# Who else is waiting on an MI Audio amp?



## Jacksonluvr636 (Jul 22, 2020)

I put in an order with Michael at MI Audio. I just messaged him a couple of days ago, I don't want to be a bother. Just checking if you had the parts or needed to order.

He replies within minutes and says hey, its all set I'm working on a "batch" now and yours should be done in a week or 2.

That is fantastic and I must have good timing. Thats like a month to get an amp built. Amazing. 

Anyway he said "batch" so I know some of you have them on order. 

What model did you get? And why did you get it? I went with the Beta. Just couldn't decide. The gamma sounds siiiick in the videos and 80w is plenty but idk without being able to test drive I figured get the big dog/flagship. Hopefully i made the right choice on that. 

Was just curious who is getting one and which model and why.


----------



## Mathemagician (Jul 22, 2020)

I had never even heard of them before this thread. Hope to hear clips from your new toy soon.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Jul 22, 2020)

Ordered a Beta back in May. The tubes were being burned in last month 
I was super impressed with the clips of the amp, and I loved the delta preamp, plus the AUD is weak as hell right now.


----------



## Jacksonluvr636 (Jul 22, 2020)

KnightBrolaire said:


> Ordered a Beta back in May. The tubes were being burned in last month
> I was super impressed with the clips of the amp, and I loved the delta preamp, plus the AUD is weak as hell right now.


Yeah man, someone I was talking to about the amp told me about the AUD situation so I finally pulled the trigger after wanting one forever. Cant wait to get the amp, I'm sure yours is about finished.


----------



## Thaeon (Jul 22, 2020)

I had no idea who MI was until Dan from Oni told me about them. He demoed my guitar on his Beta on Instagram. Sounded pretty good. I’d like to try one sometime.


----------



## beavis2306 (Jul 22, 2020)

Be sure to let us know what you think of it when you get it


----------



## MoJoToJo (Jul 22, 2020)

Never heard of MI Audio? Surely you guys have seen/used/heard of a Tube Zone or Super Crunchbox pedal or a Megalith Delta.


----------



## Jacksonluvr636 (Jul 22, 2020)

beavis2306 said:


> Be sure to let us know what you think of it when you get it


Sure will.

Heres the video that sold me on them.




And heres the video that made me wonder if I should get the Gamma. But V30s I think in this one and Eminence Wizards in the first vid.


----------



## Spinedriver (Jul 23, 2020)

MoJoToJo said:


> Never heard of MI Audio? Surely you guys have seen/used/heard of a Tube Zone or Super Crunchbox pedal or a Megalith Delta.




Believe it or not, I live in a town with literally 2 guitar stores (one is a chain store and the other is a pawn shop) and last year around this time I just happened to wander into the pawn shop (they normally sell very low end/beginner level stuff) and they had a used Megalith Delta for sale. Went home to think about it for a bit and went back the next day to scoop it up.


----------



## jco5055 (Jul 23, 2020)

Hey dude I actually ordered a Revelation from them but I ended up selling (decided I was an Axe FX guy mainly for the weight, it was 55lbs and I live in a city where no one uses cars so the idea of gigging with it seems like a nightmare).


----------



## Jacksonluvr636 (Jul 23, 2020)

jco5055 said:


> Hey dude I actually ordered a Revelation from them but I ended up selling (decided I was an Axe FX guy mainly for the weight, it was 55lbs and I live in a city where no one uses cars so the idea of gigging with it seems like a nightmare).


I think I almost bought yours lol. I heard some clips online, possibly from the buyer of the Uber voicing, sounded killer. Was a steal, I just wanted the Beta.


----------



## jco5055 (Jul 23, 2020)

Jacksonluvr636 said:


> I think I almost bought yours lol. I heard some clips online, possibly from the buyer of the Uber voicing, sounded killer. Was a steal, I just wanted the Beta.



Oh yeah we talked for sure as I remember someone saying how they just wanted a Beta so they put in the order with him instead of buying mine haha.


----------



## Jacksonluvr636 (Jul 23, 2020)

jco5055 said:


> Oh yeah we talked for sure as I remember someone saying how they just wanted a Beta so they put in the order with him instead of buying mine haha.


Yeah it was me. Was gonna drive there, TBH I took a forum break and if I had seen your price drop :/ hell of a deal but anyway I'm glad you got it sold.


----------



## jco5055 (Jul 23, 2020)

Jacksonluvr636 said:


> Yeah it was me. Was gonna drive there, TBH I took a forum break and if I had seen your price drop :/ hell of a deal but anyway I'm glad you got it sold.



No worries dude, thanks! Hope your Beta turns out magnificent!


----------



## MoJoToJo (Jul 23, 2020)

Michael makes some great gear no doubt I have been using his pedals for a long time & fast to reply to emails. I had one of his original Tube Zone pedals for years & the switch was starting to play up after a stack of use, I emailed him he said post it to me & I will replace for you! I think he just needs to get more updated videos out in youtube land to push his name,but perhaps he is happy keeping it low key that way his products stay high quality. Hope to hear your thoughts on the amp when it arrives Jacksonluvr636


----------



## ATRguitar91 (Jul 23, 2020)

I'll likely never own a MI Audio amp, but the Delta is awesome. I've been running it in stereo with the Tight Metal Pro lately and it sounds amazing.


----------



## mongey (Jul 23, 2020)

I very nearly bought the revelation when I got my recto . I really liked it . the only thing that put me off was it seemed to have too many features ,too many things to go wrong 

I had just lived through a bad amp breakdown experience with my previous amp, and this as 11 years ago. they were pretty new to masking amps 

I also got to briefly try a super early test version of the gamma Michael was working on, he had it at the guitar store where I was checking out the revelation .

It was great but it wasn't a product you could buy yet


----------



## sonofabias (Aug 5, 2020)

Jacksonluvr636 said:


> I put in an order with Michael at MI Audio. I just messaged him a couple of days ago, I don't want to be a bother. Just checking if you had the parts or needed to order.
> 
> He replies within minutes and says hey, its all set I'm working on a "batch" now and yours should be done in a week or 2.
> 
> ...


I’m waiting for my custom Megalith Beta V2 , it should hopefully be ready by the end of the month or early September. Pretty excited about what’s in store sonically


----------



## Jacksonluvr636 (Aug 5, 2020)

sonofabias said:


> I’m waiting for my custom Megalith Beta V2 , it should hopefully be ready by the end of the month or early September. Pretty excited about what’s in store sonically


Nice, what options did you get?

I was expecting mine to be done any day now based on my last discussion but I'm assuming here and I dont want to bother Michael but im assuming ours are both in the same "batch" that he said he was doing so I guess I may be waiting another month. That would suck but overall even another month isn't a bad wait time at all compared to when I placed the order.


----------



## beavis2306 (Aug 5, 2020)

sonofabias said:


> I’m waiting for my custom Megalith Beta V2 , it should hopefully be ready by the end of the month or early September. Pretty excited about what’s in store sonically



Yep, spill the beans. Are we just talking aesthetic customisation?


----------



## sonofabias (Aug 5, 2020)

beavis2306 said:


> Yep, spill the beans. Are we just talking aesthetic customisation?


No , just finished discussing it with Michael I. , he says about two weeks to completion. The boards finished , chassis next followed by head shell , in custom color. I’ll reveal when it arrives .


----------



## sonofabias (Aug 7, 2020)

sonofabias said:


> No , just finished discussing it with Michael I. , he says about two weeks to completion. The boards finished , chassis next followed by head shell , in custom color. I’ll reveal when it arrives .


It has custom options including aesthetic


----------



## sonofabias (Aug 31, 2020)

sonofabias said:


> No , just finished discussing it with Michael I. , he says about two weeks to completion. The boards finished , chassis next followed by head shell , in custom color. I’ll reveal when it arrives .


Almost there ...!


----------



## Jacksonluvr636 (Sep 1, 2020)

sonofabias said:


> View attachment 84486
> 
> Almost there ...!


It just moved a little.

I didn't ask any tech specs but wow. Transformers seem like they will be pretty beefy with those covers and everything.

What custom specs did you get? Getting me excited.

On mine I got a tinted plexiglass front panel, extra gain switch and sizzle switch. I believe the sizzle comes stock/mandatory though if I recall.


