MosValve 500?

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glpg80

glpg80

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anyone have any negative comments to make on these?

i was contemplating a 2:90 from mesa, and then possibly a VHT 2:90 with 6L6's. but the more i look around the more the strategy 400 and 500 keep getting recommended instead or at least honerably mentioned.

TBH i believe if thats the case ill just go solid state - i really dont see myself needing that much more headroom.

its for a stereo L/R rig with a wet/dry mix in both cabinets.

what do you think?
 
wow no one? come on i know some of you have at least played one of these tubed amplifiers :aww:

does dave own a mosvalve?
 
You probably scared everyone off with "solid state". Sorry that I can't be any help. :lol: :LOL:
 
you would think i was asking about one of these :lol: :LOL:

images
 
If you're using it for W/D/W, and NOT powering a preamp signal, then it should be great. I wouldn't use it with a preamp though. If you're taking a line out of your amp, sending it thru FX, and powering those FX, it should be fine.

Remember the H&H V800 is not tube, and it is considered to be one of the best amps available for W/D stuff.
 
not technically W/D/W

i believe for what im wanting to do SS would work with reproducing what i want to hear.

signal chain is as follows: guitar>pedals>amps>dummy load>effectsL/R>post amplificationL/R>cabinetsL/R

i believe tubed might colour the sound more in a negative way since im using the dummy load to give power amp compression and distortion? i dunno though - anyones opinions im all ears here. i just think that when you get to the strategy 400/500 series that tubed type of headroom is overkill for what i am wanting and that SS could do it better at that point.

if tubed is recommended, which of the 2:90's would be recommended?

just confused with what type of amplifier i need to be looking for here :dunno:
 
psychodave":1eqxzvr5 said:
I have the 80 watt version and I love it.
Click to expand...

any colouration? do the mosfets experience tone changes due to heat when its left on for long periods?
 
I've owned a crown SS power amp and Mesa 395 and 500.

First of all the Mesa's shit all over the SS power amp I had. I mean really. Where you can really tell is the top end highs of the Crown just sounded fake or more sterile sounding. Where the tube stuff I found sounds warmer and has this life to the sound... best way I can describe it.

The 395 was smoother and had less headroom. Also was darker sounding.

The 500 is massive sounding and more 3D. A shit ton of headroom. Brighter.

Both of these power amps sounded awesome. Now Mosvalve I believe uses mosfets so it is going to sound warmer and more tube like then say what I was using. Believe me when you retube one of these pigs you will feel it in the wallet.
 
i have a mosvalve power amp, and it sounds good to me. so far, i've played a preamp i built and a VHT GP3 through it...either rack rig held it's own with my head.

mine isn't a 500, but i suspect that the don't sound significantly different.
 
Here's my setup...

myamphead.jpg


I can tell you this... The MosValve 500 is a little more than 3x the power of the MV-962 (the standard 2x80w model) so if you are using it make sure you have some hefty speakers. I'm using a B-52 LS-400A cab with it I'm running in stereo at 8 ohms. I downloaded the owner's manual and it recommends you run it at 8 ohms. In fact on the back of the unit it says
" NOTE: 8 OHM LOADS ALLOW THE MOST MUSICAL OPERATION OF MOSVALVE TECHNOLOGY"

I contacted Genz-Benz, the people who made it and they told me that it pushes out 500w at 4 ohms and around 360w at 8 ohms. My cab handles 400w so it's matched pretty well. They also told me to watch the limit LEDs on both channels and if they start flashing it's time to back off.

That said this thing is an absolute monster. I am running my Rocktron Chameleon into the Behringer Ultra-Graph EQ to give me some bottom end to my sound then from there into the Mosvalve. I set the presence all the way up to give it the tube sound and the gain just up to the second mark. The output on my Chameleon is where I adjust my volume and I never need to even get to the half way point on it before people start running for cover. It's not just loud either. The sound quality I'm getting with this setup is just unbelievable. This was designed to sound every bit as warm and have the tone quality of the best tube amps out there and I believe T.K. Butler hit it spot on. Of course with a Black-Face Chameleon or an Original VooDoo Valve you will add alot to this sound, and an EQ or Sonic Maximizer will help too, but keep in mind my entire setup - including speakers cost me less than a good Marshall head because I got half of it used.

Also the MosValve 500 has more extensive inputs and outputs on the back than that the MV-962 as you can see here I can easily run 4 cabs and run strait into a mixing board from the amp itself through balanced outputs or even accept balanced inputs.

gedc0089.jpg


I'm running a Jackson RR1 through it so it sounds extra sweet :)
 
I used a MosValve 500 for a long time with my JMP-1. It sounded great and was very reliable.

I changed to a Marshall 9200 and it was night and day better. Also used a 2:90 for about a year and it was killer. I preferred these two amps over the MosValve but it was still very good.
 
I have a MosValve MV-962, and it works out nicely for the whole W/D/W thing, but I wouldn't personally use it for the stereo effect (meaning using the power amp as the power section for the head). With effects, it's not a huge deal. However, it doesn't sound all that great when used with rack preamps. My heads always sound better when using the effects loop method for slaving than using this.
 
I have the MV-962 as well and use it from a line out through fx, it seems to get the job done nicely as I am only using it for the fx and mainly working off of the main tone of my Marsha.
 
The MosValve amps are the only SS power amps I like for guitar - I used the 80w version with a JMP-1 for a long time, and it sounded really nice. That said, a 2:90 will have enough headroom for ANYTHING you're planning on doing unless you're playing stadiums, and it sounds better. Not that I'm knocking the 395, 2150, or Strategy 400 - they're all awesome amps - but the 2:90 will do ya.
 
The MosValve amps are the only SS power amps I like for guitar - I used the 80w version with a JMP-1 for a long time, and it sounded really nice. That said, a 2:90 will have enough headroom for ANYTHING you're planning on doing unless you're playing stadiums, and it sounds better. Not that I'm knocking the 395, 2150, or Strategy 400 - they're all awesome amps - but the 2:90 will do ya.
 
ke2":3praj5is said:
Doug Aldrich :)
(It might be an older version of his rack, but he used it)
Click to expand...
Jerry Cantrell used them too, in an early-90s touring rack with a blue-front Bogner Fish.

i too ran the 962 for years. like other folks are saying, for me it was solid, reliable, sounded very good (especially for high-gain tones or pristine clean) but not great--it did not have that extra squish that a tube power amp has.

if you want a less expensive tube power amp, maybe check out a Mesa 50/50. i ran one of those for years too--lots of punch and low end, and plenty of power. i've seen them used as low as $300. it doesn't have the Deep/whatever EQ presets that the 2:90 has, but it had enough power for small clubs and weighed half as much as a 2:90. :yes:
 
thanks for all of the posts guys, awsome information on these here!

since this post i did more research and decided to save for a mesa 2:100 since the 2:90 is simulclass and not exactly what i was looking for to begin with.

if i wanted to go with an H&HV800 i would just build my own solid state design ;)

ps sorry if my posts are hard to follow, im drugged from surgery right now :scared:
 
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