PRS MT15 vs ENGL Fireball 25! (the 'little' 6L6 amps)
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- čas přidán 11. 07. 2024
- Thanks for watching this comparison / demo / review of the PRS MT15 and ENGL Fireball 25 lunchbox guitar tube amps. Both are small amps with big 6L6 power tubes.
Timecodes:
00:00 Introduction
01:21 Discussing the differences between the amps
05:46 PRS MT15 Clean
06:48 ENGL Fireball 25 Clean
07:56 Isolated A/B comparison Clean
09:01 Isolated A/B comparison Clean Same IR
10:27 PRS MT15 Crunch
11:30 ENGL Fireball 25 Crunch
12:39 Isolated A/B comparison Crunch
13:45 Isolated A/B comparison Crunch Same IR
15:22 PRS MT15 Heavy Rock
16:27 ENGL Fireball 25 Heavy Rock
17:49 Isolated A/B comparison Heavy Rock
18:58 Isolated A/B comparison Heavy Rock Same IR
20:29 PRS MT15 Metal
22:00 ENGL Fireball 25 Metal
23:39 Isolated A/B comparison Metal
25:15 Isolated A/B comparison Metal Same IR
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#amplifier #prsmt15 #fireball25
DISCLOSURE: I got the ENGL amp with a discount from ENGL
Both sound good; ENGL has my preferred kind of voicing. Also, leaving the presence so far down is choking the upper mids and highs too much. It does not sound that muffled in real life, going through actual speakers.
This demo was the final “nail in the coffin” for me to finally pull the trigger on an MT15. Thank you TENFOLD for the BEST review of this amp hands down in this and other videos. Your videos are the closest thing to trying the amp in real life in various settings and genres. I don’t feel like there were any questions I had left in answered thanks to you. Keep it up man!
For the record…. The final segment with the Stephen Carpenter 7 string is easily my Favorite Riff I have EVER heard. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve opened this video and went straight to the final segment.
Top notch comparison. The editing in terms of audio and video clip switching was spot on. The comparison was thorough also. I’m not much of a crunch sound type of guy so the PRS appeals to me more. I also prefer the price, the look, the clean channel and the high gain. Appreciate the quality and the guitars chosen🤘🏻
Bro your amp comparison videos are easily some of the best on this site. You cover a wide array of styles/genres staying true and accurate to all of them whilst also covering many good tones and setups such as using different IR's same IR's etc. I love your easy to follow style and format, which is very uncommon to see in amp demo style videos these days. So easy to watch, you're really nailing it man thanks for the amazing work!
I wish he would do live mic'ing in addition to IRs. The IRs often make things sound too similar.
That's just not true
@SonicDriveStudio ok so no mics ... how about variation in position of the IR relative to the room then? An alternative position way back from the grill to highlight differences and add variety?
Edit: sorry, not trying to insult your work. Maybe before YT compression, the contrast is more noticeable. But on the viewers end, it starts to all sound the same. Compare the IR method to something like this: czcams.com/video/sOpk9ujFGcc/video.htmlsi=emJQaZsHjhCtM3xX
I would love to blend the 2 amps. They have their own cool thing that could make a massive tone together. They accentuate different things.
thats what I want to do with the PRS as well, but with an Orange OR15! Feel like they'd compliment eachother very well
Was thinking the same thing my dude.
Awesome review the comparison was flawless showed me everything I needed. I will choose the MT 15 because it sounds more open and clear, but that may just be EQ but the biggest reason is the dual separate channels for clean to dirty live applications.
Awesome video, you always go so in depth and keep it interesting. I liked the Engl and would be happy w that but certainly preferred the PRS overall. The tones from that Stephen Carpenter 7 you got is amazing
Presence stands in unequal positions. Of course the sound will be more clamped into Engl. If you put Presence in Engl as well as in Prs, we will hear a completely different sound that is likely to leave a victory for Engl.
Yes, I thought the engl sounded dull
@@PainterDans he accidentally had the ENGL presence nearly off, and the PRS presence nearly maxed..
He did the same thing when he compared the Fireball 25 to the Iron ball SE. The presence knobs were in completely different positions
I'm pretty sure he just adjusts to his taste per mix. He doesn't have some kind of scientific system for comparing one to one with the settings.
Really good comparison! I have aways been an ENGL-fan boy but now I want a PRS MT15 :D, Thanks for the video!
I love to see you build your brand. You deserve it.
very thorough demo. thank you!
God, I love the prs with the elite, it’s just the perfect combo for me.I got both of them thanks to you and your awesome videos buddy.
Thanks for doing this and keep on rocking Jon!
would love to see at the end both amps mixed in these vids to see which one truly cuts more in a mix. good stuff bro keep it up.
Nice demo. I am going to have to disagree with the decision to roll back the Engl presence to almost zero and crank the presence on the PRS to almost max: 13:00. For the sake of control, you just can't have that much deviation in a comparison.
Yep, this definitely was not a "like for like" comparison, so we'll have to imagine what things should have sounded like.
