For low volume tones ONLY, would the DSL20hr sound better than the DSL1hr?

[fitz]

HNAD!

 

[ch324434]

Dumb question... did this come with a speaker cable, or an instrument cable? It doesn't say anywhere. I'm guessing it's a speaker cable?

 

[fitz]

Dumb question... did this come with a speaker cable, or an instrument cable? It doesn't say anywhere. I'm guessing it's a speaker cable?

Marshall stock speaker cables look a lot like an instrument cable.
If it was new in box, it's a speaker cable.

 

[Audrix]

The current DSL1 doesn't compare to the awesome 50th anniversary 1 watt models , those things sound incredible but cost a fortune used .

The 50th anniversary DSL1C made in UK has a bigger transformer and 5 tubes than the "current" DSL1CR made in Vietnam (3tubes)
Mine 50th anniv 1W was not loud enough to gig
BUT:
I replaced the 8"celection16ohm speaker by a louder celestion10"alnico gold 8ohm (without changing the hole of the cab
I added 2 pedals in the loop circuit : Reverb and boost
Cab back left open
Now it is ok for the gig (with drummer)

I have another "current" DSL5CR made in Vietnam
It sounds better after changing the speaker for a Greenback (same size 10")
Permanently in my bedroom at low volume
Delay and comp pedals in the loop circuit (activated or not with the footswitch
It's my EVERY DAY amp at home
Each channel has separated gain and volume pots

I have other tube amps 15 or 20 watt ( Fender = perfect clean sound and spring reverb: perfect with a good guitar an a good pedal board)
The best is Fender Princeton reverb II (1982 handmade with a12" original speaker)
Perfect for concerts
Too loud for home volume

JCM800 perfect for rock gigs outdoor (100w) without pedal-board
Only with a custom-shop high end guitar (Strat or LP) and a good cable with Neutrik connectors

 

[jeffb]

I’d look around for a used Orange OR15–IMO a much better sounding amp. One channel and no loop tho

Yep, has a loop. Tube driven as well.

 

[PowerTube44]

It took me a long time, and a lot of lower wattage amps, to realize it but bigger amps sound better at lower volumes than smaller amps do.

Yep. I've been saying this for years.

 

[Alter]

I agree. Lower wattage amps are about lower pricing (but these days surprisingly not always: just look at used Fender amp prices!), ease of carrying and having amps with sweet spots at various gig sound levels. But for home playing at low volume í would buy bigger ones, especially if master volumes were involved.

For a small Marshall I think the 5 watt is a much better amp than the 1 watt. I think the 1 watt needs to play loud to sound good, and it was too loud for me at home.

 

[Spcv]

So I got the DSL1hr and I'm......pretty thrilled with it tbh. I wanted it for low volumes and it sounds pretty great through my greenback loaded 1x12.

I'm actually surprised that the .1W feature saved the day. I didn't think it would matter, but at 1W it was pretty thin and tinny sounding. The lower power setting sounds completely different at the volume I'm using.

I had a DSL40cr a while ago and this setup sounds 10x better for my application.

Hey, congratulations!

I have the DSL1CR and it's great for quiet playing. With a Greenback, it's awesome (I changed the original 8" speaker for a 12" - world of difference).

I also use the .1W for night playing. One of my guilty pleasures is sitting on the couch, binge watching TV shows while playing, or adding some sort of soundtrack of my own just for the pleasure of practicing or simply listtening to the tones. And the DSL1 sounds great at low - really low - volume.

The Mesa Multi Watt Rectifier is also great for low volume playing, but that's a whole another story...

 

[PaulHikeS2]

I play my DSL1HR through 2 10" cabs. Sounded a bit uninspiring at low volume. Recently moved and got my first house after years of apartment living. The DSL1 sounds MUCH better now that I can freely move the volume between noon and 4 o'clock.

Had a DSL5CR and that sounded better at low volume. I can see the 20 sounding much better than the 1 and they're a lot easier to find than the 5.

 

[Spcv]

I play my DSL1HR through 2 10" cabs. Sounded a bit uninspiring at low volume. Recently moved and got my first house after years of apartment living. The DSL1 sounds MUCH better now that I can freely move the volume between noon and 4 o'clock.

Had a DSL5CR and that sounded better at low volume. I can see the 20 sounding much better than the 1 and they're a lot easier to find than the 5.

I can perfectly understand you.

Every valve amp will sound better at higher volumes. But for most people that play at low volume, such volume isn't necessarily a choice, but rather a necessity. I happen to have a place for the weekends, (in-laws live out town) so I can turn up the dials, but that is only two days in the whole week and implies moving gear around... I don't mind dragging amps and cabs that much, but some people don't have that "luxury".

If I had to chosse beteween playing at low volumes all week and not playing at all, I'd choose the former. And for people with that dilemma amps like the DSL1 are a blessing. That just means that the amp will sound "not as good", which is a whole lot different from "bad".

And one more thing: speakers will make a world of difference.

 

[december]

I had a DSL20CR. Could never get it to sound good in an apartment. But when the guy that bought it from me came over to check it out, I let him play it louder than I could get away with on a regular basis, and I was like "wow, it actually sounds good, and without the extra EQ, even". So it must need to hit a certain volume level to open up.
Low volume = muddy & fizzy gain channel. Clean channel was nice, but every distortion/overdrive pedal into it was extremely harsh and abrasive.
I spent a lot of money on different preamp tubes, KT77 power tubes, and a G12H-75 Creamback. None of it made any more than a negligible difference.

 

[ch324434]

Here's a clip of the sound I'm liking. It's not as dark as it sounds here (cell phone recording), but you get the idea. Sorry for the bad playing and string noise, the volume is pretty low here.

 

[Mrmadd]

Larger watt amps are always going to sound better.
My DSL-1 sounds good, but the 100 has better tone and so would the 20.

Closed back speakers are best for low volume practice.
Open back speakers shoot too much sound volume out the back of the amp.
You do not really hear all of that from in front of the amp. Your neighbors hear that.

 

[giblesp]

IMO, depends on the Master control, more so than the wattage. The Master on my JVM 205H is superior to my DSL 401 in this regard. The Master on the DSL 401 is adequate at lower volumes, that of the JVM superb. Better than the Studio Jubilee at 5 watt, which to me merely sounded thinner than at 20 watt.

But this is all subjective, and you need to try it out.

 

[Ninjanel]

I have a DSL20CR and live in an apartment and the best way I've found to tame it without it sounding rubbish is to use a EQ pedal with an output slider through the effects loop. It effectively acts like a master volume.This also has the benefit of being able to tweak the sound to remove any hint of fizz !