put double bass blast beats that overwhelm the guitar tone that I came for. You show just simple riffs and licks that show the tone and not some crazy sweep picking bs that just shows your playing and not the amp. Your channel is the best
Marshall come from a time when the backline cutting through the stage-sound was a really important thing. Most guitarists haven't even noticed that things have evolved considerably since then. It's like back in the 60's they were still building stages with a rake; evolution takes time I guess.
well, i bought one and with a palmer cab with a celestion 12" neo creamback 16ohm 60 watt speaker and it is amazing, not to bright but just right in de clean channel, so the speaker is really important, even the deepswith gives a very nice blues tones for the clean channel, for the gain channel it was even searching for the sweet spot but there also 100% marshall, i recomended this for home use any day for the money
I had to have the 5c right when it came out ~4 years ago. I love it. It sounds perfect. I just purchased the 20 watt head you are referring to and find it a little fizzy/trebley. I think the difference is that they have presence controls. The thing with Marshall amps (tube) is that they crave volume. Lower treble + volume = good sounding Marshall.
5watts is too loud for bedroom use. I have a 7w non-MV Matamp (Matamp built all the early Oranges) with a power scaling valve - and even at 10% (ie 0.7w), it's way too loud cranked into a 1x12 Celestion G30M Greenback cab. I use it with a Hotplate attenuator for home use. Hearing is logarithmic - to double the perceived loudness, you need to increase amp power by 4 - 5-fold. So a 5w amp is half as loud as a 25w amp, and a quarter as loud as a 100w.
Spot on Fang, my 1 watt Randall on a 4x12 is pushing the limits of my apartment life. Thank god for digital modeling and amazing computer plugins these days.
Hi Phillip, maybe the question has been raised already but in the manual it is written "1x16 ohm" only, not "8 ohm minimum " ! Are you sure 8ohm load is safe with Dsl1HR ?
I own one of these now for years. It is my home amp full stop. It does everything I want it to. I especially love the clean channel. I like that it is so clear. And it takes pedals really well. Its just a small Marshall. Just don't buy the combo, which is true for most of the small amps.
I’ve recently bought one of these and I’m very happy with it for home use. I emailed Marshall because the volume on the emulated line out was much lower than the speaker. The replied and said they have an update to the emulated line out and arranged for it to be collected and upgraded FOC. Not sure about it being compatible with an 8 ohm load, both the amp and manual say 16 ohm only, I’m no expert so happy to be corrected on this.
? I have the JCM 2000 DSL1H ( not HR ), I have the head only and it is the 50th Anniversary made in England- what cab should I be using, and did it originally come with a cab? The head is MINT, please help and thank you!
I always prefer brighter sounding amps. It’s far easier to make a bright amp sound darker with pedals and EQ, but it’s really hard to get a darker amp to sound brighter. But I would still choose the 20w over the 1w
Man this a fantastic amplifier. I've been playing almost 30 years and I've owned almost everything from ampeg thru Dr.Z Mine sounds absolutely amazing and my friends who play love it also. You don't even know how to get a clean tone out of the amp. Try turning it up and rolling the guitar volume back. Also try dialing in a tone instead of just setting the knobs how they look pretty to you then saying it's too bright when you've got the treble turned up halfway or more. If it was turned all the way down and still too bright then I'd understand your complaint. It's a perfectly good amp you don't know how to use correctly. I have a friend who is basically pro level and he's in love with this amp too. Maybe actually learn how to use a piece of gear before leaving an inaccurate review like this one.
I just got this head and honestly after 3 hours of bedroom play I'm thrilled with it. I have an MX112 box but with a replaced V30 speaker, which I opened just like the SC112 box and it sounds very good. I also want to try it with the V-Type speaker that I have in the shipping package. Or I'll put it in a SJ2525c with a Greenback and I also have a MB Thiele 90 box. I bought it second hand for 70 Euro with 14 months still under warranty.... so much fun for a few bucks....
Ive had this amp for a year. Ive had the blackstar 1w for 3 years. If your after a 1w amp you probablly cant play at the loudest volumes but want that tube sound which is why your here. Well i wouldnt be able to play the marshall at volume 1 out of 10. Its that loud. Yes you can drop it to .1 w but it also sounds like its ina fishtank. Im sure it sounds great loud bit it is far to loud to be played at home. The blackstar on volume 5 or 6 is the same as volume 1 on the marshall. Clean channel on the marshall is woeful. Sold the marshall and kept the blackstar
I live in a condo. It's a great amp. 8 out of a 10. And for a tube amp, it won't break you. It's Awesome. Hooked mine up to a 1×12 fender cab. No complaints.
My DSL 1 HR is definitely not to bright, using a Vintage Modern 425 Cab. Changing the Stock Tubes to old NOS Telefunken did A LOT to improve the sound. You can hear the amp in my videos
Yes this review is crap. Through greenbacks this amp sounds amazing. I dont know how he made it sounds so bad but then i also think his channel is crap and he's wrong about most things.
Based on your demo I would recommend anybody interested in an amp like this to look toward trying to find a used Vox Lil NightTrain. It does clean and dirt both very well and you can get a really Marshall’s tone. No on board reverb though. You can usually find one used for around $150.
Andrew Smith I sold mine and got a Vox mv50 clean, the little mini nutube thing and I sounds so much thicker and nicer to my ears, great with my pedals too
Thank you for always giving no B/S reviews!! After watching your videos I walk away understanding what it is and what it will do. You just give your honest option. I don't feel I can get that anywhere else. I am subscribing today🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻
Hi Phillip, I own this "great" little amp. The issues you are talking about (glassy sound) I just can resolve turning back the treble to 11. Thats it !! Great warm sound with my Les Paul and 1 x 12" cabinet. (with 4x12 totally different) Obviously my Strat is a lot brighter. But IMO the sound depends a lot on the guitar you are playing thrue that amp. I'm very lucky with that Baby Marshall............for that small price, I've never played a better 1W amp
Being an owner of the original JCM 2000 DSL1 I was curious to hear the differences between the two. Wow! It is bright on the clean channel. I would have to agree with you Phil, to much for my tastes (I use 2 2x12 cabs with Celestion G12 50s) and use the clean channel with a few different dirt pedals (a Timmy and a Keeley Red Dirt mini) and it’s great. Basically making it a four channel amp. Like you though I wish that it had reverb as well. I’ve been using a MXR Carbon Copy delay in the effects loop to get a slight echo that seems to work well for my needs. The dirty channel still sounds pretty much like the original. I run mine with the gain backed down to about 10oclock, everything else around noon. Most of my guitars have low to medium output humbuckers, so this seems to work quite well for a nice dirty sound and cleans up fairly good when rolling the volume off on the guitar. I use the deep switch and run the mid cut switch in. I’ve notice that I get a pretty good jump in volume when I disengage the mid cut switch, I don’t know if this is due to the cut in the mid frequency or just inherent to the amp itself. This is my main amp that I play with at home at night on the .1 watt setting as it’s not to loud to be offensive to the family and still gives me a nice tone. Something I’m unable to do with my higher wattage amps. Thanks for the review Phil! As always good and to the point.