----------



## sonofabias (Sep 11, 2020)

Jacksonluvr636 said:


> It just moved a little.
> Perhaps your amp’s here..!
> I didn't ask any tech specs but wow. Transformers seem like they will be pretty beefy with those covers and everything.
> 
> ...


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Sep 11, 2020)

mine better be in this batch. Been waiting since may and I'm getting a little annoyed at the lack of communication from michael.


----------



## Jacksonluvr636 (Sep 11, 2020)

KnightBrolaire said:


> mine better be in this batch. Been waiting since may and I'm getting a little annoyed at the lack of communication from michael.


Yeah, i have to agree. I try not to bother people when waiting but after estimates get passed a few times and replies are very vague, definitely gets frustrating. Last I was told all of the amps are done and they will be installed into the headshells this week and shipped.

Im guessing a bunch of people are messaging like what's going on because he posted that picture above the other day.

No offense but damn, i can put 8 amps into the headshell within an hour. Anyway today is Friday and still no notifications. Id rather be told an actual time frame and have it be July 2025 instead of, next week, 2 more weeks, very soon and missing those time frames.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Sep 11, 2020)

Jacksonluvr636 said:


> Yeah, i have to agree. I try not to bother people when waiting but after estimates get passed a few times and replies are very vague, definitely gets frustrating. Last I was told all of the amps are done and they will be installed into the headshells this week and shipped.
> 
> Im guessing a bunch of people are messaging like what's going on because he posted that picture above the other day.
> 
> No offense but damn, i can put 8 amps into the headshell within an hour. Anyway today is Friday and still no notifications. Id rather be told an actual time frame and have it be July 2025 instead of, next week, 2 more weeks, very soon and missing those time frames.


I sent him an email 9 days ago, just asking how far along the amp was and no response. It's literally the only time I've emailed him since I asked back in june. I know he has email on his phone since I can see the "sent from samsung galaxy" message when he has actually emailed me back. 
I'm so fucking sick of dealing with small time guitar and amp builders that behave like this. It takes 2 seconds to send me an email and give me an update.


----------



## Jacksonluvr636 (Sep 11, 2020)

KnightBrolaire said:


> I sent him an email 9 days ago, just asking how far along the amp was and no response. It's literally the only time I've emailed him since I asked back in june. I know he has email on his phone since I can see the "sent from samsung galaxy" message when he has actually emailed me back.
> I'm so fucking sick of dealing with small time guitar and amp builders that behave like this. It takes 2 seconds to send me an email and give me an update.


I will say even before my order. Emailing him I rarely got a response. Adding him on Facebook through a mutual friend and messaging there is when I was able to talk to him. Yeah should not have to do that but it is what it is.

With all of this I will say I'm not worried. We will all get our amps. He seems like a good dude and my guess is just that he doesnt want to disappoint or perhaps avoid drama and conflict maybe. Idk, cant speak for him but I was definitely expecting to get a tracking email by today :/


----------



## sonofabias (Sep 11, 2020)

Jacksonluvr636 said:


> I will say even before my order. Emailing him I rarely got a response. Adding him on Facebook through a mutual friend and messaging there is when I was able to talk to him. Yeah should not have to do that but it is what it is.
> 
> With all of this I will say I'm not worried. We will all get our amps. He seems like a good dude and my guess is just that he doesnt want to disappoint or perhaps avoid drama and conflict maybe. Idk, cant speak for him but I was definitely expecting to get a tracking email by today :/


I’ve had very little problem communicating with Michael, even spoke with him several months ago via phone call . It’s best to use the MI Facebook page to message him , he’s difficult to reach by email but he does pay attention to it and frequently comments there as well. He’s doing everything alone , has more business than he’s had possibly ever. I know it seems he’s not paying attention , just keep trying to reach him .


----------



## Jacksonluvr636 (Sep 11, 2020)

sonofabias said:


> I’ve had very little problem communicating with Michael, even spoke with him several months ago via phone call . It’s best to use the MI Facebook page to message him , he’s difficult to reach by email but he does pay attention to it and frequently comments there as well. He’s doing everything alone , has more business than he’s had possibly ever. I know it seems he’s not paying attention , just keep trying to reach him .


Yeah I was kind of shocked to see 8 Betas on the table, not to mention the Gammas that were involved.


----------



## MatrixClaw (Sep 12, 2020)

I've always been curious about MI Amps but never seen one for sale in the US when I've been in the market. How do you even order these? Just email him directly? I don't see any priced on their site.


----------



## sonofabias (Sep 12, 2020)

MatrixClaw said:


> I've always been curious about MI Amps but never seen one for sale in the US when I've been in the market. How do you even order these? Just email him directly? I don't see any priced on their site.


Go to Facebook, look for MI Audio page . You can communicate with Michael there , he pays attention to it . Everything is direct from him in Australia. Send him a message from the page .


----------



## sonofabias (Sep 12, 2020)

MatrixClaw said:


> I've always been curious about MI Amps but never seen one for sale in the US when I've been in the market. How do you even order these? Just email him directly? I don't see any priced on their site.


Go to Facebook, look for MI Audio page . You can communicate with Michael there , he pays attention to it . Everything is direct from him in Australia. Send him a message from the page .


----------



## MatrixClaw (Sep 12, 2020)

sonofabias said:


> Go to Facebook, look for MI Audio page . You can communicate with Michael there , he pays attention to it . Everything is direct from him in Australia. Send him a message from the page .


Awesome, thanks!


----------



## Jacksonluvr636 (Sep 16, 2020)

MatrixClaw said:


> I've always been curious about MI Amps but never seen one for sale in the US when I've been in the market. How do you even order these? Just email him directly? I don't see any priced on their site.


Just throwing this out there. Have no posted the ad since it is still not in my possession however some unforeseen life circumstances happened and well. I will be listing my Megalith for sale brand new. I talked to Michael and there is no return/cancellation policy so it will be going up if you're interested.


----------



## MatrixClaw (Sep 16, 2020)

Jacksonluvr636 said:


> Just throwing this out there. Have no posted the ad since it is still not in my possession however some unforeseen life circumstances happened and well. I will be listing my Megalith for sale brand new. I talked to Michael and there is no return/cancellation policy so it will be going up if you're interested.


Super interested. Shoot me a PM with price!


----------



## Jacksonluvr636 (Sep 21, 2020)

A bit annoyed with the process. I like all of my communications with Michael and he seems like a good guy so I am sorry but fair is fair and ive blasted others for less.

Was told 6 weeks initially. Then after 2 months it was another week or 2. Then another reply that said "soon".

The latest was 9/15 when I asked about refund/cancellation policy, I was told it is in the box ready to ship and they have no return/cancel policy.

Still not shipped, no emails no tracking info. Not even sure how to message him again without being a straight up dick at this point.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Sep 23, 2020)

oh look at that, I complain on FB and all of a sudden he emails me.

"Firstly, please accept my apologies for the incredible lateness of this reply. I saw your post on FB, and you are absolutely right to be upset. When I saw your post, I went searching through my emails to find your email and I couldn’t find it in my in-box, so I searched my spam folder and found it there!


Nonetheless, I should have emailed you to let you know the status of the amplifier. After burn-in, the amplifier developed a strange symptom, namely sporadic buzzing. I spent quite a bit of time trying to work out the problem. I checked the wiring, replaced tubes, changed coupling caps, chanced filter caps, changed the standby and power switches, changed the power supply filter caps, changed the bridge rectifier, changed the HV ceramic suppression caps to no avail.


I decided that even if the amplifier was fixed, that with the amount of re soldering etc that it wasn’t right to sell you that particular amplifier, since it was now more like a reworked ‘prototype’ than a new one. So I completely rebuilt you a new amplifier and I will keep the original one for my workshop.


(In the end, I suspect that the issue might in fact be a faulty PCB)


On the upshot, the new amplifier is ready to be shipped out to you."

I'm glad he finally got in touch with me. I basically told him that the lack of communication was terribly unprofessional and that quite frankly it was unacceptable to have these big of lapses in communication.


----------



## jco5055 (Sep 23, 2020)

hey guys, just to echo what others have said, some may know but I did own a Revelation for a bit (sold since I decided I want to go the AxeFX route, mainly for the size/weight reasons especially since I don't own a car), but I can confirm that you will get the amp but the communication issues definitely had me questioning if I actually would at times. 

You can PM me if you want more details, but similar to others here it went from absolutely superb communication (had a skype phone call with him for like an hour just asking any question I could think of) to then once he started building it went way over the initial timeline, with the only updates coming from when I emailed him asking for one. 

