2018 Dsl 40cr Full Review...

[LCW]

Measured my plate voltage and rebiased. Details over in the DSL40CR bias thread.

http://www.marshallforum.com/threads/marshall-dsl40cr-bias.100693/#post-1708950

 

[LCW]

40CR gut shot:

 

[matttornado]

Hey everyone. I just got a 40cr this friday. i’m new to effects loops but i noticed that with the effects loop on, with effects turned off, i get a slight volume drop. when i turn the effects on, i loose signal and i have to turn the effect levels way up just to hear them. it seems like when i turn my effects loop on, a weak, clean signal goes through it. i also loose some of preamp distortion when i use an effect through the loop.
Do i have a faulty amp? like i said, i never used one before in my life. lol

wondering if i need to take it back? the slight delay when switching chanels sucks. no delay when switching the effects loop though.
.

 

[thembones]

Hey everyone. I just got a 40cr this friday. i’m new to effects loops but i noticed that with the effects loop on, with effects turned off, i get a slight volume drop. when i turn the effects on, i loose signal and i have to turn the effect levels way up just to hear them. it seems like when i turn my effects loop on, a weak, clean signal goes through it. i also loose some of preamp distortion when i use an effect through the loop.
Do i have a faulty amp? like i said, i never used one before in my life. lol

wondering if i need to take it back? the slight delay when switching chanels sucks. no delay when switching the effects loop though.
.

I am by no means an expert but this sounds like something faulty.
Should be able to exchange no problem.

 

[jlinde1973]

40CR gut shot:

View attachment 47493

View attachment 47494

View attachment 47495

Hmmm...apparently the new Dsl40cr did away with the chassis mounted power tubes..

 

[Bloodrock]

Hmmm...apparently the new Dsl40cr did away with the chassis mounted power tubes..

No they didn’t. Just installed differently. It’s been covered here already.

 

[jlinde1973]

No they didn’t. Just installed differently. It’s been covered here already.

Ok that's good then...guess I skipped that part out of the 18 or whatever pages of the thread.

 

[jlinde1973]

No they didn’t. Just installed differently. It’s been covered here already.

Not to disagree here but just went thru the thread. No it wasn't covered and yes those power tubes surely do appear board mounted to me. Bummer that seems like a step backwards from the dsl40c. Not a deal breaker though especially since all of the positive upgrades on the new Dsl.

 

[LCW]

They aren't board mounted... the tubes are chassis mounted, then there are other pins that go from the chassis to the board. I'm sure there's some pics in another thread that show that.

Edit: gooned this pic from FB... power tubes are chassis mounted. Pre-amp look board mounted.

 

[Pat6969]

Funny how people speculate about things before knowing the facts. IMO, the DSL40CR is the best affordable amp on the market today. The 20HR will be in my stable soon as well.

 

[JAC]

Funny how people speculate about things before knowing the facts. IMO, the DSL40CR is the best affordable amp on the market today. The 20HR will be in my stable soon as well.

Don't get too upset. Everyone has a right to their opinion on these forums. Sometimes crazy stuff is posted. I myself am impressed with the Origin 20 watt amp with EL34. I would love to have the head version. Right now I'm paying off my Fender 68 Custom Deluxe Reverb. When that is paid off, I will look further into the Origin 20 watt head. I feel it has a bitchen tone to it.

 

[Pat6969]

Don't get too upset. Everyone has a right to their opinion on these forums. Sometimes crazy stuff is posted. I myself am impressed with the Origin 20 watt amp with EL34. I would love to have the head version. Right now I'm paying off my Fender 68 Custom Deluxe Reverb. When that is paid off, I will look further into the Origin 20 watt head. I feel it has a bitchen tone to it.

I'm not upset, I just find it funny. I think I'm saving up for a Mini Jubilee head and cab. Didn't like the combo but I can tell it would sound great with a nice closed back cab.

 

[BftGibson]

Hacking mine up today to make a head out of it , love the V type but put it on top my gig cabs and holy crap.........