Yeah i'm with youon this amp Phil, I have had this amp for about 6months as my late nighter, and recently picked up a blackstar ht1r to use instead. If I had to recommend between the two based on tone the blackstar would be my recommendation even though it has no footswitch jack or effects loop. Drive is easy enough to control with guitar volume. That being said tone as you know is subjective.
it only has an 16 ohm output... that sucks because 8 ohm speakers are much more common. You must not connect it to a lower ohm speaker combination otherwise you'll blow up the amp.
Iv'e had a DSL 15H for about a year and it serves me well as a practice amp and for jamming with folks. When I saw the DSL 20 comming I got pretty excited. It has a power section more in line with most marshalls (EL34s) and everything else just seemed like it was better thought out. So in early February I ordered one from Sweetwater (DSL 20H). I primarily play at home at lower volume. Primary guitar is a 2000 Gibson Les Paul studio with Duncan Alnico 2 pro (PAF basically) and a jazz. I found the DSL 20 overall to be very bassy at lower volume, bordering on wooly. Even with the resonance and bass turned way down it was just too much. However, once you do get the volume past 3 or 4 (which is pretty loud) the amp fills out the mids and tightens up the low end and it sounds great. It feels like an amp meant for jamming with a drummer, not for bedrooms basically. Eventually I decided to return the 20 and try the DSL 1 and I have to say the Ultra gain channel sounds fantastic at practice volume more balanced eq, and it sounds good cranked up as well, though it may struggle next to a drum set. I do find the ultra gain channel to be a tad dark, and there is no presence control. The clean channel really doesn't stay clean very long, but i do enjoy the way it sounds fully cranked, kind of a classic overdrive tone, but i agree it's a pretty bright clean channel. Basically, if you plan on playing loud with a band or even small gigs the DSL 20 will definitely be great , but if you just want something to practice on that can give you some nice tones the go DSL1. I would not advise getting the combos of either amp though, the speakers they come with are pretty much junk. All of my experience was with the head versions played through a Avatar 2x12 with a v30 and a g12h. I kinda wish they made a DSL 5 Head version...
@@AMetalheadsJourney sure , any 16ohm cab will do...I typically have mine going through a 1x12 with a g12m-65 as its kind of silly using a 2x12 when all I do is practice on the DSL1. But I also have run it through a 2x12 just to mess around in the past. Works great just a matter of what you want to do really.
I have a Marshall Origin 212 cabinet that I want to pair my DSL1H with. Problem is the Origin 212 cabinet has two 16 ohm speakers wired in parallel making it 8ohms. I wired it in series making it a 32ohm unit. Will this be an issue for the 16ohm DSL1 head? There seems to be a lot of conflicting information online about running a lower-ohm amp into a higher-ohm cabinet.
Dunno if you are still interested Phil but I have the DSL20HR. Its ok as a bedroom amp, but as soon as you crank the volume it becomes a weapon! The only thing the DSL20 lacks that the more revered DSL40C has, is a dedicated crunch channel. I overcame this putting an MI Audio Blues-Pro pedal in front of the clean channel. Now I have it all - sparkling cleans, melodic blues, hard rock sizzle and (with my boost pedal engaged) face searing metal gain.
Having this amp also, but on the green channel as I roll the treble all the way down, the volume increases, sounds like a gain boost knob when rolling off. On the red channel the treble knob behaves just normal as it is expected. Do you experience this also?
Can I put it in FX loop of a 100W amp off course a cabinet connected for load? How to do it? Big amp send to input and fx send of marshall to return of big amp?
Thanks for the review Phillip! I am relieved to hear it can be ran through a 2x12. I was afraid to try it. I am in agreement, it's a cool practice amp, all tube Marshall. Exactly what I've been wanting. I don't care for the clean channel either. It's fun on the red channel though.
tell me if you know about it.. can i turn on the dsl without speaker? i have a power valve amp, i use preamp section of dsl1 and send the signal using the "send" in back of amp..tanks!
Hey Phillip, I really enjoy your gear and info vids :) I know that you prefer amps with great clean channels (and reverb...can't forget the reverb) to put pedals in front of. Totally valid. But as someone that prefers to get the tone from the amp, this looks like a winner. All the reviews I found were 5 stars. And as far as the brightness on clean, it probably fattens right up with the gain that most people who buy it are looking for. I had a Class 5 and I had to turn the bass all the way off when it was dimed. Maybe if you just turn the treble down a little you'll prefer it. I have one of these delivering tomorrow so I'll know better soon.
So here's an update after spending the afternoon with the DSL1HR. (My need is a silent recording tube head solution that can get a 70's warm distortion tone) My feedback has to do solely with silent recording into Logic Pro X. With an LTD Deluxe traditional (Les Paul style) and this little head,I found the classic but over-driven tone I was looking for specifically for recording....and here's how: *************** The 3.5MM Audio-In also works as a direct out *minus the cab simulation* which I found rather pokey. The settings I landed on are the Super-gain channel with volume at 12-2 o'clock (seems more saturated this way), gain maxed, Voicing button engaged (going for classic rock tone) Bass 10 Mid 75% Treble 75%. For recording, I can put this in front of a transparent (or any) amp sim, here comes the best part, ***and with any cab sim/impulses you want using the audio-in instead of the direct out (which has the cab sim). The Audio-In gives you total cab-freedom, and for recording, that's amazing. Until Orange makes an OR15 version of this, this will work. (And the effects loop is the other kicker).
Final note: Phillip, I ended up agreeing with you on the general tone of the amp. But that is only because I specifically need a retro Marshall tone.....so I just bought a Class 5 combo. I scoured YT for demos of the new Origin but I just did not hear the dimed out Class 5 tone in the Origin demos. Phillip was right on this one :) Duly noted my friend!
Phillip, I am looking at the manual and on the head itself and it seems to only ever mention supporting a 16 ohm load. Where did you see that mentioned? If only a 16 ohm load is supported, how might that have affected your tone tests with 8 ohm loads?