I didn't want to say anything at the start of this thread since I had some faith he may have got his act together a bit (he apparently started pursuing a Ph.D while in the middle of my build, hence the delay), but seems like he still is lacking a bit in that respect.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Sep 25, 2020)

Got tracking info from Michael.


----------



## Protovh4 (Sep 26, 2020)

So are these amps worth the wait? How would KSR or Armoured Amps compare?


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Sep 28, 2020)

It's here, and it sounds fuckin sick


----------



## MASS DEFECT (Sep 28, 2020)

KnightBrolaire said:


> It's here, and it sounds fuckin sick



Congratulations! I am currently watching Reza's MI amp playthrough. And I still have no idea what the eq shift and contour controls really do. Sounds massive and tight though!


----------



## MatrixClaw (Sep 28, 2020)

MASS DEFECT said:


> Congratulations! I am currently watching Reza's MI amp playthrough. And I still have no idea what the eq shift and contour controls really do. Sounds massive and tight though!


LOL, I'm watching it right now too 

This might be the tightest amp I've ever heard and that clean channel is redonkulous.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Sep 28, 2020)

MASS DEFECT said:


> Congratulations! I am currently watching Reza's MI amp playthrough. And I still have no idea what the eq shift and contour controls really do. Sounds massive and tight though!


Yeah it's a MASSSIVE sounding amp. It has a very good volume taper on it so I don't have to crank the hell out of it to get insane tones. It can get suuuuuper tight sounding. 

The EQ shifts change the midrange focus. 1 is more low mid grunt with less sub bass than 0 (think recto). 0= verrry thick and chunky like say a Pittbull or Uberschall 2= very cutting and upper mid focused with much less bass.

The contour 1= lows contour 2= high mid/highs . You really don't need to adjust them much at all other than to fine tune. Michael recommends using it as the main eq and then adjusting with the switches and eq.
The attack switch controls the overall feel/tightness. Position 0 is pretty squishy with midrange 0 or 1, but Position 1 makes it very tight. Position 2 is extreeeemely tight, like tighter than a gnat's asshole.

Gain controls saturation. Low = Think more Hiwatt/Pittbull (very dry), Mid= Typical 5150/Mark/Recto saturation, High= SUUUUPER SOAKER SATURATION. The gain is insane on this channel.


My current favorite is running 0 or 1 midrange with contour at noon, and tightness 2. You get pummeling tight as fuck bass, growly mids and a clear high end.
Midrange 2 with tightness 2 is like having a super hot rodded jose marshall. I have to add back in the low end because it's so thin lol. But it pretty much nails the tightness of say something like Dino's tone from Demanufacture.


----------



## Spinedriver (Sep 28, 2020)

Last year, I wandered into a local pawn shop while I was waiting for my order at the pizza shop that's next door and lo and behold they had a Megalith Delta pedal for sale. Even better was that they only wanted $179 for it which was a steal of a deal.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Sep 28, 2020)

Spinedriver said:


> Last year, I wandered into a local pawn shop while I was waiting for my order at the pizza shop that's next door and lo and behold they had a Megalith Delta pedal for sale. Even better was that they only wanted $179 for it which was a steal of a deal.


The delta pedal is great, it has such a unique sound. It's part of why I wanted the amp.


----------



## MASS DEFECT (Sep 28, 2020)

Ok. I'm now more interested. lol
How long again was the TOTAL wait time from order to completion for that build? And can half power mode be as low volume friendly like a 50w EVH?


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Sep 28, 2020)

MASS DEFECT said:


> Ok. I'm now more interested. lol
> How long again was the TOTAL wait time from order to completion for that build? And can half power mode be as low volume friendly like a 50w EVH?


I ordered mine in early may, so about 5 months. But I also had to deal with having my amp get rebuilt , so it could be shorter. As far as volume, I can run it on full power and it's pretty low volume friendly due to the combination of a great master volume taper and individual channel volume.


----------



## MatrixClaw (Sep 28, 2020)

KnightBrolaire said:


> I ordered mine in early may, so about 5 months. But I also had to deal with having my amp get rebuilt , so it could be shorter. As far as volume, I can run it on full power and it's pretty low volume friendly due to the combination of a great master volume taper and individual channel volume.


How are you liking it vs your Revv? That was another one on my list to check out. Everyone seems to really love these Megaliths but I haven't seen many people in the US with experience with them, so I don't know if people in Australia just love them because of the cost vs other amps down there, or if they're actually as awesome as people say


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Sep 28, 2020)

MatrixClaw said:


> How are you liking it vs your Revv? That was another one on my list to check out. Everyone seems to really love these Megaliths but I haven't seen many people in the US with experience with them, so I don't know if people in Australia just love them because of the cost vs other amps down there, or if they're actually as awesome as people say


The Revv 100p is one of my favorite amps and as of right now, the Beta is right up there next to it. It's a super unique amp, and like Revv, they deserve all the hype they get. There's nothing really like either of them on the market.


----------



## MatrixClaw (Sep 28, 2020)

KnightBrolaire said:


> The Revv 100p is one of my favorite amps and as of right now, the Beta is right up there next to it. It's a super unique amp, and like Revv, they deserve all the hype they get. There's nothing really like either of them on the market.


Someone on Rig-Talk says they talked to someone who recently got one that said it had "a very generic sound and nothing special," which is kinda making me hesitate now. Most high gain amps sound very similar to me, you out that much gain and compression in an amp and there's not a ton of room for variation. The differentiator is in the clarity and how it handles the low-end. This is the first amp I've ever heard that made me wow over the clean channel, though and it's probably one of the tightest sounding amps I've ever heard in clips, but again, it's hard to get a feel for an amp without it sitting in front of you.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Sep 28, 2020)

MatrixClaw said:


> Someone on Rig-Talk says they talked to someone who recently got one that said it had "a very generic sound and nothing special," which is kinda making me hesitate now. Most high gain amps sound very similar to me, you out that much gain and compression in an amp and there's not a ton of room for variation. The differentiator is in the clarity and how it handles the low-end. This is the first amp I've ever heard that made me wow over the clean channel, though and it's probably one of the tightest sounding amps I've ever heard in clips, but again, it's hard to get a feel for an amp without it sitting in front of you.


Reza's vid is a pretty good representation of how it can sound, except it's a bit thicker on the low end in person imo. I wouldn't call it generic sounding at all. It's in the vein of say a recto or uberschall for the base sound and then can deviate drastically from there depending on how you dial it in.


----------



## MetalHead40 (Sep 28, 2020)

MatrixClaw said:


> Someone on Rig-Talk says they talked to someone who recently got one that said it had "a very generic sound and nothing special," which is kinda making me hesitate now. Most high gain amps sound very similar to me, you out that much gain and compression in an amp and there's not a ton of room for variation. The differentiator is in the clarity and how it handles the low-end. This is the first amp I've ever heard that made me wow over the clean channel, though and it's probably one of the tightest sounding amps I've ever heard in clips, but again, it's hard to get a feel for an amp without it sitting in front of you.




That was me but I said the individual I was pm'ing with was in regards to a custom amp by MI Audio not the Beta or Gamma. I've been interested in these amps myself due to the feature set on paper and the exchange rate, but after reading the first three pages here I'll pass. I've had a bad experience with another builder where timelines just kept being extended for completion and I wound up cancelling for refund. I also had a bad reaction to the Armored Amps Sabot I bought and am definitely gun-shy.


----------



## Seabeast2000 (Sep 28, 2020)

You guys buying direct via site contact page?


----------



## broj15 (Sep 28, 2020)

Damn, these have totally flown under my radar. The control layout & features are nice & seem really intuitive, and the tube swapping capabilities are really interesting. Kinda curious as to what OT & PT it's using since you need some pretty big iron to get the most out of the bigger tubes like KT88's or KT100's. Either way if I was in the market for a new amp right now this would definitely be somewhere on the short list.


----------



## MatrixClaw (Sep 29, 2020)

MetalHead40 said:


> That was me but I said the individual I was pm'ing with was in regards to a custom amp by MI Audio not the Beta or Gamma. I've been interested in these amps myself due to the feature set on paper and the exchange rate, but after reading the first three pages here I'll pass. I've had a bad experience with another builder where timelines just kept being extended for completion and I wound up cancelling for refund. I also had a bad reaction to the Armored Amps Sabot I bought and am definitely gun-shy.


