The Electro Harmonix Magnum 44 was dissatisfying me more and more. In fact, the only advantages to it is really its small size and weight.
I decided to look for alternatives.
I found out about the Hughes and Kettner CF100 which is a 1U half rack solid state power amp. 100watts RMS into 8 ohms. Its in the same series as their Cream Machine which I previously owned and thought was good. I also tried a "Metal Master", again in the same series, on a trip to New York and it was also nice.
It took a few weeks for one to appear on eBay. I watched it and scored a good bargain on it.
When it arrived, I was shocked - the unit is indeed a handy size, but it weighs a tonne!! When I opened it up, it was clear why - a huge power transformer. A very good sign for tone I thought.
Anyway, it makes the Magnum 44 look like a bad joke in terms of sound. It sounds better both played quietly and played loudly. There is less noise. And its 100w vs 25w. It has a character control which is meant to add in a feedback circuit to make it sound more like a valve amp. Actually, it reduces the headroom slightly when using this control, but the sound improvement is worth it. I don't understand exactly what its doing, but the sound indeed has more punch to it.
My particular unit has seen some action and the volume pot is a bit noisy. Should be easy to change. The fuse holder is somewhat loose - also an easy fix.
Its definitely more quiet than my valve Mesa Boogie and Marshall, which is interesting. Valves really do make a difference there.
If you do want a small solid state power amp, this thing is good. But its all a trade off, the unit is very heavy as I say.