Ive been gravitating to the Blackstar HT Series. They sound so much better to me. Especially the the HT 5R head. Great review as always Phil. Thank you.
i love small amps , after 20 years of using my fender hot rod , i bought a marshall sl5 and a vox lil nightrain . cant be hapier and end up playing a lot more
Thanks for the review! Cool option, but going by the sound clips, I'll stick with my Orange #4 (which sounds awesome through a Suhr reactive loadbox and a Twonotes CAB). Thanks again for the demo!
Hey Phil, I have the DSL20h and it jams. This one watt thing is awful. Take it back. The 20 sounds good on the clean channel and on the dirty channel it will blow your mind. I am playing through a Bugera 2x12 cab. I can only imagine what it will sound like through some of the cabs you have. Keep up the great work.
Then the dirty channel is to muddy and has to much bass. Im pretty sure the clean channel was a after thought. They most likely focused on the dirty channel because they figured thats where the customers are going to go.
PeterDad60 won't that only make the amp quieter and break up later. Does this amp only have 12ax7 tubes or is it 1 el34 or el84? I have the jcm 2000 dsl401 it has 4 12ax7 and 4 el84. Now as a single 12 amp with a single celestion the govner which is basicly a vintage 30 it can be bright and that's with my 80 l.p. custom or my sg classic but I don't use the single gov speaker I run an old 4x12 peavey cab from early 70s and man it sounds awesome a lot of people don't like the DSL 401 because it has el84s and not the traditional el34s they said don't sound like a marshall sounds like a Vox or something but to be honest the DSL 401 is almost nothing but a mini bluesbreaker from around 67 they had very similar tube set-up I tried the DSL 40 at Guitar Center it's just too heavy man too heavy too much gain I don't know for such a small I think the DSL 40 just it can't sound good crank with that one speaker maybe through a cab or something not trying to say that the 401 is superior but the way I run my tongue controls on the clean or the game Trouble about 5 mids at about 8 and base about four and a half sounds pretty freaking awesome it's too too muddy I'll just turn the treble up thank God there is no presence knob or mid boost or any of that crap I do wish that the clean Channel had a volume control just like the game channel plus the master but it don't basically what I'm trying to say is try that amp through a combination of speakers vintage 30 tight speaker the middle of the road those things are pretty bright pretty shrill try like the celestion 12100 or the 1275 or something like that those are pretty Basie and by the way people should give the dsl401 another shot May 1st come out it was component inside some type of heat transfer bridge that wouldn't get too hot and melt cuz ant does run hot but after 2006 they remedied that that doesn't have that problem anymore I run a little fan on the back of mine anyway but they can be found pretty cheap you can get some pretty dadgum good sounds out of them
Phillip: ah, so you're wanting to not have to touch the EQ switching channels. I gotcha. if you're stuck with this thing and you don't like it, I suggest seeing if it has a bright cap on the volume of the clean. You can remove that and darken it up.
The Rover and Over. Until pushed into breakup, there's really no difference in sound between different types of power tube. EL84's sound very much the same as EL34's. In an MV amp like the Marshall DSL 401, all the distortion is in the pre-amp, there is no power tube distortion. MV amps are deliberately made this way so they sound the same no matter where the Master Vol is set. A DSL 401 sounds nothing like an AC30 (despite both using EL84 power tubes), but does sound very much like a DSL 50 or a DSL 100, despite the latter using EL34's. It's only in a cranked non-MV amp (like an AC30 or a THD UniValve) that you hear power-tube breakup and the complex harmonics they generate.
Is the marshall dsl1hr better than the cr? I have the dsl1cr now and its thin sounding and lass less low end. Do you think if i get the head and a 1x12 cab improve and make my tone full? Thanks.
Ges Si yes by far.. a good 12 is going to get way better feel and bass response. What is in the cr? If it’s an 8 it will be night and day difference if a 10 still a good difference especially if you get a quality 12... does the cr have a speaker out output so you can test an external cab?
Thanks for the great review. I was thinking of this for home and because it had reverb, but honestly that reverb is pretty poor and that thin clean tone is NOT for me.
Hey Philip, want to buy this amp, plus harley benton vintage 2x12 combo. Do you know is it ok to use that combo, even though it is different oms? Cheers.
Any idea if it has a tube cathode follower stage like the DSL20HR or not? There's one ECC83 less. Cathode follower adds to sustain and compression. Solid state phase inverter likely as well. Thanks.
Run a Helix into the loop return. The DSL1CR combo sounds stellar this way. Pedal issues are resolved and you can get nearly any tone you want at 3:00am. Using the power amp gets you a neutral tube tone that FRFR’s don’t match. Also, stock tubes are shrill as hell. Replace them with some good NOS tubes. Lastly, the combo is for 16ohms only. Perhaps the head is different? Running at 8ohms will degrade the tone and make it brighter as this is an impedance mismatch with the output transformer. Not sure why an amp guru wouldn’t have pointed it out to you. Try it with 16ohm cabs and report back. It won’t be thin sounding.
Ruinwalkers Is the marshall dsl1hr better than the cr? I have the dsl1cr now and its thin sounding and lass less low end. Do you think if i get the head and a 1x12 cab improve and make my tone full? Thanks.
I totally agree with you on the clean on this. Way too thin. The gain channel sounds great though. I opted to go ahead and spend the extra and pre ordered the new PRS MT15 as I really like what I am hearing on both sides of it more than the DSL 20 I have demo'd. We will see when it comes in. Love your channel and reviews as you give us your honest opinions and also why you feel the way you do. Keep it real and rock on!
Correct me if I’m wrong Phillip, but didn’t Marshall market these as not having a clean channel but a crunch channel that can be cleaned up a little. I bought mine with that understanding and just set my classic crunch channel to the gain setting I wanted and just roll the volume back on the guitar which seems to tame that high end quite a bit. Anyway, yeah I think you’ll be much happier with the DSL20h . I bought both when they came out and the 20 watter definitely has the dna from the JCM2000 series for sure . It can get loud as a mother trucker too! Thanks for posting up another great video!
Hi, I noted that using the head without external speaker and with an headphone, switching from 1w to 0.1w there is no difference in volume. Seems that the power switching knob doesn't work. I'm still awaiting for an external speaker so I can't test it with. It it normal or an issue? I'm anxiously waiting a someone answer please. Thanks. Cheers.
ACERob71 I think that would normal it’s probably cutting the output power by some kind of attenuation. That power output section is different than the headphone output power section. I had bugera g5 and same thing the switch did. Nothing on headphones..
I have that same amp. I don't really use the clean channel so I have no comment on that. I did however switch it to an 8ohm load by unplugging the lead from op transformer going to circuit board and plugging in the lead that the factory has tied off. I have the amp plugged into a silver jubilee 212 horizontal cab. Sounds great for a $300 Marshall.