I'm not super bothered by missed deadlines, as long as it actually shows up. Less concerned about when it shows up and more on if I'll actually get it - MI is reputable enough that I don't think that's a problem. The only custom built item I've ever bought that arrived on time was a Carvin guitar and I feel like they're the exception in most cases. Almost every piece of built to order gear I've ordered took twice as long as quoted. I also have plenty of other gear to keep me happy until I receive the amp.

I'm mostly concerned with sound and resale value. Sound because if it's as good as people claim, resale value makes no difference. Resale value because if I don't like it as much as I think I will, I don't want to lose a ton of cash because they're a relatively unknown company in the US.

From the recordings I've heard, I'm actually most impressed by the clean and lower gain sounds of the Gamma. It's really hard to judge a high gain amp by random recordings without a baseline of another piece of gear I know and like next to it. Most everything in this range sounds good under a mic. I'm kinda concerned it's TOO tight for me. Clips of the Revv amps give me the same feeling, but what I've heard from the MI, they have more mojo.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Sep 29, 2020)

Seabeast2000 said:


> You guys buying direct via site contact page?


yeah just shoot an email to michael or contact him on MI Audio's fb page.


----------



## Jacksonluvr636 (Sep 29, 2020)

Hopefully he decides to ship mine. Ive seen Reza's video, the second one he posted sounded excellent. Am glad he and everyone got theirs safely but it bothers me because I was talking to Reza before I ordered mine so I know for a fact I ordered mine and paid in full before he did.


----------



## Jacksonluvr636 (Sep 29, 2020)

MetalHead40 said:


> That was me but I said the individual I was pm'ing with was in regards to a custom amp by MI Audio not the Beta or Gamma. I've been interested in these amps myself due to the feature set on paper and the exchange rate, but after reading the first three pages here I'll pass. I've had a bad experience with another builder where timelines just kept being extended for completion and I wound up cancelling for refund. I also had a bad reaction to the Armored Amps Sabot I bought and am definitely gun-shy.


This will absolutely be my last custom order on any piece of gear. The first time was Earcandy and you can imagine how that went. If it's not in stock I just don't have the patience do flip a coin on if they will be direct or just avoid someone for months because they had to rebuild their entire amp. Communication is key here and it's left much to be desired.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Sep 30, 2020)

Recorded some basic riffs with my Kiesel ZM7 to show how the switches affect the sound. Everything starts with Voice 0/attack 0, then attack 1, then 2, and then the same thing with Voice 1/2.
The attack switches have a more noticeable impact on the sound with higher gain modes. Also this guitar is probably my flubbiest sounding 7 string right now, so it gives a pretty decent idea of how much the amp tightens up the sound.
I included v30 and creamback versions too.
Keep in mind that this is with everything at noon and I'm only really messing with the mid voice and attack switches. There are some minor gain adjustments in the medley clip just because the high gain mode is ridiculously high gain. I also cycle the same riff in that clip through all the gain channels with voice 2/attack 2.
http://www.mediafire.com/file/26o256xdema15oh/MiBetademo.zip/file


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Oct 2, 2020)

Same high gain clip, but with some different IRs.
http://www.mediafire.com/file/8woko0nnbnhz42u/Beta2.zip/file
I'll throw up some vids of the amp in the next couple of days as well.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Oct 2, 2020)

KnightBrolaire said:


> Same high gain clip, but with some different IRs.
> http://www.mediafire.com/file/8woko0nnbnhz42u/Beta2.zip/file
> I'll throw up some vids of the amp in the next couple of days as well.


updated the file with some extra IRs. Some of the thinner sounding ones work better for the base sound (voice 0/attack 0), but all of them work well for the actual riffage (voice 2/attack 2) starting around 1:00 imo.
http://www.mediafire.com/file/ixzdhibthatgmnl/Beta2.zip/file


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Oct 4, 2020)

another owner put up a sick demo vid


----------



## MatrixClaw (Oct 4, 2020)

The more I listen to these clips, the more it sounds like a good distortion pedal going through a tube power amp. I'm not sure how he can get that much gain out of the preamp with only 3/4 tubes on the Gamma/Beta without a significant amount of diode clipping going on in the circuit. This makes sense how it can get so tight, though. The earlier demos I'd heard of it had a lot of good sounds across the range, but all these new ones I've heard over the past week or two don't do anything for me, the gain channel sounds lifeless  I'd still be interested to try one of these but I think I'll pass on buying new at this point...


----------



## DeathByButterslax (Oct 4, 2020)

MatrixClaw said:


> The more I listen to these clips, the more it sounds like a good distortion pedal going through a tube power amp. I'm not sure how he can get that much gain out of the preamp with only 3/4 tubes on the Gamma/Beta without a significant amount of diode clipping going on in the circuit. This makes sense how it can get so tight, though. The earlier demos I'd heard of it had a lot of good sounds across the range, but all these new ones I've heard over the past week or two don't do anything for me, the gain channel sounds lifeless  I'd still be interested to try one of these but I think I'll pass on buying new at this point...


3/4 preamp tubes does not mean 3/4 gain stages


----------



## MASS DEFECT (Oct 4, 2020)

Im more interested with the Iron Duke. Sounds like the ultimate modded Marshall. I hope somebody does a nice demo on it. The presence and depth knobs are kinda necessary for me.


----------



## MatrixClaw (Oct 5, 2020)

DeathByButterslax said:


> 3/4 preamp tubes does not mean 3/4 gain stages


Sure - it means, at max, 5/7 gain stages (2 per preamp tubes, minus 1 if he's using only half of one for a Phase Inverter), if we don't take into consideration any tube use in the effects loop. Whereas something like the Peavey 5150 uses 5 preamp tubes (9 possible gain stages if half is used as the PI). I'm not familiar with either circuit enough to pretend what each tube is used for (I did look up the 5150 though and it uses 6 gain stages, which more than what's even possible with the MI - most of the more popular amps use 4 stages, which means the other tubes are used elsewhere, which in the MI's case doesn't leave much wiggle room in the rest of the circuit), but the available possible tube gain stages of the Gamma are just over half of the 5150's, which is also a two-channel amplifier with no reverb. That doesn't mean that Michael doesn't maximize all sides of the tubes for the gain staging, but it's enough to keep me from buying one for $1500 without trying it first. If someone has a schematic (I assume it's not available anywhere), that'd be helpful to understand what it's doing.


----------



## DeathByButterslax (Oct 5, 2020)

MatrixClaw said:


> Sure - it means, at max, 5/7 gain stages (2 per preamp tubes, minus 1 if he's using only half of one for a Phase Inverter), if we don't take into consideration any tube use in the effects loop. Whereas something like the Peavey 5150 uses 5 preamp tubes (9 possible gain stages if half is used as the PI). I'm not familiar with either circuit enough to pretend what each tube is used for (I did look up the 5150 though and it uses 6 gain stages, which more than what's even possible with the MI - most of the more popular amps use 4 stages, which means the other tubes are used elsewhere, which in the MI's case doesn't leave much wiggle room in the rest of the circuit), but the available possible tube gain stages of the Gamma are just over half of the 5150's, which is also a two-channel amplifier with no reverb. That doesn't mean that Michael doesn't maximize all sides of the tubes for the gain staging, but it's enough to keep me from buying one for $1500 without trying it first. If someone has a schematic (I assume it's not available anywhere), that'd be helpful to understand what it's doing.



right, however, it's a pretty fair price for a hand made amp. It reminds me of a PRS Archon with more sculpting options.


----------



## MatrixClaw (Oct 5, 2020)

DeathByButterslax said:


> right, however, it's a pretty fair price for a hand made amp.


It's certainly a fair price, but not a price I suspect most people are willing to take a risk on, considering these have been out for years and most people outside of Australia have never even heard of them.



DeathByButterslax said:


> It reminds me of a PRS Archon with more sculpting options.