It could be that he dialed in EQ settings which he thought sounded best on each amp for those particular sound clips. Not all amp's EQs sweep the same way. Balancing each frequency is a difficult task given each amp's circuit design. To my ears the ENGL has lots of presence/fizz but also has more mid "roar", as he put it, than the PRS MT15 which tends to darken the overall sound. He would have had to choose between boosting more presence or cutting mids to make it less dark but perhaps in doing so it changed the characteristics of the amp in an unpleasant way. Post EQ (in software or a multi-band EQ pedal in the loop) would give more options but then that takes away from the purpose of the comparison.
I've been dying for this comparison for years. And vs the mini Rec, but in the room sounds and not all sterile.
Great comparison! They sound very close but like was said, accentuate different things. Both sound great but I think I prefer the PRS. I definitely prefer the PRS at the price each is selling for.
I need some 6L6's in my life, so different and unique sounding. Really loving this PRS MT15, I think this is the one for me for the $$$. I was forced to sell my Ironball(original one). I hope this PRS amp can at least keep up with it. I think it will! Great review and playing as always.
Damn, closer than I thought it would be for me. I'm a huge fan of Engl, that's an understatement. To my ears the prs wins on cleans but everything else, man, I just love the sound of the Engl. For me they just can't be beat!
This is a great comparison, and I was thinking about going with the MT15, but went with the Engl Fireball 25 because I found it to be more versatile. Someone pointed out that in this shootout, the Engl presence was turned down really low as compared to the MT15. I keep the presence set at around 10 o'clock, which to me is the sweet spot. The Engl by no means sounds muffled if you turn up the presence a bit.
They're surprisingly close, but I'll vote for the MT15 because it sounded all around livelier to me. Your riffs and demos are always awesome, thanks for doing this.
Ordered the amp after this vid :D the PRS MT 15 sounds absolutely amazing!
I liked the high end sparkle of the PRS on the cleans, but the warmer ENGL had a really nice tone as well. On the Crunch test, the ENGL was the hands down winner. Those pushed mids made it sound so much more full and satisfying. On the baritone metal(which is what I primarily play), those mids that made the ENGL sound so good in the crunch clips made it sound muddy here. The PRS was a lot more crisp and tight. I'd choose the ENGL and put a boost in front of it.
Awesome demo! Killer tones. I'd like to buy both, but because the features I'll buy the Engl.
ENGL for me. Thanks for the comparison ☺️
I think the presence knob settings alone can explain a lot of difference in most comparisons here
The presence controls are voiced differently
Yeah a bit unfair when PRS had presence nearly maxed and ENGL was nearly off..
The presence on the ENGL is much more aggressive. You have to keep in mind that the tapers on these presence pots react very differently to one another
@@SonicDriveStudio But you could probably added a little to the Engl and/or taken away a little from the PRS, and I seriously doubt there'd be that much difference.
Both sounded good, btw...
as owner of fireball 100 I think I can shed some light on presence knob setting. Guess it pretty same on fball 25. It shapes highs (and hi mids I think) very aggressively. WIth being set on noon it's not usable for rhythm guitar at all. 9 o'clock reasonable setting. 10-12 o'clock adds some glass to sound and brings noise. Higher position - more noise. might be good for some lead parties. I didn't found presence knob usable at setting higher than 12 o'clock and it seems like author feels the same. Fireball has darker sound by design. So, guess presence settings on those amps are kind of sweet spots for author
Great job on the video! I love both of these amps, but I find myself using the MT15 on more jobs than the Fireball. I am probably biased since I play the PRS Archon 50 quite often, as well.
Both sound great. You can tell you really have to dig in on the ENGL to get that high end. The MT-15 sounds like it plays super easy. The 3khz ish range on the MT-15 is money 🔥
Great comparison. Both sound excellent, and as others have stated, I'm sure the tone would be more similar with the presence higher on the ENGL or turned down on the MT15. I could live with either, although the silent recording option on the ENGL is a nice feature missing from the PRS.
5 days later and the MT15 is on the way! Thanks for your amazing videos. Overall, I wanted the Fireball, but $500-600 more for the ENGL was just too much to go for after just getting the Ironball SE
Eddie currant.... you could have bought an engl at the same price of an prs 15...
I am the new owner of an MT15. 2 of my friends have them and mine luckily came with the better factory tubes than the cheap Chinese ones. I did however get an MXR 10 band EQ running through the fx loop and an ISP decimator running in the front to help with the noise, which is the worst part about it. I've played 6 shows with it so far and get compliments on my guitar tone so that's a plus! Love the vid! \m/
Both sound great. I prefered the PRS on the cleans surprisingly, wasn't especting that
On the high gain in can't decide, the Engl has the NG and the loadbox that I didn't new it had, so the extra 300€ maybe is worth a shoot.
You should do a comparison between these two and the EVH LBX Stealth, I've been searching the web for a long time and there are no such thing.
Great channel btw
Great video as always. I like the Engl best, there seems to be a high frequency thing with the PRS I dont like and its mids feel like there is hole there.
That PRS is amazing, but a touch glassy for my ear. I like how sonorous the ENGL can be- especially on the opens. Since cabinet choice is really whats going to voice things- I'd take that sonorous chug on the ENGL and match it up with a mesa oversized cab and maybe some Eminence speakers to really round it out.
