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braintheory
Well-known member
What would you guys recommend for a high wattage and high headroom power amp? Would the Mesa Strategy 400 be the one to get? Or are there other very good ones I should know about?
ChurchHill
Active member
VHT 2150, Mesa 295, Mesa 395, Mesa Coliseum 300, Rivera, maybe a few others. Personally, I've got a 395 and love it.
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paulyc
Well-known member
What is the application ? If you’re using a tube preamp the one’s Churchill mentioned are a GREAT start, but if it’s for a W/D/W application I think your choices are much broader, Marshall 9005, H&H V 800, Mosvalve, Carvin and many, many others.
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Racerxrated
Well-known member
Had a Strategy 400 and it was amazing. Years ago I had a Mosvalve that I ran with an ADA MP1, nice amp too. But I just grabbed an HH M900, which is the same as the V800 with less input/output options and no VU meters. Now I get what all the fuss is about when people talk about the great V800. What you put in comes out as an exact duplicate of the original amp. No coloration at all.paulyc":3h6by2y0 said:
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paulyc
Well-known member
I have an H&H V200 ( smaller brother of the 800) and it’s awesome for W/D/W. I have an older Rocktron Velocity 300 that has no balls at all with a tube preamp but sounds ok W/D/W, and my Mesa 295 is awesome either way. I had a 9005 that was awesome either way also.
ChurchHill
Active member
I always forget about the H&H amps. Those things are AWESOME! Lots of lust for those back in the '80s.
I'm curious, too, what are you wanting to do with it?
I'm curious, too, what are you wanting to do with it?
psychodave
Well-known member
I use the HH V800 for solid state and a Strategy 400 for tubes. I have the newer S400 that has the volume and presence pots on the front. I've also modified each channel with a push pull depth pot. I can make the house shake if necessary. 
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paulyc
Well-known member
I used your recommended depth pot suggestion on my 295 and it’s great !
ChurchHill
Active member
I would love to know about the 295 depth pot suggestion. The reason that I like my 395 better than my 295 is the switchable depth. Even stock, though, the 295 is a monster!
psychodave
Well-known member
ChurchHill":3roko2vu said:
Its simple. Lift the yellow wire coming from the board to the 8ohm output jack and put a 1 meg pot in line with a .001uf ceramic cap. Then add a wire to the output jacks. For push/pull add the .001uf across the pot and then throw a .002uf (or 2 .001uf caps in parallel) across the switch. Pushed it will be .001uf, pulled it will be .003uf. Of course you can use any cap you want across the switch like the fabled .0047uf (of course you have .001 across the pot so you would use a .003 on the switch). I did a shit load of testing and liked the .001/.003 the most.
Note that when the pot is turned to 0, it will be stock sounding. When I use the power amp with Boogie amps, I like the .001 setting. With Marshall amps, I like the .003 setting. I think stock the boogies use a 56k fixed depth resistor? I don't change this since I want to have the stock sound available. Of course this mod will work on the Mark series amps as well. Some people complained that the JP2C didn't have the pull deep switch. Just find a spot and add the depth pot and cap as described above. Instant pull deep in a sense.
ChurchHill
Active member
Thank you, psychodave, so much!! I really appreciate this!! Looks like I'll be breaking out the solder next week. 
Edit: REALLY excited by this!! LOL! Can't wait to hear it!
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braintheory
Well-known member
Thanks for all the suggestions! I’d be using it for a tube preamp. How would the strategy 400 compare to a coliseum 300 or Mesa 395 & 295? And what makes the HH V800 better to use with solid state amps, but the Mesa better with tube amps? This stuff is a bit new to me
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paulyc
Well-known member
I wouldn’t say the H&H is “better” with SS amps, better W/D/W IMO, but that’s still with a tube amp, just not a tube preamp. I’d rather have a tube poweramp with a tube preamp, more like an actual tube amp head.
ultimatemetalguitartones
Well-known member
That!ChurchHill":3ilf9ivq said:
sleewell2
New member
I liked the vht 2502 I had more than the mesa 50/50, both were good though.
JohnRageOn
Member
VHT 2/90/2 or 2/50/2, as most of the guys have already mentioned.
Close second choices would be a Mesa 2:90 or Rivera Hammer 320
For budget solution would be Peavey Classic 60 or 120
What cab would you be using?
Close second choices would be a Mesa 2:90 or Rivera Hammer 320
For budget solution would be Peavey Classic 60 or 120
What cab would you be using?
psychodave
Well-known member
ChurchHill":6i3qgtrl said:
Edit: REALLY excited by this!! LOL! Can't wait to hear it!
Hope it helps. My S400 had two outputs for 2 ohm. It was located near the output tubes on the flat surface. I took out 1 2 ohm jack on each side for the pots. This way I didn’t have to drill.
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Racerxrated
Well-known member
The difference between the HH and Strategy to my ears is the HH has no coloration, whereas the Strategy has the 6L6 coloration. Just depends on what you want to hear. This is with a W/D/W configuration with a Wizard MCI. Some say the HH does color the tone but I don't hear any. It's virtually identical to the center dry tone when I bypass my Intellifex.braintheory":rtvdt758 said:
I don't own any preamps anymore so I can't comment on those, just my experience with my Wizard in a W/D/W.
psychodave
Well-known member
Racerxrated":hkej8f2b said:
I hear the slight coloration of the HH, but I don’t really consider it negative. It’s just not “generic” or flat sounding like some solid state power amps can have.
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kurtsstuff2003
Well-known member
VHT 2150..I have #24 out of the first 100 which are said to be "The best of the best" I'm considering letting it go but..It's a real hand wringer for me at this point 