Interesting. I'd love to hear that comparison - so far, what I've heard out of them sounds nothing like the Archon.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Oct 8, 2020)

Some new clips I made.
One is with my partscaster baritone loaded with Elysian Trident I pickups, the other is with my Mushok loaded with the Dimebucker set.
I included a creamback and v30 version of the Trident clips. I used Greenback IRs for the Mushok.
http://www.mediafire.com/file/io6l6dowkhixfjj/beta3.zip/file


As far as how this amp compares to the Archon (since I own one):
Ehh they really aren't very similar. Yeah, both have great clean channels, but the voicing switches gives the Beta a lot more flexibility. Both have that characteristic low mid grunt of a Recto for their base tone (with the Beta being much more thunderous on the low end), but the mid shift on the Beta gives it the edge imo. Between that and the attack switch, you can do a lot more than the Archon can without any outside help.
I love the Archon but it's a very different amp.

I'll post up a comparison of the two later.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Oct 8, 2020)

KnightBrolaire said:


> Some new clips I made.
> One is with my partscaster baritone loaded with Elysian Trident I pickups, the other is with my Mushok loaded with the Dimebucker set.
> I included a creamback and v30 version of the Trident clips. I used Greenback IRs for the Mushok.
> http://www.mediafire.com/file/io6l6dowkhixfjj/beta3.zip/file
> ...


Archon Vs Beta comparison is up. I used my Aristides 070 with Lundgren M7s in the bridge. Greenback IRs are same as the Mushok clip. Both amps had the main eqs hovering around noon for everything. I went through all the voicings and gain modes of the Beta, along with the clean voicings. 
http://www.mediafire.com/file/kwv6cecm99lx80p/BetaVarchon.zip/file


----------



## MatrixClaw (Oct 8, 2020)

KnightBrolaire said:


> Archon Vs Beta comparison is up. I used my Aristides 070 with Lundgren M7s in the bridge. Greenback IRs are same as the Mushok clip. Both amps had the main eqs hovering around noon for everything. I went through all the voicings and gain modes of the Beta, along with the clean voicings.
> http://www.mediafire.com/file/kwv6cecm99lx80p/BetaVarchon.zip/file


They definitely don't sound anything at all alike in these clips. I listened to all your recordings of the Beta, it still sounds like a distortion pedal to me, though it could just be that I don't like that IR cause I wasn't a fan of the Archon clips, either. The cleans sound fantastic on the Beta, but the distortion side is super stale. Even with lower gain settings, it sounds like it's only voiced for brutal metal, which is a shame since it has so much tonal shaping options. I'm definitely glad I decided not to buy one at this point. This is certainly an amp I'll need to try before I buy, because relying on videos and recordings isn't doing anything for me


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Oct 8, 2020)

MatrixClaw said:


> They definitely don't sound anything at all alike in these clips. I listened to all your recordings of the Beta, it still sounds like a distortion pedal to me, though it could just be that I don't like that IR cause I wasn't a fan of the Archon clips, either. The cleans sound fantastic on the Beta, but the distortion side is super stale. Even with lower gain settings, it sounds like it's only voiced for brutal metal, which is a shame since it has so much tonal shaping options. I'm definitely glad I decided not to buy one at this point. This is certainly an amp I'll need to try before I buy, because relying on videos and recordings isn't doing anything for me


To be fair to the beta I didn't spend any time at all dialing a more midgain or less brutal tone for that comparison. the dimebucker clip has some more vintage and lower gain tones in it.


----------



## Jacksonluvr636 (Oct 10, 2020)

Finally got the amp the other day, it rips. I find you really have to turn it up loud to get it going. Im most intrigued by the bass. Very deep bass on this amp.

I also wanted to backtrack and say I was pretty pissed off about the delays and others getting their amp first, even though i paid first, etc. Michael is not a bad guy at all and I couldn't see him ripping anyone off. I was just frustrated. Definitely not the best meeting of quoted time frames and all that but I got the amp safely and am pleased. With that said I still probably wouldnt gamble again on a made to order item just because of the nervousness, anxiety, etc. It's just not for me and im not made of money.

Seems like everyone has a different opinion but to me the amp seems like the child of the Uber and JP2C.


----------



## sonofabias (Oct 15, 2020)

Jacksonluvr636 said:


> Finally got the amp the other day, it rips. I find you really have to turn it up loud to get it going. Im most intrigued by the bass. Very deep bass on this amp.
> 
> I also wanted to backtrack and say I was pretty pissed off about the delays and others getting their amp first, even though i paid first, etc. Michael is not a bad guy at all and I couldn't see him ripping anyone off. I was just frustrated. Definitely not the best meeting of quoted time frames and all that but I got the amp safely and am pleased. With that said I still probably wouldnt gamble again on a made to order item just because of the nervousness, anxiety, etc. It's just not for me and im not made of money.
> 
> Seems like everyone has a different opinion but to me the amp seems like the child of the Uber and JP2C.


 Michael says it’s a mixture of an Uber , Herbert and a Recto but from what I’ve heard it’s capable of so much more, especially with all the switching options available . I requested a resonance/depth knob as well to control the low end . Michael installed it as a late request, just before shipping it yesterday.


----------



## Bearitone (Oct 15, 2020)

KnightBrolaire said:


> another owner put up a sick demo vid




Oh shit. Love the crunchy/gritty gain structure and deep low end.


----------



## Bearitone (Oct 16, 2020)

Price for the Beta?


----------



## MASS DEFECT (Oct 16, 2020)

Bearitone said:


> Price for the Beta?


AUD 2499


----------



## Bearitone (Oct 16, 2020)

MASS DEFECT said:


> AUD 2499


Well, if any of you want to sell yours in the coming months hit me up and I’ll take it for what you paid at the time in USD ($1770)


----------



## Jacksonluvr636 (Oct 20, 2020)

sonofabias said:


> View attachment 86015
> 
> Michael says it’s a mixture of an Uber , Herbert and a Recto but from what I’ve heard it’s capable of so much more, especially with all the switching options available . I requested a resonance/depth knob as well to control the low end . Michael installed it as a late request, just before shipping it yesterday.
> View attachment 86015


Thats actually a really good idea having a depth knob added.

I definitely got a few extras just because the pricing was devent. Having a great time with the amp. Tons of options like you said.


----------



## sonofabias (Oct 20, 2020)

Jacksonluvr636 said:


> Thats actually a really good idea having a depth knob added.
> 
> I definitely got a few extras just because the pricing was devent. Having a great time with the amp. Tons of options like you said.


I can’t play loud at home but I did try it out just to hear it and let Michael know it arrived in tact . Killer amp with a sweet clean channel as well. I’ll hopefully have a matching quad cabinet before years end or just after .


----------



## Bearitone (Oct 23, 2020)

sonofabias said:


> View attachment 86015
> 
> Michael says it’s a mixture of an Uber , Herbert and a Recto but from what I’ve heard it’s capable of so much more, especially with all the switching options available . I requested a resonance/depth knob as well to control the low end . Michael installed it as a late request, just before shipping it yesterday.
> View attachment 86015


Where is the depth knob? On the back?


----------



## sonofabias (Oct 27, 2020)

Bearitone said:


> Where is the depth knob? On the back?


Yes , Michael was kind enough to install it at the last moment. It made my amp take an extra two days before it shipped but it arrived in four days which would have been three days had it not been for Sunday. DHL is very timely.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Oct 29, 2020)

Spent the last couple of days recording clips of my amps to show how they compare, including the MI Beta. I used my Charvel with a custom 5 in the bridge. More details in the description.


----------



## sonofabias (Oct 30, 2020)

KnightBrolaire said:


> Spent the last couple of days recording clips of my amps to show how they compare, including the MI Beta. I used my Charvel with a custom 5 in the bridge. More details in the description.



The Revv 100p sounds great plus all the flexibility is outstanding . It’s funny because the Megalith isn’t real clear in your clips and I know it sounds much better , I’ve had my Beta for only a few days, I know how good it can sound . I really appreciate your in depth demos..!


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Oct 30, 2020)

sonofabias said:


> The Revv 100p sounds great plus all the flexibility is outstanding . It’s funny because the Megalith isn’t real clear in your clips and I know it sounds much better , I’ve had my Beta for only a few days, I know how good it can sound . I really appreciate your in depth demos..!


