Quote:
Originally Posted by Karl Hungus
So, on to a more reasoned argument. I had sickening amounts of GAS for the SE not so long ago, because it really is a fantastic amp, 'plastic' would certainly not be a term I'd use to describe it, nor would I say it's processed or artificial sounding. What I would say is that it's very tight, very focused, very high gain and very compressed. So while I don't agree with the terminology used, I can totally see why a few people here don't like the amp. I was going to say that noodles probably hasn't had enough time with the amp, and considering the labyrinthine amount of sound shaping controls and options, it would be like someone trying a Mark IV for the first time, and being unsatisfied... But there are certain qualities to the amp that you're just not going to be able to dial out, so I can very much respect that noodles probably wouldn't be happy with the amp no matter how long he spent with it.  |
You would be right, since I only had about an hour with one. However, what I noticed right away--and it is what I would call a deal breaker--was the two modes on the high gain channels. The lower gain mode didn't give you enough gain. I dimed it, and it just wasn't enough. I pushed the mode switch, and it was instant over saturation. I started turning the knob down, until I reached zero and stopped coming out of the amp.
This just killed it for me. If I can't get the gain level where I want it, then there will never be anything I can do with the amp, no matter how much time I have with it. I was longing for a third mode that was in between the two.
I will agree with the different strokes for different folks argument, though. If you are completely in love an Engl SE, then there is absolutely no way you are ever going to like a Recto. The SE has a far tighter damping factor, a lot more gain, and tons of compression, while the Recto is a lot more open, throws the speakers about wildly, and champions brute force over compression. They "feel" completely different to play.