Got my birthday present setup yesterday (OK, my birthday was back in Feb, but it's taken this long to get everything):
Engl E570 SE preamp
MJW Goldstar 10w valve power amp
The MJW is a single-ended 10w valve power amp, intended for home use (though it's capable of getting plenty loud!). It might look familiar to some - Feline has one. I was so impressed with his, that I called Martin & ordered one just like it. The only differences are that mine has the diamond-shaped MJW nameplate & a 5881 valve. It sounds so sweet - really smooth, organic with a great range on the volume control.
As for the preamp, I've been agonising over whether to get the SE or an Egnater M4 for nearly a year. I very nearly pulled the trigger on an M4 at Christmas, but the current £:$ exchange rate made it prohibitively expensive (>£500 more than the SE from Thomann). The final clincher was when I downloaded & read through the SE's manual & properly appreciated some of the great features it has. Plus I already have a Savage 120 so I'm happy with Engl & was confident I'd like this. Holy Jesus. What an amazing piece of kit! I have been playing/tweaking for hours & have not even scratched the surface of what this preamp will do. But despite a wealth of features, it's actually really simple to use.
I also got the Engl Z12 Midi Foot Controller which is great - the SE powers it down the midi cable so no need for a power supply. The Engl MIDI switching is an absolute winner.
Together into my Mesa rectifier cab, they are fantastic - a versatile, great sounding setup that can do it all. Between this, my Savage 120 & my Marshall SL-X I can cover every sound I want at any volume from conversational to raise-the-roof.
Happy Antag :D