Thanks.
I didn't really spend any time dialing the amps or IRs in for this particular guitar, so it could definitely sound better, but I think it's more than enough to get the point across, especially in conjunction with the other clips I have in this thread. 
I know some people dislike the greenback IRs I use, but I keep using them because it keeps things consistent for my pickup demos and I think they sound pretty good for most situations.
What are you listening to the video through? It sounds plenty clear with both my sennheiser hd6xx headphones and my hyperx gaming headphones  
If you want to hear the uncompressed version of the clips here you go:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/vpgpmvi62syg34z/ampcomparison.zip/file


----------



## sonofabias (Oct 31, 2020)

KnightBrolaire said:


> Thanks.
> I didn't really spend any time dialing the amps or IRs in for this particular guitar, so it could definitely sound better, but I think it's more than enough to get the point across, especially in conjunction with the other clips I have in this thread.
> I know some people dislike the greenback IRs I use, but I keep using them because it keeps things consistent for my pickup demos and I think they sound pretty good for most situations.
> What are you listening to the video through? It sounds plenty clear with both my sennheiser hd6xx headphones and my hyperx gaming headphones
> ...


I'm listeng on my home audio system using my desk top .


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Jan 8, 2021)

Got bored last night and recorded some wankery on ch.4 of the Beta.
https://soundcloud.com/knightbrolaire/duncan-p-rail-mi-audio-beta-wankery


----------



## Bearitone (Jan 8, 2021)

Still waiting on my Beta. Been about 10 to 11 weeks now. Going to check in some day next week


----------



## MASS DEFECT (Jan 8, 2021)

Bearitone said:


> Still waiting on my Beta. Been about 10 to 11 weeks now. Going to check in some day next week


How many months did he quote you?


----------



## Bearitone (Jan 8, 2021)

He said 6 to 8 weeks


----------



## sonofabias (Jan 13, 2021)

My


Bearitone said:


> He said 6 to 8 weeks


 Megalith took about 10 or 11 weeks. Michaels work loaded right now , your patience will be rewarded. I know it’s difficult


----------



## Bearitone (Jan 13, 2021)

sonofabias said:


> My
> 
> Megalith took about 10 or 11 weeks. Michaels work loaded right now , your patience will be rewarded. I know it’s difficult


Yeah it’s okay. I won’t tell him this but, my actual expectation was 14 to 16 weeks. The day i order something from a small builder and it arrives unscathed, to spec, and on time, my jaw will hit the door.


----------



## sonofabias (Jan 17, 2021)

Bearitone said:


> Yeah it’s okay. I won’t tell him this but, my actual expectation was 14 to 16 weeks. The day i order something from a small builder and it arrives unscathed, to spec, and on time, my jaw will hit the door.


Mine did , Michael made certain it arrived safely. Lifetime warranty minus valves and transformers


----------



## Bearitone (Jan 17, 2021)

sonofabias said:


> Mine did , Michael made certain it arrived safely. Lifetime warranty minus valves and transformers


I’m glad all of you have had a great experience with the amp. I’m sure I’ll love mine too.

Excited to finally have a real, high wattage, tube head. The last tube head i had that i liked was a Dark Terror and that was about 6 years ago!

I got some great tones experimenting with solidstate between then and now but, yeah. I’m done trying to make cheaper stuff work or get the features and tones I want by adding pedals.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Feb 5, 2021)

Got bored and recorded some 8 string riffage with the Beta a while ago but never got around to posting it here. I used my Knightro Exploder 8 with Instrumental SFTY3 pickups with eminence DV77 IRs. Most of the high gain stuff was on ch 4 but I did drop down to ch 3 in a few spots. 
https://soundcloud.com/knightbrolaire/instrumental-sfty3-8-bridge


----------



## Bearitone (Feb 9, 2021)

Going on 16 weeks.

Last he told me a tube had popped or something like that and it would maybe be out in a week (this was about two weeks ago now). He took a vacation somewhere during the build and that delayed it as well. 

I’m already at twice the quoted time. If it’s not shipped by week 20 I’m going to contest the deposit charge with my bank.

I don’t care if shit is going to take a while. I just hate being lied too. Don’t quote me 6 to 8 if you can’t do it then tell me you went on vacation while my amp still isn’t done.

If I end up having to get my money back I’m going to splurge on a used Orange of some kind.


----------



## MASS DEFECT (Feb 9, 2021)

Bearitone said:


> Going on 16 weeks.
> 
> Last he told me a tube had popped or something like that and it would maybe be out in a week (this was about two weeks ago now). He took a vacation somewhere during the build and that delayed it as well.
> 
> ...



He is late with answering emails too. I was asking details about mods available and it took him 3 weeks to reply. Said his parents were sick. This was around December.

I just think the man is overwhelmed with work and his shop has barely any help. The new Beta Youtube vids that drum up more interest don't help him either. But yeah, I agree that quote times should be more accurate and honest.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Feb 9, 2021)

Bearitone said:


> Going on 16 weeks.
> 
> Last he told me a tube had popped or something like that and it would maybe be out in a week (this was about two weeks ago now). He took a vacation somewhere during the build and that delayed it as well.
> 
> ...


It took over 20 weeks for my build. Don't know why you thought he'd be anywhere under that given previous posts.


----------



## Bearitone (Feb 9, 2021)

KnightBrolaire said:


> It took over 20 weeks for my build. Don't know why you thought he'd be anywhere under that given previous posts.



Yeah, I know. I even expected this.

I think if i had another functioning amp, I could maybe distract myself.

Everytime I turn on my Randall RG200D (my only high gain amp currently) it buzzes like a mother fucker even with a gate.

So i have 1 okay-ish high gain amp, that buzzes loudly, to distract me while I wait for my Megalith to be done. It’s just frustrating. I want to enjoy playing high gain shit again and I don’t want to shell out another 200 to 300 to get my Randall repaired AGAIN when I have something really nice on the way.

I know. First world problems. I’ll probably feel better later but right now, I’m wishing I just bought a XXX or something. No wait. Tried and true. Easily found used. Cheap.


----------



## MatrixClaw (Feb 9, 2021)

Yeah, I decided not to buy mostly because of his responsiveness. It took forever for him to respond back to messages and by the time he finally sent the invoice to me, the Australian dollar had already risen by like $100. That plus the fact that PayPal and credit card companies charge you a conversion fee on top of his processing fee, made it unattractive. I thought about sending the wire but that still added an extra $60 in fees. Once the conversions, fees, responsiveness and wait time started to add up, it just didn't make much sense anymore when there's plenty of cool amps readily available without having to deal with any of the hassle. I'd still like to try one of his amps, but I'll just wait for a used one at this point.


----------



## MASS DEFECT (Feb 10, 2021)

A Megalith Gamma didn't even last a day on Reverb.


----------



## Bearitone (Feb 16, 2021)

So, my amp is ready. Time to pay the rest. Issue is the AUD to USD exchange rate is up %10 from the day I put down my initial deposit.

Do I just have to eat that loss and that’s the price of buying overseas gear? I guess there’s always a chance it could have worked out in my favor though.


----------



## MetalDaze (Feb 16, 2021)

Bearitone said:


> So, my amp is ready. Time to pay the rest. Issue is the AUD to USD exchange rate is up %10 from the day I put down my initial deposit.
> 
> Do I just have to eat that loss and that’s the price of buying overseas gear? I guess there’s always a chance it could have worked out in my favor though.



If you agreed to pay xxx in AUD, then nothing changes that. It's not like he's getting anything extra out of the deal even though you have to pay more than expected in USD.

As you state, the exchange rate differences can work for or against you.


----------



## MatrixClaw (Feb 17, 2021)

Bearitone said:


> So, my amp is ready. Time to pay the rest. Issue is the AUD to USD exchange rate is up %10 from the day I put down my initial deposit.
> 
> Do I just have to eat that loss and that’s the price of buying overseas gear? I guess there’s always a chance it could have worked out in my favor though.


Yep. Part of the reason I was planning to pay upfront for mine, since the conversion rate was so good.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Mar 7, 2021)

Did a halfassed walkthrough of the Beta if anyone is interested. The mesa v30 and my kramer voyager make it feel a lot brighter/spikier in the recording than it does irl imo.
Uncompressed source vid link will be in description.


----------



## MASS DEFECT (Mar 7, 2021)

KnightBrolaire said:


> Did a halfassed walkthrough of the Beta if anyone is interested. The mesa v30 and my kramer voyager make it feel a lot brighter/spikier in the recording than it does irl imo.
> Uncompressed source vid link will be in description.




How is the taper on the channel and master volume pots? Smooth and controllable oras bad as a 5150?

And is it true that when I pull out two tubes from this I get 80 watts full power and 30 watts half power?


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Mar 7, 2021)

MASS DEFECT said:


> How is the taper on the channel and master volume pots? Smooth and controllable oras bad as a 5150?
> 
> And is it true that when I pull out two tubes from this I get 80 watts full power and 30 watts half power?