 

[BftGibson]

Hey everyone. I just got a 40cr this friday. i’m new to effects loops but i noticed that with the effects loop on, with effects turned off, i get a slight volume drop. when i turn the effects on, i loose signal and i have to turn the effect levels way up just to hear them. it seems like when i turn my effects loop on, a weak, clean signal goes through it. i also loose some of preamp distortion when i use an effect through the loop.
Do i have a faulty amp? like i said, i never used one before in my life. lol

wondering if i need to take it back? the slight delay when switching chanels sucks. no delay when switching the effects loop though.
.

put an eq pedal(i run RC booster in my loop) in loop, adjust volume to liking, also there is about a 1 count delay in footswitch, just anticipate as you approach your lead and hey you might even find out what my jazz friends do, lean back on the first solo note and then in ya come..very dramatic

 

[BftGibson]

good observations !! I think we all

I'd been comparing my stock DSL40cr against my modified DSL40c with c19 mod, some rolled pre-amp tubes, and a creamback 65 earlier in the thread. I've since moved the upgraded tubes and creamback from the 40c to the 40cr and put the original pre-amp tubes and seventy-80 stock speaker back in the 40c. I also checked the bias on the 40cr.

First of all, the bias on the 40cr was 41mv and 47 mv from the factory - a lot higher than I thought it would be. I adjusted them both to 34.5. I love the external bias points.

The pre-amp tubes I used are a Mullard re-issue in V1 and a NOS Sylvania long grey plate in V4. All others are the standard Marshall/JJ tubes.

With the bias change, different tubes, and creamback the sound is "rounder" and has more thump. I also find the quality at very low bedroom volumes with high gain on the Ultra gain channel to be good...it sounds decent - better than the standard amp configuration. Still doesn't sound that good at low volume on the classic gain channel until the volume gets turned up to what I'd call a bit above bedroom volume. It still isn't "loud", but it gets ones' attention. I really think this is where the amp needs to live - at that volume or above.

I again compared the 40cr with the above configuration against an almost stock 40c (only difference is the c19 mod) using identical gain, volume, and EQ settings. Very different sounding amplifiers. The 40c is brighter with much more highs and mids (even with the c19 mod) with tighter bass. At lower volumes the 40c is much fizzier than the 40cr. Again, I think these amps really need to be pushing reasonably loud volumes to really sound good. But when you do, boy, do they sound really good - both of them...just different.

At similar gain, volume, and EQ settings the 40c seems noticeably louder to me. I think the creamback is slightly less efficient, but that wouldn't account for the difference I noticed. Nonetheless, the 40cr will be plenty loud enough for gigging.

I didn't open up the 40cr chassis, but when you look at the chassis of both the 40cr and the 40c from the outside you can tell the designs appear to be substantially different. Tube placement is different. The output transformer of the 40cr is smaller than the 40c. The design change appears to be much more than just changing a couple capacitors.

In my previous review I mentioned that one of the only dings I had with the 40cr was the slight delay when switching channels. I just happened to read on the Marshall site that this amp (and others) are purposefully designed this way to eliminate noise when switching channels. Not sure if I agree with this design approach or not, but that is the reasoning.

I also listened this time for flabby bass that was mentioned in this thread earlier. On the classic gain channel with high gain settings (> 2 o'clock), all EQ at noon, modestly high bedroom volume, and using a neck pickup on a Les Paul, I think I heard what I'd call a flabby bass. I did not experience this on the ultra gain channel or if I used the bridge pickup. This effect went away with increased volume.

Good observations !! I think we all got caught up in the bedroom to stage thing lately..which amps are getting good at..but..a Marshall always was designed to get the el34 tubes cooking..up comes natural everything with the right cabs....and the bedroom setting is all pre amp and the gig setting is power tubes involved..which really changes the ball game...everyone should own a Plexi and then get to play with the succeeding years amps...the reason is you learn the core marshall thing..and every marshall i have ever played(some better, some worse) has a Marshall tone there..just have to understand the intention was for volume vs lower level

 

[BftGibson]

Just made my combo into head...

 

[thembones]

I hope this doesn't de-rail the convo too much, I like my 40 combo, thinking about a 100 head for leaving at church do they basically sound the same?

 

[dan4579]

So where is this “optional 6 button footswitch”???

 

[Springfield Scooter]

Does the DSL40CR fit into the same head shell as the old DSL40C ?

 

[bgreed2]

[QUOTE="thembones... thinking about a 100 head for leaving at church ...[/QUOTE]

My, oh my. You folks must play a lot louder at your church than we do!! I use a 12w tweed Deluxe and even that is isolated!! Make a joyful noise!