Oh man I'm really sitting on a fence here. You saying it's not a good platform for pedals makes me hesitating. I've seen other videos where the clean channel doesn't appear that bright, maybe due to different speakers. Could you maybe revisit this one and focus on the EQ and pedal-usability on the clean channel? Thanks and all the best! Take care.
Just buy the DSL20HR, I have a crude video up on my channel. Don't waste your time with the DSL1, which is tinny sounding, and can only handle a 16 ohm load. I think my only nitpick with the DSL20HR is the fact you can only run 1x16, 1x8, or 2x16 ohm loads but not 2x8 ohm.
I just bought the 1HR because the 20 is out of stock everywhere until JUNE! Not going to be gigging so home levels are fine... still want a 20 eventually though, or the 40 if they ever make a head version.
I still say the problem with one watt tube amps is that they don't have the same tubes as the original amps. So they are just going to sound like an amp that's TRYING to sound like a marshall jcm or whatever amp. If you are ok with the sound being so different, just use a modeling amp. Modern modelers sound great at any volume, often you can use headphones too, you can record DI, they have effects onboard, usually savable settings. And you can use them at louder volumes too for gigs. So many professional artists and studios have switched to modelers it's a good chance that the tone you might be chasing on a record is actually a Fractal anyway. Or just use the higher watt amps at a lower volume. Yeah it sounds thin, but so does that amp.
Hi Phillip, thanks for the review. Could you elaborate a little on the impedance issue. I would love to be able to transport only one 4 x 12 cabinet running two of these heads into it in order to maintain the stereo spectrum of my effects through a single cab. But according to the backside of my speaker cabinet, the impedance in this configuration is 8 ohms per side (otherwise it's either 16 or 4 ohms MONO and I'd still have to carry two cabs out). On the backside of the amp head, I only saw wording that specified "1 x 16 Ohm" output jack impedance. I assumed this meant 16 ohms was the minimum impedance. Are you saying this amp can adjust to match different speaker impedances?
Another Gr8 vid Phil. I got the new DSL40CR & the Origin 20 combo. After switching the DSL40CR speaker to a creamback I’m absolutely loving it. The Origin hasn’t supplied yet but I’m worried about the 10” speaker. Kinda wishing I would’ve gotten the head version.
Thanks for the honest review. I find most amps that are hyped and on the cheaper side (under $500 made in china) to be uninspiring after a short time.They may sound good and entertaining the first couple of times but soon fades,.... kind of like a pop song ;). I hate to say it but it seems you get what you pay for in guitars and amps. Have you come across a reasonably priced, pro sounding, low wattage, Marshall/Classic rock amp for home use? Does it exist under $1000??? Thanks! MIles V
@@mattyounis5636 Mine does. I thought I had a grounding issue since I had recently swapped pickups on my les paul. I learned to get over the hiss but it sill bugs me from time to time
I have recently purchased a DSL1H and on both the amp itself & in the manual, it clearly states 16 Ohm load ONLY. No ambiguity. Downloading the manual for the older 1w head from a few years ago, it does give the option of both. I believe that Phillip might have been mixing up the two amps.
Glen Greig Is the marshall dsl1hr better than the cr? I have the dsl1cr now and its thin sounding and lass less low end. Do you think if i get the head and a 1x12 cab improve and make my tone full? Thanks.
@@gessi1332 the combo allows you to connect an external cabinet, doesn't it? Plug it into a few cabinets to see what it sounds like. Audio is so subjective the only way to know is to listen yourself.
I wish the DSL20 was available before I bought my DSL15. As I’ve learned signal chain as my pedal board grew I really came to regret not having an effects loop. However, it takes pedals very nicely in the clean channel and has enough headroom to not get ugly when hitting it with a Red Rox and Soul Food.
One thing I love about your channel is how simple it is. When you show the tones you don't put double bass blast beats that overwhelm the guitar tone that I came for. You show just simple riffs and licks that show the tone and not some crazy sweep picking bs that just shows your playing and not the amp.
Your channel is the best
Keesen Gripp completely agree. Just want to hear what the amp can do. No bs from Phil and not in anyone’s pocket.
That clean channel is so bright, it's a felony in 38 states and Puerto Rico to play a Telecaster through that amp.
Hahaha
Only red states
What's the joke here?
@@boofert.washington2499 Telecasters are very bright instruments
this is too bright and the Blackstar HT1 is too boomy :( Why can't they get it right?
Your channel is simple, on point, and most importantly, you are humble. Thank you sir.
You really weren't lying when you said bright. Yikes
Marshall come from a time when the backline cutting through the stage-sound was a really important thing. Most guitarists haven't even noticed that things have evolved considerably since then.
It's like back in the 60's they were still building stages with a rake; evolution takes time I guess.
I literally went “Oh!!” when you started playing on the clean channel.
I actually love how bright it sounds. I really like that clean.
I have the DSL 1 combo. I love the clean being as bright as it is if I need it darker i just roll off on the treble.
What guitar do you use 🤔
Agreed , the low different strokes for different folks plays in 🤷🏻♂️
I know lol. I love my DSL1HR. It’s not even that bright. Turn down the treble if you need to I guess.
well, i bought one and with a palmer cab with a celestion 12" neo creamback 16ohm 60 watt speaker and it is amazing, not to bright but just right in de clean channel, so the speaker is really important, even the deepswith gives a very nice blues tones for the clean channel, for the gain channel it was even searching for the sweet spot but there also 100% marshall, i recomended this for home use any day for the money
I had to have the 5c right when it came out ~4 years ago. I love it. It sounds perfect. I just purchased the 20 watt head you are referring to and find it a little fizzy/trebley. I think the difference is that they have presence controls. The thing with Marshall amps (tube) is that they crave volume. Lower treble + volume = good sounding Marshall.
5watts is too loud for bedroom use. I have a 7w non-MV Matamp (Matamp built all the early Oranges) with a power scaling valve - and even at 10% (ie 0.7w), it's way too loud cranked into a 1x12 Celestion G30M Greenback cab. I use it with a Hotplate attenuator for home use. Hearing is logarithmic - to double the perceived loudness, you need to increase amp power by 4 - 5-fold. So a 5w amp is half as loud as a 25w amp, and a quarter as loud as a 100w.
Agreed, 5w is brick through the window worthy.
Spot on Fang, my 1 watt Randall on a 4x12 is pushing the limits of my apartment life. Thank god for digital modeling and amazing computer plugins these days.
10% volume of a 7 watt amp is not .7 watts. That's not how watts work!
My Tiny Terror on 7watts too loud in basement!
Dang you weren’t lying when you said bright
Hi Phillip, maybe the question has been raised already but in the manual it is written "1x16 ohm" only, not "8 ohm minimum " ! Are you sure 8ohm load is safe with Dsl1HR ?