Volume taper is actually really good on the amp. Very easy to control overall, but the high setting is ungodly loud. I don't know about pulling tubes, I haven't tried it. Email michael, he can answer that question.


----------



## Bearitone (Mar 10, 2021)

Holy fuck, I finally got a tracking number. Should be here Monday.


----------



## Thaeon (Mar 10, 2021)

KnightBrolaire said:


> Did a halfassed walkthrough of the Beta if anyone is interested. The mesa v30 and my kramer voyager make it feel a lot brighter/spikier in the recording than it does irl imo.
> Uncompressed source vid link will be in description.




Sounds really bright and really saturated based on this clip. Not bad, just not what I would find use for if only based on this. Sadly, the internet is lite on MI Audio clips. I still need to make some clips with my Oni. I'm only just now attempting to dial it in for my band and I've had it for almost a year.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Mar 10, 2021)

Thaeon said:


> Sounds really bright and really saturated based on this clip. Not bad, just not what I would find use for if only based on this. Sadly, the internet is lite on MI Audio clips. I still need to make some clips with my Oni. I'm only just now attempting to dial it in for my band and I've had it for almost a year.


 I literally said in the post you quoted that it was brighter sounding in the vid versus in person lol (camera was also directly in front of the speaker). Listen to some of the other clips I have posted earlier in the thread if you want to see how it sounds with ERGs and other speaker setups. It can get darker and drier.


----------



## Thaeon (Mar 11, 2021)

KnightBrolaire said:


> I literally said in the post you quoted that it was brighter sounding in the vid versus in person lol (camera was also directly in front of the speaker). Listen to some of the other clips I have posted earlier in the thread if you want to see how it sounds with ERGs and other speaker setups. It can get darker and drier.



I listened to the others. It certainly isn't as bright sounding in those, but Its still not my thing really I don't think. Obviously I wouldn't be able to tell unless in person. But I'm also no looking for the normal ERG tone either and don't play anything super technical rhythmicly. It sounds good. I'm just commenting on whether or not it suits my playing really.


----------



## Bearitone (Mar 12, 2021)

It came today!!!

So far having fun but, actually tricky to dial in.

keep in mind I’m only at bedroom volumes:

First impression is the highs remind me of an Orange believe it or not. Low end is big but tight with the attack switch on 2. The mids are pronounced and “chewy” is the word i would use. 

The 3 band EQ appears to be more for a final touch of flavor. The Contour, EQ Shift, and Attack really get you to the core of your tone.


----------



## MASS DEFECT (Mar 12, 2021)

Bearitone said:


> It came today!!!
> 
> So far having fun but, actually tricky to dial in.
> 
> ...


Glad you got it finally! Did you order any additional mods? How is it in bedroom volumes?


----------



## Bearitone (Mar 13, 2021)

MASS DEFECT said:


> Glad you got it finally! Did you order any additional mods? How is it in bedroom volumes?


Yeah i got depth and presence knobs on the back. When both are at full blast it’s the same as them not being there at all. Also, basically the lower the depth and presence are the less effective or more lifeless the contour knob sounds imo. I spent all this time thinking the contour knob was some post eq deal but no, its part of the poweramp. 

I only really wanted to add those knobs so I could occasionally run preamp pedals direct into the effects loop and have a more flexible poweramp. And while it is more flexible now I'm finding I basically like to just leave them on full blast and use the contour knob.

As for bedroom volumes I would say great. Pretty smooth volume taper. I just barely turn up the channel volume then start turning the Master to get the volume I want. The lower you keep the channel volume the more low end comes through at bedroom volumes in my experience.

I just tried my Amptweaker Tightmetal Pro into it and I like it just as much as the Beta's preamp which is pretty mind boggling to be honest. Not a dig on the Beta, just a kudos to the TMPro.

Overall I'm happy with the amp and I think I found some settings on Channel 2 that I like. I'm going to revisit it tomorrow because I'm getting ear fatigue tonight.

Clean channel is cool too but, I have a feeling its going to take me awhile to figure out a setting a I like just like Channel 2 took me awhile.

My only real nitpicks are 

1. That its so counter intuitive to dial in. I'm more of a Dark Terror/6505 kind of guy you know? I like amps that get me where I want to be quick and easy, not a whole lot of tweaking. Where I like complexity is switching capability, extra loops, etc, which the Beta has in spades. The 3 effects loops and how you can arrange them for switching is dope along with the dual masters.

2. Holy cow the footswitch is a beast. Size of a ream of printer paper lol.


----------



## MASS DEFECT (Mar 13, 2021)

Bearitone said:


> Yeah i got depth and presence knobs on the back. When both are at full blast it’s the same as them not being there at all. Also, basically the lower the depth and presence are the less effective or more lifeless the contour knob sounds imo. I spent all this time thinking the contour knob was some post eq deal but no, its part of the poweramp.
> 
> I only really wanted to add those knobs so I could occasionally run preamp pedals direct into the effects loop and have a more flexible poweramp. And while it is more flexible now I'm finding I basically like to just leave them on full blast and use the contour knob.
> 
> ...



Yeah, I was thinking the contour knobs are like the graphic eq on mesa marks. 

If you decide to sell it in the future, you know who to PM. Lol


----------



## MASS DEFECT (Mar 28, 2021)

So...I got @Bearitone 's Megalith Beta.

It's pretty nice. The craftsmanship is top-notch. The knobs have this resistance that I like and the inside of the amp is neatly done. Basically, no faults cosmetically. The Master volume is as forgiving as the mv on a Friendman BE100 (one of the best master volumes out there). But this amp just wakes up at more than bedroom volumes. It is LOUD.

I kinda expected the gain saturation to be something like ENGL or EVH levels. It's between a Mesa Rectifier and 5150II in terms of saturation. The low end is HUGE. I can't stress this enough. It has that Rectifier, Mr Hector Laboga blooming low end but it can get pretty tight depending with your settings. The added Resonance and Presence knobs are a big bonus since this amp can get very bright or boomy and you may need to tame down those frequencies depending on the cab.

I'm a fan of Vader's Art of War or Impressions in Blood/Necropolis sound and this has it in spades with EQ 1, Attack 1 and Sizzle to the left. Just that huge wall of thick Polish DM riffage.

I can hear some Herbert and Uberschall in there too, but this is closer to a Mesa Boogie. Tight 2 and EQ 2 with some mids scooped via the Contour gets you some Mesa Mark approximation.

I'm glad I chose this over the Mesa Badlander.


----------



## Bearitone (Mar 28, 2021)

MASS DEFECT said:


> So...I got @Bearitone 's Megalith Beta.
> 
> It's pretty nice. The craftsmanship is top-notch. The knobs have this resistance that I like and the inside of the amp is neatly done. Basically, no faults cosmetically. The Master volume is as forgiving as the mv on a Friendman BE100 (one of the best master volumes out there). But this amp just wakes up at more than bedroom volumes. It is LOUD.
> 
> ...


Glad you love it! And I’m glad you’re finding the depth and presence knob useful. It was quite the challenge for me to balance the Depth, Pres, Contour, Sizzle, and 3 band. Borderline frustrating for me so it’s nice to hear you’re having success.

Also FYI, Michael told me that is the first one he’s made with both Depth and Presence and tried to explain to me that turning the contour, depth, and presence all the way down would make the amp behave like a standard amp with a regular, basic, 3 band EQ. Basically strips the power amp of any MI Audio mojo. I thought it sounded like crap that way but, you might have better luck than I did.


----------



## MASS DEFECT (Mar 29, 2021)

Bearitone said:


> Glad you love it! And I’m glad you’re finding the depth and presence knob useful. It was quite the challenge for me to balance the Depth, Pres, Contour, Sizzle, and 3 band. Borderline frustrating for me so it’s nice to hear you’re having success.
> 
> Also FYI, Michael told me that is the first one he’s made with both Depth and Presence and tried to explain to me that turning the contour, depth, and presence all the way down would make the amp behave like a standard amp with a regular, basic, 3 band EQ. Basically strips the power amp of any MI Audio mojo. I thought it sounded like crap that way but, you might have better luck than I did.




Yeah. Im really enjoying it! Thank you.

He told me that and the stock setting is a bit below noon. Like 4.5 in both presence and resonance. The sweep is very gradual with big effects unlike say my 5150 style amps that have dead spots in their presence and reso controls. 

