Marshall Dsl bedroom volume

[Matt Duffy]

Hey guys new to the forum. I live in appt and can't play very loud. I do have Dsl 1 watt and it's fine but a little boxy sounding. I was wondering how is the 5c compared to the 1. Other forums I go on tell me to get a Dsl 20, but I think that would be just to loud.

 

[Solid State]

I've heard great things about the DSL20. My DSL40Cs can go down to a really low volume as can my SC20H and Peavey 5150. The reality is a bigger amp is going to sound better, at any volume, than a mini-amp plus you'll have headroom options.

 

[fitz]

Hey guys new to the forum. I live in appt and can't play very loud. I do have Dsl 1 watt and it's fine but a little boxy sounding. I was wondering how is the 5c compared to the 1. Other forums I go on tell me to get a Dsl 20, but I think that would be just to loud.

to the forum.
I had a DSL1H, sold it after getting the 20H.
Much fuller sound at any volume.
The 20 can get loud, but it does "bedroom volume" way better than the 1H.
The channel volumes work just fine, and the added presence, resonance & classic channel gain knobs add so much more tone options.
Power scaling for 10w or 20w.
I've never played the 5C, so can't comment on difference with the 1.
Go play a 20 if you can.

 

[ricksdisconnected]

some on here will not understand the requirements of apt living.
doesnt matter how good your tone will be with a bigger amp if you cant play the damn thing in your current situation.

 

[gregr]

An EQ in the FX loop can work wonders. Speaker makes a huge difference too!

 

[Wildeman]

Try the DSL 1 through a bigger cab, i know it sounds counterintuitive but i play mine through my 2x12 cab at low volume and its killer. I also can play a Twin at low volume and love its tone too though. To me its about filling the room with good tone, it don't gotta be loud.

 

[gregr]

1W is effing loud! The issue is how much bass do you need.

I had the JMP1H which doesn’t have a master volume. It was too loud for the family, even at the low power setting.

 

[Matt Duffy]

Thanks for the feed back guys.

 

[PaulHikeS2]

I had a DSL5CR and now I have a DSL1HR through 2 10' cabs. Little better tone through the 5 at similar low volume settings.

 

[Clifdawg]

Why tell you how low the DSL40 can go when I could show you instead?

The 40 is a fantastic home amp.

 

[scozz]

Lots of folks say their Dsl40cr sound great at low volumes,…

 

[Clifdawg]

It’s worth pointing out that wattage is not a measure of loudness. What’s important is wattage and speaker efficiency - 1 watt into a quality Celestion or Eminence speaker can produce 95-103 decibels of volume at 1 meter from the speaker. That’s enough to get in trouble with every adjacent apartment in your complex… It’s probably the larger, more open tonality of a larger combo you’re looking for.

So in your instance, I’d almost recommend you get a nice cabinet with a good matching speaker (Celestion greenbacks, creambacks, and V-types all tend to play nice with Marshall amps). That way, your DSL1 is a head unit at home and a little portable amp if you want to take it with you somewhere.

 

[Markfresh]

Have you tried the DSL1H on both power settings?
I play mine thru my 4x12 origin cab and sounds damn good to me

 

[Markfresh]

Have you trires the DSL1H on both power settings?
I play mine thru my 4x12 origin cab and sounds damn good to me

I also mic it and put that thru a Audio interface, and can crank it thru my headphones and it sound awesome.

 

[SkyMonkey]

It's a huge leap up in size and cost, but a DSL40CR will be far better at low volume for fine volume control and tone.

Having the two Master Volumes is like having a built-in attenuator, since the preamp is where the majority of the tone comes from.
Set one MV for the day-time, and one for the night-time.
My 40CR is hooked up to a Boss GT-100 in 4CM, so that gives me even finer control through the GT-100 output level.

The 'mid-range' V-Type speaker is a vast improvement on either the 8" or 10" cheapies that come in the small DSL combos.
The DSL20CR does have a 12" speaker, but the stock Seventy 80 speaker is generally reviled and soon swapped out.

But an EQ pedal in the loop of your DSL1CR will go a long way to solving your volume problems cheaply though.
You get extra control of the preamp tone too that you will noticeably appreciate.

And welcome to the MF @Matt Duffy

BTW There is an Official 1 Watt thread on the forum you could have a trawl through for info on your amp.
It was started in 2013 and originally mostly covered the Marshall 'Anniversary' series 1 watters.
I think the DSL1CR/HR starts to come through sometime in 2017, so this link will zoom you in to page 25 (of 39).
https://www.marshallforum.com/threads/the-official-1-watt-thread.63964/page-25

 

[Max Gahne]

I have both the DSL1CR and a DSL20HR. I love them both but play the DSL1 thru an Eminence Governor the most. I have four 1 X 12 cabs to choose from, one each with a Greenback, a V30, a Texas Heat and the Governor. The V30 is a closed back cab, the other 3 open back. They all sound great but I end up mostly playing the DSL1 thru the Governor. I guess because of my style of playing. For metal the DSL20 thru the V30 is the bomb. All at very low volume thru their low power setting. I would try a 12" speaker with yours before giving up on the amp.

 

[gregr]

But an EQ pedal in the loop of your DSL1CR will go a long way to solving your volume problems cheaply though.
You get extra control of the preamp tone too that you will noticeably appreciate

An EQ will allow you to drop your volume like the second level control on the DSL40CR as well but it also allows you to suck out the mids, giving you a full sound at a volume level you can talk over. This is a must for just about any amp, including the DSL40CR. The main issue with this is that you’ll find yourself turning up the gain. With a Marshall this isn’t as pleasant as turning up the volume.

 

[Mitchell Pearrow]

Welcome to the forum
@Matt Duffy
I am just going to repeat what has already been said, I have the Dsl40c’s and they can do bedroom volume no problem. And as @Clifdawg says on the full power mode..
Cheers

 

[ITburst]

Hey guys new to the forum. I live in appt and can't play very loud. I do have Dsl 1 watt and it's fine but a little boxy sounding. I was wondering how is the 5c compared to the 1. Other forums I go on tell me to get a Dsl 20, but I think that would be just to loud.

I just got my DSL20HR and mx212 slant cab. 100%, get it.
I can have all the gain in the world and have the volume SO LOW I can EASYLY have a normal conversation over it. I could not be more honest about that. I was worried too before I got it. I searched every possible YOUTUBE video or other sources, including here, and no one made a statement like this. For sure, you can play at a very comfortable level with the DSL20.

And yes, it sounds great!

 

[fitz]

I can have all the gain in the world and have the volume SO LOW I can EASYLY have a normal conversation over it. I could not be more honest about that. I was worried too before I got it. I searched every possible YOUTUBE video or other sources, including here, and no one made a statement like this. For sure, you can play at a very comfortable level with the DSL20.

.
(I think maybe a few people, maybe a few times, in a couple of different threads, might have said something like that here before, maybe...)