I own one of these now for years. It is my home amp full stop. It does everything I want it to. I especially love the clean channel. I like that it is so clear. And it takes pedals really well. Its just a small Marshall. Just don't buy the combo, which is true for most of the small amps.
I’ve recently bought one of these and I’m very happy with it for home use. I emailed Marshall because the volume on the emulated line out was much lower than the speaker. The replied and said they have an update to the emulated line out and arranged for it to be collected and upgraded FOC. Not sure about it being compatible with an 8 ohm load, both the amp and manual say 16 ohm only, I’m no expert so happy to be corrected on this.
I know two people break theirs with an 8ohm speaker.
? I have the JCM 2000 DSL1H ( not HR ), I have the head only and it is the 50th Anniversary made in England- what cab should I be using, and did it originally come with a cab?
The head is MINT, please help and thank you!
Phil, are you gonna check the new Origin series?
Sadly, there is no marshall origin 1 watt :(
I always prefer brighter sounding amps. It’s far easier to make a bright amp sound darker with pedals and EQ, but it’s really hard to get a darker amp to sound brighter. But I would still choose the 20w over the 1w
I just bought one of these for £140 and its the sickest thing I've ever bought. I'm blown away.
Man this a fantastic amplifier. I've been playing almost 30 years and I've owned almost everything from ampeg thru Dr.Z Mine sounds absolutely amazing and my friends who play love it also. You don't even know how to get a clean tone out of the amp. Try turning it up and rolling the guitar volume back. Also try dialing in a tone instead of just setting the knobs how they look pretty to you then saying it's too bright when you've got the treble turned up halfway or more. If it was turned all the way down and still too bright then I'd understand your complaint. It's a perfectly good amp you don't know how to use correctly. I have a friend who is basically pro level and he's in love with this amp too. Maybe actually learn how to use a piece of gear before leaving an inaccurate review like this one.
Alswin2777 next time he better use another guitar ... 😂
I have to agree. In his demonstration, he completely ignored the EQ section. IMO, that was worst than a half assed demo. His ego got in the way.
I just got this head and honestly after 3 hours of bedroom play I'm thrilled with it. I have an MX112 box but with a replaced V30 speaker, which I opened just like the SC112 box and it sounds very good. I also want to try it with the V-Type speaker that I have in the shipping package. Or I'll put it in a SJ2525c with a Greenback and I also have a MB Thiele 90 box. I bought it second hand for 70 Euro with 14 months still under warranty.... so much fun for a few bucks....
Ive had this amp for a year. Ive had the blackstar 1w for 3 years. If your after a 1w amp you probablly cant play at the loudest volumes but want that tube sound which is why your here. Well i wouldnt be able to play the marshall at volume 1 out of 10. Its that loud. Yes you can drop it to .1 w but it also sounds like its ina fishtank. Im sure it sounds great loud bit it is far to loud to be played at home. The blackstar on volume 5 or 6 is the same as volume 1 on the marshall. Clean channel on the marshall is woeful. Sold the marshall and kept the blackstar
I bought this amp and use a 2X12 cab at 16 ohms. I love the sound and play out with it. I just mic it with an SM57. But it is quite loud alone.
I have the 5 watt combo and its great for late night jamming of the Sunset Strip tone.
Really , I love sleaze rock/glam metal
I live in a condo. It's a great amp. 8 out of a 10. And for a tube amp, it won't break you.
It's Awesome. Hooked mine up to a 1×12 fender cab. No complaints.
What about using the guitar tone knob to adjust for the clean?
As always, a good video with an honest evaluation and great information. Thank you sir and keep it up
My DSL 1 HR is definitely not to bright, using a Vintage Modern 425 Cab.
Changing the Stock Tubes to old NOS Telefunken did A LOT to improve the sound.
You can hear the amp in my videos
Yes this review is crap. Through greenbacks this amp sounds amazing. I dont know how he made it sounds so bad but then i also think his channel is crap and he's wrong about most things.
Quick question, would this amp paired with a 2x12 cabinet be loud enough to play in a band with?
Based on your demo I would recommend anybody interested in an amp like this to look toward trying to find a used Vox Lil NightTrain. It does clean and dirt both very well and you can get a really Marshall’s tone. No on board reverb though. You can usually find one used for around $150.
Andrew Smith I sold mine and got a Vox mv50 clean, the little mini nutube thing and I sounds so much thicker and nicer to my ears, great with my pedals too
I agree I have one and it's an amazing little amp.
Yeah, why Vox stopped making the Lil Night Train I'll never understand. Such a cool amp
Thank you for always giving no B/S reviews!! After watching your videos I walk away understanding what it is and what it will do. You just give your honest option. I don't feel I can get that anywhere else. I am subscribing today🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻
Hi Phillip, I own this "great" little amp. The issues you are talking about (glassy sound) I just can resolve turning back the treble to 11. Thats it !! Great warm sound with my Les Paul and 1 x 12" cabinet. (with 4x12 totally different) Obviously my Strat is a lot brighter. But IMO the sound depends a lot on the guitar you are playing thrue that amp. I'm very lucky with that Baby Marshall............for that small price, I've never played a better 1W amp
With a Les Paul I don't have any problems with the brightness at all. May be a singlecut-friendly amp...
@@10centjanes44same
Being an owner of the original JCM 2000 DSL1 I was curious to hear the differences between the two. Wow! It is bright on the clean channel. I would have to agree with you Phil, to much for my tastes (I use 2 2x12 cabs with Celestion G12 50s) and use the clean channel with a few different dirt pedals (a Timmy and a Keeley Red Dirt mini) and it’s great. Basically making it a four channel amp. Like you though I wish that it had reverb as well. I’ve been using a MXR Carbon Copy delay in the effects loop to get a slight echo that seems to work well for my needs.
The dirty channel still sounds pretty much like the original. I run mine with the gain backed down to about 10oclock, everything else around noon.
Most of my guitars have low to medium output humbuckers, so this seems to work quite well for a nice dirty sound and cleans up fairly good when rolling the volume off on the guitar. I use the deep switch and run the mid cut switch in. I’ve notice that I get a pretty good jump in volume when I disengage the mid cut switch, I don’t know if this is due to the cut in the mid frequency or just inherent to the amp itself.
This is my main amp that I play with at home at night on the .1 watt setting as it’s not to loud to be offensive to the family and still gives me a nice tone. Something I’m unable to do with my higher wattage amps.
Thanks for the review Phil! As always good and to the point.