And the presence is like his treble mod but you can sweep through frequencies. 

No frustrations here. The tone stack has a lot of switches but they are like push pulls and modes in Mesa Boogies, which I am a bit used to. Amp loves active pickups as well. 

One nitpick. Why no freakin corner metal guards??? Seems like a strange choice to me. The amp chassis is narrow too. Maybe 8 inches and my other amps cant securely stack atop it.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Apr 3, 2021)

Decided to try some different IRs (mix of g12t75/EVh speakers and k100 speakers) with some different settings on the beta. Cycled through stuff at the beginning (including some "medium" gain settings and the whole contour sweep) before settling on ch4, v0, attack 2 and maxed contour, which makes the amp feel verrryy throaty but still tight and bright (listen to 6:30). Used my WR7 with imperiums.
https://soundcloud.com/knightbrolaire/dimarzio-imperium-7-mi-audio-megalith-beta


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Apr 18, 2021)

I was playing around with one of my 6 strings and seeing how tight/gnarly I could get the beta. Well with v1 (or v2 depending on the guitar), tight 2 and max contour (all the way to the right) it is disgustingly tight. Like it's tighter than my pittbull CL. I can get the pittbull close by dialing back some bass but the sheer amount of gain and saturation on tap with the Beta just kicks its ass for me. It's such a fun amp to play. Plus when I get tired of that super tight/bright setup, I just dial back the contour knob, slap on v0 and I can get thiccccccc Kyuss/the Sword/AIC type tones.


----------



## sonofabias (Apr 22, 2021)

KnightBrolaire said:


> I was playing around with one of my 6 strings and seeing how tight/gnarly I could get the beta. Well with v1 (or v2 depending on the guitar), tight 2 and max contour (all the way to the right) it is disgustingly tight. Like it's tighter than my pittbull CL. I can get the pittbull close by dialing back some bass but the sheer amount of gain and saturation on tap with the Beta just kicks its ass for me. It's such a fun amp to play. Plus when I get tired of that super tight/bright setup, I just dial back the contour knob, slap on v0 and I can get thiccccccc Kyuss/the Sword/AIC type tones.


The Beta is amazingly flexible 
I’m having a Iron Duke built in a few months, after my matching stereo quad is delivered


----------



## KnightBrolaire (May 6, 2021)

Forgot to share these back when I made them. Basically just me wanking with the amp on max contour through my dc600 with a gfs crunchy rail in the bridge. 
https://soundcloud.com/knightbrolaire/mi-audio-megalith-beta-moar-max-contour
https://soundcloud.com/knightbrolaire/mi-audio-megalith-beta-maxed-contour


----------



## makecamera (May 6, 2021)

KnightBrolaire said:


> I was playing around with one of my 6 strings and seeing how tight/gnarly I could get the beta. Well with v1 (or v2 depending on the guitar), tight 2 and max contour (all the way to the right) it is disgustingly tight. Like it's tighter than my pittbull CL. I can get the pittbull close by dialing back some bass but the sheer amount of gain and saturation on tap with the Beta just kicks its ass for me. It's such a fun amp to play. Plus when I get tired of that super tight/bright setup, I just dial back the contour knob, slap on v0 and I can get thiccccccc Kyuss/the Sword/AIC type tones.



I thought you sold the pitbull? Or is this a different one?


----------



## KnightBrolaire (May 7, 2021)

makecamera said:


> I thought you sold the pitbull? Or is this a different one?


Different one. This is a CL100, my old one was a UL.


----------



## MASS DEFECT (Jun 1, 2021)

Just dicked around with my Beta. Just phone audio but damn, in the room it sounds so full and huge. The low end on this thing is deep and rumbling. I'm trying to get that Vader sound to save myself from buying a Laboga Hector.

The added resonance control really helps. This one is on 1 for Voice, 0 for attack, and left on the sizzle switch.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Jul 15, 2021)

Messing around with ch3 and ch4 (mostly on v1, 0 attack, contour at noon). Used my Balaguer Tartarus 7.


----------



## DeathByButterslax (Jul 15, 2021)

MASS DEFECT said:


> Just dicked around with my Beta. Just phone audio but damn, in the room it sounds so full and huge. The low end on this thing is deep and rumbling. I'm trying to get that Vader sound to save myself from buying a Laboga Hector.
> 
> The added resonance control really helps. This one is on 1 for Voice, 0 for attack, and left on the sizzle switch.




damn that sounds brutal, has a nice amount of sizzle to it


----------



## MASS DEFECT (Jul 15, 2021)

KnightBrolaire said:


> Messing around with ch3 and ch4 (mostly on v1, 0 attack, contour at noon). Used my Balaguer Tartarus 7.




Massive! Which position was your sizzle switch at?



DeathByButterslax said:


> damn that sounds brutal, has a nice amount of sizzle to it



Thanks! Can't wait to go recording in Sept and properly mic this with a 4x12 Mesa OS.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Jul 15, 2021)

MASS DEFECT said:


> Massive! Which position was your sizzle switch at?
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks! Can't wait to go recording in Sept and properly mic this with a 4x12 Mesa OS.


Thanks, mine doesn't have a sizzle switch though.


----------



## MASS DEFECT (Jul 15, 2021)

KnightBrolaire said:


> Thanks, mine doesn't have a sizzle switch though.



Looks like yours does? Above the contour and mv. I thought the sizzle switch is standard for all recent builds.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Jul 15, 2021)

MASS DEFECT said:


> Looks like yours does? Above the contour and mv. I thought the sizzle switch is standard for all recent builds.
> 
> View attachment 95601


oh i never mess with the sizzle switch. Mostly because I didn't know mine had one and it wasn't in the manual lol.


----------



## MASS DEFECT (Jul 15, 2021)

KnightBrolaire said:


> oh i never mess with the sizzle switch. Mostly because I didn't know mine had one and it wasn't in the manual lol.


lol that was the first thing I messed with. i believe flipping the switch to the right is stock (no sizzle like v1), middle is American Mesa or 5150 (most highs), left is a bit on the British Marshall side.


----------



## sonofabias (Jul 16, 2021)

MASS DEFECT said:


> lol that was the first thing I messed with. i believe flipping the switch to the right is stock (no sizzle like v1), middle is American Mesa or 5150 (most highs), left is a bit on the British Marshall side.


The sizzle switch set far left is standard Megalith voicing. All the way to the right is full on . What you’re describing is the eq voicing switch on the gain channel near the gain mode switch


----------



## MASS DEFECT (Jul 18, 2021)

sonofabias said:


> The sizzle switch set far left is standard Megalith voicing. All the way to the right is full on . What you’re describing is the eq voicing switch on the gain channel near the gain mode switch



Mine must be reversed then. All the way to the right is the darkest setting. Middle is the most aggressive and trebly. I also have a presence mod, so probably, that is a factor. 

And no, im not talking about the voicing switch. The sizzle switches moves the high treble around the eq. Relating it to british and american voices is just me and how i have experienced other amps in contrast to this.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Oct 4, 2021)

Mostly testing my new camera's audio, but here's a quick vid with my aristides. Ch.3, V0, contour at noon, sizzle off, tight 2.


----------



## sonofabias (Oct 10, 2021)

KnightBrolaire said:


> Mostly testing my new camera's audio, but here's a quick vid with my aristides. Ch.3, V0, contour at noon, sizzle off, tight 2.



Damn , nasty and throaty !


----------



## MASS DEFECT (Dec 7, 2021)

Looks like MI is working on a mini amp...

JOYO headshell?


----------



## FitRocker33 (Dec 7, 2021)

I see no transformers on that thing…wtf. Don’t tube power sections need trannies? I must be missing something..


----------



## CanserDYI (Dec 7, 2021)

FitRocker33 said:


> I see no transformers on that thing…wtf. Don’t tube power sections need trannies? I must be missing something..


Little do we know there is a bigger-than-the-head sized brick for the wall with the transformers in it. "but but but you guys wanted big sound in little box"


----------



## Bearitone (Dec 7, 2021)

Could it possibly have some baby toroidal transformers in it?


----------



## MASS DEFECT (Dec 7, 2021)

yeah most likely a small toroidal transformer or a huge power unit. But 50 watts? lol I doubt but very curious. I'm more concerned with the ventilation/heating issues.


----------