Yeah i'm with youon this amp Phil, I have had this amp for about 6months as my late nighter, and recently picked up a blackstar ht1r to use instead. If I had to recommend between the two based on tone the blackstar would be my recommendation even though it has no footswitch jack or effects loop. Drive is easy enough to control with guitar volume. That being said tone as you know is subjective.
it only has an 16 ohm output... that sucks because 8 ohm speakers are much more common. You must not connect it to a lower ohm speaker combination otherwise you'll blow up the amp.
Can you gig with it? Ive sold out Madison Square Garden for next Saturday.
Chef Atheist I believe this was designed more for outdoor stadiums.
Watch out, the Front of house is gonna complain that the stage volume is too loud
This could definitely work if you mic it up properly.
You'd be surprised hownloud this amp actually is. Even on 0.1 certainly not bedroom levels
@@xWILZTAx exact, I do not understand all people saying It is really nice/quiet for bedroom level .. NO WAY, even at 0.1 ! :/
An Amber Alert has been issued for the Bass
Iv'e had a DSL 15H for about a year and it serves me well as a practice amp and for jamming with folks. When I saw the DSL 20 comming I got pretty excited. It has a power section more in line with most marshalls (EL34s) and everything else just seemed like it was better thought out.
So in early February I ordered one from Sweetwater (DSL 20H). I primarily play at home at lower volume. Primary guitar is a 2000 Gibson Les Paul studio with Duncan Alnico 2 pro (PAF basically) and a jazz. I found the DSL 20 overall to be very bassy at lower volume, bordering on wooly. Even with the resonance and bass turned way down it was just too much. However, once you do get the volume past 3 or 4 (which is pretty loud) the amp fills out the mids and tightens up the low end and it sounds great. It feels like an amp meant for jamming with a drummer, not for bedrooms basically.
Eventually I decided to return the 20 and try the DSL 1 and I have to say the Ultra gain channel sounds fantastic at practice volume more balanced eq, and it sounds good cranked up as well, though it may struggle next to a drum set. I do find the ultra gain channel to be a tad dark, and there is no presence control. The clean channel really doesn't stay clean very long, but i do enjoy the way it sounds fully cranked, kind of a classic overdrive tone, but i agree it's a pretty bright clean channel.
Basically, if you plan on playing loud with a band or even small gigs the DSL 20 will definitely be great , but if you just want something to practice on that can give you some nice tones the go DSL1. I would not advise getting the combos of either amp though, the speakers they come with are pretty much junk. All of my experience was with the head versions played through a Avatar 2x12 with a v30 and a g12h.
I kinda wish they made a DSL 5 Head version...
So can you connect a 2x12 to DSL1?
@@AMetalheadsJourney sure , any 16ohm cab will do...I typically have mine going through a 1x12 with a g12m-65 as its kind of silly using a 2x12 when all I do is practice on the DSL1. But I also have run it through a 2x12 just to mess around in the past. Works great just a matter of what you want to do really.
Who buys a marshall for clean tones?? I have a fender for that. I like my dsl1cr and i got it for $315 new. Kerp up the good work Phil
Yep that amp sounds like it wants an EQ (preferably parametric) in the Loop. It sounds really bright no matter the channel.
I have a Marshall Origin 212 cabinet that I want to pair my DSL1H with. Problem is the Origin 212 cabinet has two 16 ohm speakers wired in parallel making it 8ohms. I wired it in series making it a 32ohm unit. Will this be an issue for the 16ohm DSL1 head? There seems to be a lot of conflicting information online about running a lower-ohm amp into a higher-ohm cabinet.
Dunno if you are still interested Phil but I have the DSL20HR. Its ok as a bedroom amp, but as soon as you crank the volume it becomes a weapon! The only thing the DSL20 lacks that the more revered DSL40C has, is a dedicated crunch channel. I overcame this putting an MI Audio Blues-Pro pedal in front of the clean channel. Now I have it all - sparkling cleans, melodic blues, hard rock sizzle and (with my boost pedal engaged) face searing metal gain.
What low wattage amps would you recommend for a pedal platform? I actually thought this amp would be good for it!!
It's really best used in classic metal and thrash tones.
I agree. But, it could have a been a great pedal amp. Im going to check out the 20 watt version very soon
Thank you for this video Phillip! You are the best!
Love your honesty. It's why Im still here 😉
Having this amp also, but on the green channel as I roll the treble all the way down, the volume increases, sounds like a gain boost knob when rolling off. On the red channel the treble knob behaves just normal as it is expected. Do you experience this also?
Can I put it in FX loop of a 100W amp off course a cabinet connected for load? How to do it? Big amp send to input and fx send of marshall to return of big amp?
Thanks for the review Phillip! I am relieved to hear it can be ran through a 2x12. I was afraid to try it. I am in agreement, it's a cool practice amp, all tube Marshall. Exactly what I've been wanting. I don't care for the clean channel either. It's fun on the red channel though.
tell me if you know about it.. can i turn on the dsl without speaker? i have a power valve amp, i use preamp section of dsl1 and send the signal using the "send" in back of amp..tanks!
so Phil how does this amp measure up to the blackstar HT-1R? and would the Dsl5cr be a better purchase ($200 more) than the dsl1cr
Hey Phillip, I really enjoy your gear and info vids :) I know that you prefer amps with great clean channels (and reverb...can't forget the reverb) to put pedals in front of. Totally valid. But as someone that prefers to get the tone from the amp, this looks like a winner. All the reviews I found were 5 stars. And as far as the brightness on clean, it probably fattens right up with the gain that most people who buy it are looking for.
I had a Class 5 and I had to turn the bass all the way off when it was dimed. Maybe if you just turn the treble down a little you'll prefer it. I have one of these delivering tomorrow so I'll know better soon.
So here's an update after spending the afternoon with the DSL1HR. (My need is a silent recording tube head solution that can get a 70's warm distortion tone)
My feedback has to do solely with silent recording into Logic Pro X.
With an LTD Deluxe traditional (Les Paul style) and this little head,I found the classic but over-driven tone I was looking for specifically for recording....and here's how:
***************
The 3.5MM Audio-In also works as a direct out *minus the cab simulation* which I found rather pokey. The settings I landed on are the Super-gain channel with volume at 12-2 o'clock (seems more saturated this way), gain maxed, Voicing button engaged (going for classic rock tone) Bass 10 Mid 75% Treble 75%.
For recording, I can put this in front of a transparent (or any) amp sim, here comes the best part, ***and with any cab sim/impulses you want using the audio-in instead of the direct out (which has the cab sim).
The Audio-In gives you total cab-freedom, and for recording, that's amazing. Until Orange makes an OR15 version of this, this will work. (And the effects loop is the other kicker).
Final note: Phillip, I ended up agreeing with you on the general tone of the amp. But that is only because I specifically need a retro Marshall tone.....so I just bought a Class 5 combo.
I scoured YT for demos of the new Origin but I just did not hear the dimed out Class 5 tone in the Origin demos.
Phillip was right on this one :) Duly noted my friend!
Phillip, I am looking at the manual and on the head itself and it seems to only ever mention supporting a 16 ohm load. Where did you see that mentioned? If only a 16 ohm load is supported, how might that have affected your tone tests with 8 ohm loads?
Ive been gravitating to the Blackstar HT Series. They sound so much better to me. Especially the the HT 5R head. Great review as always Phil. Thank you.
i love small amps , after 20 years of using my fender hot rod , i bought a marshall sl5 and a vox lil nightrain . cant be hapier and end up playing a lot more
Pushing that clean a lil more into breakup, neck pickup on a strat =😍
My opinion, if most amps seem to dark for you, and you need it to be quiet but get some distortion, this amp is the one for you!
I know this really doesn't apply but i just bought the new dsl 40cr and was very impressed with the clean chanle.
My caveat to this is to play it safe with the impedance. A few people have had issues running a 1x12 with an 8ohm speaker.
I guess lespauel type darker guitar would suit the amp more then a strat
Thanks for the review! Cool option, but going by the sound clips, I'll stick with my Orange #4 (which sounds awesome through a Suhr reactive loadbox and a Twonotes CAB). Thanks again for the demo!
Hey Phil, I have the DSL20h and it jams. This one watt thing is awful. Take it back. The 20 sounds good on the clean channel and on the dirty channel it will blow your mind. I am playing through a Bugera 2x12 cab. I can only imagine what it will sound like through some of the cabs you have. Keep up the great work.
Best review off this amp by far. I agree 100℅
Is it normal for the volume to stay on with the gain knob turned up even though the volume knob is all the way off on the ultra gain channel?
Marshall DSL 1 vs Blackstar HT 1 RH , who wins ? Which is best ????
Know what I do when an amp is too shrill? Turn down the knob labeled "treble" and turn up the one labeled "bass". :)
Then the dirty channel is to muddy and has to much bass. Im pretty sure the clean channel was a after thought. They most likely focused on the dirty channel because they figured thats where the customers are going to go.
I laughed out loud when I read your comment. Cause I was thinking the same thing watching this video.
PeterDad60 won't that only make the amp quieter and break up later. Does this amp only have 12ax7 tubes or is it 1 el34 or el84? I have the jcm 2000 dsl401 it has 4 12ax7 and 4 el84. Now as a single 12 amp with a single celestion the govner which is basicly a vintage 30 it can be bright and that's with my 80 l.p. custom or my sg classic but I don't use the single gov speaker I run an old 4x12 peavey cab from early 70s and man it sounds awesome a lot of people don't like the DSL 401 because it has el84s and not the traditional el34s they said don't sound like a marshall sounds like a Vox or something but to be honest the DSL 401 is almost nothing but a mini bluesbreaker from around 67 they had very similar tube set-up I tried the DSL 40 at Guitar Center it's just too heavy man too heavy too much gain I don't know for such a small I think the DSL 40 just it can't sound good crank with that one speaker maybe through a cab or something not trying to say that the 401 is superior but the way I run my tongue controls on the clean or the game Trouble about 5 mids at about 8 and base about four and a half sounds pretty freaking awesome it's too too muddy I'll just turn the treble up thank God there is no presence knob or mid boost or any of that crap I do wish that the clean Channel had a volume control just like the game channel plus the master but it don't basically what I'm trying to say is try that amp through a combination of speakers vintage 30 tight speaker the middle of the road those things are pretty bright pretty shrill try like the celestion 12100 or the 1275 or something like that those are pretty Basie and by the way people should give the dsl401 another shot May 1st come out it was component inside some type of heat transfer bridge that wouldn't get too hot and melt cuz ant does run hot but after 2006 they remedied that that doesn't have that problem anymore I run a little fan on the back of mine anyway but they can be found pretty cheap you can get some pretty dadgum good sounds out of them
Phillip: ah, so you're wanting to not have to touch the EQ switching channels. I gotcha. if you're stuck with this thing and you don't like it, I suggest seeing if it has a bright cap on the volume of the clean. You can remove that and darken it up.
The Rover and Over. Until pushed into breakup, there's really no difference in sound between different types of power tube. EL84's sound very much the same as EL34's. In an MV amp like the Marshall DSL 401, all the distortion is in the pre-amp, there is no power tube distortion. MV amps are deliberately made this way so they sound the same no matter where the Master Vol is set. A DSL 401 sounds nothing like an AC30 (despite both using EL84 power tubes), but does sound very much like a DSL 50 or a DSL 100, despite the latter using EL34's.
It's only in a cranked non-MV amp (like an AC30 or a THD UniValve) that you hear power-tube breakup and the complex harmonics they generate.
Is the marshall dsl1hr better than the cr? I have the dsl1cr now and its thin sounding and lass less low end. Do you think if i get the head and a 1x12 cab improve and make my tone full? Thanks.
Ges Si yes by far.. a good 12 is going to get way better feel and bass response. What is in the cr? If it’s an 8 it will be night and day difference if a 10 still a good difference especially if you get a quality 12... does the cr have a speaker out output so you can test an external cab?
matt wood yes it does have that speaker out. I would be choosing a better 1x12 cab.
Thanks for the great review. I was thinking of this for home and because it had reverb, but honestly that reverb is pretty poor and that thin clean tone is NOT for me.
Hey Philip, want to buy this amp, plus harley benton vintage 2x12 combo. Do you know is it ok to use that combo, even though it is different oms? Cheers.
is this sound only from the head or other amp setup too?
Any idea if it has a tube cathode follower stage like the DSL20HR or not? There's one ECC83 less. Cathode follower adds to sustain and compression. Solid state phase inverter likely as well. Thanks.
Wish they made a DSL5H.
I have the combo version of this amp and mine sounds great, nothing like this vid. Not sure if it is just sounding different through the recording?
Run a Helix into the loop return. The DSL1CR combo sounds stellar this way. Pedal issues are resolved and you can get nearly any tone you want at 3:00am. Using the power amp gets you a neutral tube tone that FRFR’s don’t match. Also, stock tubes are shrill as hell. Replace them with some good NOS tubes. Lastly, the combo is for 16ohms only. Perhaps the head is different? Running at 8ohms will degrade the tone and make it brighter as this is an impedance mismatch with the output transformer. Not sure why an amp guru wouldn’t have pointed it out to you. Try it with 16ohm cabs and report back. It won’t be thin sounding.
Ruinwalkers Is the marshall dsl1hr better than the cr? I have the dsl1cr now and its thin sounding and lass less low end. Do you think if i get the head and a 1x12 cab improve and make my tone full? Thanks.
I really like that clean 🤗
I totally agree with you on the clean on this. Way too thin. The gain channel sounds great though. I opted to go ahead and spend the extra and pre ordered the new PRS MT15 as I really like what I am hearing on both sides of it more than the DSL 20 I have demo'd. We will see when it comes in. Love your channel and reviews as you give us your honest opinions and also why you feel the way you do. Keep it real and rock on!
You said you prefer darker amps. I always find myself turning treble down on amps and pedals. What are some good low watt darker amps to check out?
Correct me if I’m wrong Phillip, but didn’t Marshall market these as not having a clean channel but a crunch channel that can be cleaned up a little. I bought mine with that understanding and just set my classic crunch channel to the gain setting I wanted and just roll the volume back on the guitar which seems to tame that high end quite a bit.
Anyway, yeah I think you’ll be much happier with the DSL20h . I bought both when they came out and the 20 watter definitely has the dna from the JCM2000 series for sure . It can get loud as a mother trucker too! Thanks for posting up another great video!
Off topic, is that a Breedlove acoustic on the wall? Import or USA? Thoughts either way appreciated.
Hi, I noted that using the head without external speaker and with an headphone, switching from 1w to 0.1w there is no difference in volume. Seems that the power switching knob doesn't work. I'm still awaiting for an external speaker so I can't test it with. It it normal or an issue? I'm anxiously waiting a someone answer please. Thanks. Cheers.
ACERob71 I think that would normal it’s probably cutting the output power by some kind of attenuation. That power output section is different than the headphone output power section. I had bugera g5 and same thing the switch did. Nothing on headphones..
I have that same amp. I don't really use the clean channel so I have no comment on that. I did however switch it to an 8ohm load by unplugging the lead from op transformer going to circuit board and plugging in the lead that the factory has tied off. I have the amp plugged into a silver jubilee 212 horizontal cab. Sounds great for a $300 Marshall.
One doubt, how many ohms are the horns? How many are and how are they connected in parallel or in series?
Hi Phill, and Thanks Phill.
I’m a big combo fan, less work, really enjoy your videos thanks, big fan.
OMG< that thing triggered my tinnitus like no other...ouch. Agree with your overall assessment wholeheartedly.
Hi. Can I connect 1W Marshall DSL1HR (16 OHM) head into 100W Marshall Code 2x12 (8 OHM) cabinet?
Thanks in advance
Just play the clean channel with neck pickup and/or tone button enganged. It sounds really good.
Oh man I'm really sitting on a fence here. You saying it's not a good platform for pedals makes me hesitating. I've seen other videos where the clean channel doesn't appear that bright, maybe due to different speakers. Could you maybe revisit this one and focus on the EQ and pedal-usability on the clean channel? Thanks and all the best! Take care.
Just buy the DSL20HR, I have a crude video up on my channel. Don't waste your time with the DSL1, which is tinny sounding, and can only handle a 16 ohm load. I think my only nitpick with the DSL20HR is the fact you can only run 1x16, 1x8, or 2x16 ohm loads but not 2x8 ohm.
I just bought the 1HR because the 20 is out of stock everywhere until JUNE!
Not going to be gigging so home levels are fine... still want a 20 eventually though, or the 40 if they ever make a head version.
Love the honesty. Excellent review
I still say the problem with one watt tube amps is that they don't have the same tubes as the original amps. So they are just going to sound like an amp that's TRYING to sound like a marshall jcm or whatever amp. If you are ok with the sound being so different, just use a modeling amp. Modern modelers sound great at any volume, often you can use headphones too, you can record DI, they have effects onboard, usually savable settings. And you can use them at louder volumes too for gigs. So many professional artists and studios have switched to modelers it's a good chance that the tone you might be chasing on a record is actually a Fractal anyway.
Or just use the higher watt amps at a lower volume. Yeah it sounds thin, but so does that amp.
Hi Phillip, thanks for the review. Could you elaborate a little on the impedance issue. I would love to be able to transport only one 4 x 12 cabinet running two of these heads into it in order to maintain the stereo spectrum of my effects through a single cab. But according to the backside of my speaker cabinet, the impedance in this configuration is 8 ohms per side (otherwise it's either 16 or 4 ohms MONO and I'd still have to carry two cabs out). On the backside of the amp head, I only saw wording that specified "1 x 16 Ohm" output jack impedance. I assumed this meant 16 ohms was the minimum impedance. Are you saying this amp can adjust to match different speaker impedances?
Another Gr8 vid Phil. I got the new DSL40CR & the Origin 20 combo. After switching the DSL40CR speaker to a creamback I’m absolutely loving it. The Origin hasn’t supplied yet but I’m worried about the 10” speaker. Kinda wishing I would’ve gotten the head version.
Thanks for the honest review. I find most amps that are hyped and on the cheaper side (under $500 made in china) to be uninspiring after a short time.They may sound good and entertaining the first couple of times but soon fades,.... kind of like a pop song ;). I hate to say it but it seems you get what you pay for in guitars and amps. Have you come across a reasonably priced, pro sounding, low wattage, Marshall/Classic rock amp for home use? Does it exist under $1000??? Thanks! MIles V
Can this amp be run without a cabinet or will not having a load damage the amp?
I got the DSL 20..great pedal platform
Does yours has a bad hiss when idle I tried the 1 and 20 returned them both
@@mattyounis5636 Mine does. I thought I had a grounding issue since I had recently swapped pickups on my les paul. I learned to get over the hiss but it sill bugs me from time to time
Sounds better than the clean on my Marshall 8020 open back
How would you compare the gain on this compared to a bugera g5 infinium?
I have recently purchased a DSL1H and on both the amp itself & in the manual, it clearly states 16 Ohm load ONLY. No ambiguity. Downloading the manual for the older 1w head from a few years ago, it does give the option of both. I believe that Phillip might have been mixing up the two amps.
Glen Greig Is the marshall dsl1hr better than the cr? I have the dsl1cr now and its thin sounding and lass less low end. Do you think if i get the head and a 1x12 cab improve and make my tone full? Thanks.
@@gessi1332 the combo allows you to connect an external cabinet, doesn't it? Plug it into a few cabinets to see what it sounds like. Audio is so subjective the only way to know is to listen yourself.
Clean channel is so bad I backed out of buying this, I guess I’ll look at what Blackstar has.
I wish the DSL20 was available before I bought my DSL15. As I’ve learned signal chain as my pedal board grew I really came to regret not having an effects loop. However, it takes pedals very nicely in the clean channel and has enough headroom to not get ugly when hitting it with a Red Rox and Soul Food.