Firstly, I LOVE these comparisons! Secondly, to MY ears, I thought the PRS had a top end sparkle that was very pleasing when clean. As the examples got heavier, that became more and more fatiguing. I think the PRS sounds better overall, but I'll never buy it as it's made in China. The 1 watt power soak option in the ENGL is extremely valuable to me as well. 👊
The PRS sounds a bit more open in a positive way!
Great video. You can’t go wrong with either unit but for me …. PRS all the way.
- Great sounds
- Separate EQ controls/channel + treble boost
- The color switching between channels is sooooo cool
- External bias ports
- ~ $500 less
- Smaller footprint
- American brand.
Great comparison! Overall I prefer the more 'organic' tone of the Engl (to my ears). There's something slightly artificial about the MT15. Neither amp impressed me for clean and crunch. I preferred the Engl for hard rock BUT interestingly when they were using the same IR I preferred the MT15.
Engl more organic? Those amps are compressed as u could imagine. Guess we have different ears.
@@FungusLabel I know what you mean, that's why I put 'organic' in quotes. I basically prefer the sound of the Engl here but in other comparison videos I find the Engl to be too tight for my tastes.
Both are very good! Engl is bit darker here maybe with a higher level of presence and high the difference between the two amps aren't so evident. In this video i like more Prs MT15
Again, a great comparison. I have the MT15 and like it alot. Keen on trying the Fireball though, the more agressive mids might suit my needs. The prs has alot of highend...air if you will, wich annoys me sometimes.
In my opinion, the Engl have more mid or low mid, the Prs sound like a boosted amplifier. For me sound preferences, PRS are better. Great video 👍🏼👍🏼
I bought the ENGL Fireball about 3 months ago and absolutely love it. I play through a captor x and its one of the most versatile amps I've ever played. Cleans are bright and crisp and the gain is a big as you want. Awesome little amp.
power soak is not enough, or does it sound better using captor x?
I play through both captor x and a 4x12 with v30's at all power levels it sounds great. The power soak changes the character of the amp rather than the loudness especially through the captor x. The ENGL is really versatile. Also takes pedals like a champ!
Great comparison!! In this video the PRS is the winner, it sounded fuller and clearer, still mean. However, when I had the chance of trying the PRS, did not impressed me as much as ENGL did. I ended up buying an ENGL.
Nice demo; I really like the Engl
Another great vid, nice job. Firstly...I like the versatility factor of the ENGL being able to use the clean channel with some dirt, the PRS didnt have that option. Secondly I though the ENGL sounded a bit dark, probably fixable with raising up that Presents control a bit.
Is the MT15 and a tubescreamer still cheaper tho
For me, PRS wins everything except the clean.
The ENGL samples are lacking a bit of presence. For a fair comparison I would like to see the presence knob a bit higher on that amp.
I was going to buy PRS but somehow I prefer ENGL tone, thanks for the comparison!
I almost had my mind made up to get the MT-15 but after this video, I think I like the ENGL more as well.
It’s the PRS for me, but considering I just bought an MT-15 last month I’m probably biased... can’t go wrong with either! I’d love to see these two vs. a Victory Kraken
Prs for me as well
i had a Kraken. Amazing for crunch and hi gain but really bad for cleans... in this comparison? Got to win the Engl, more versitle.
Awesome comparison. How do you compare these with 5150 LBX-S ? I have one but I'm itching to get another mini amps!
Thank you!!!
Wow....that Fireball has a tighter gain structure. But, there's nothing about it that justifies it being almost twice the price. And, that MT15 clean channel is beautiful. You can always tighten up the MT15 with a pedal, at that price. WOW....GREAT demo!
yep consider the Mt15 is half the price, for a marginal difference.
@@gainonten4031 Amen, brother….
Hey love your content! whats your opinion of the overall quality of each amp with regard to the country its is manufactured in? The prs is built in china and the engl in germany. Is there a difference or is the country of manufacturer irrelevant for amps in the 21st century?
Krank Rev Jr. had 6L6's. It was one of the first few who had them. I think the first one was the Soldano Hot Rod 25.
I noticed the MT15 Volume was generally set to 9 o’clock. Is this where you found the best sound in relation to the gain or is it more related to your load box settings? Thanks
zieke riffs weer!
Much to my surprise I slightly prefer the Engl for the hi gain parts and the MT15 for the classic rock section. The PRS sounds a bit clearer, which is a plus on lower gain but can get a bit harsh on full blast.
Both of them sounds great
Great vid man I was waiting for this one. I have a Mt15 myself and I use almost the same settings. Ill buy a Fireball 25 forsure when the gigs are on again. The only this that bothered me a little is that you didnt touch the presence on both amps. The MT15 could be a little less aggresive on the pushed clean tones with less pressence and the Fireball was a little dark on the high gain tones with the pressence so low.
hey! 19:59, is the prs with the picture of engl?
Question, in your opinion...which would be better in a small club live situation? These smaller amps seem to lose allot of their character (tone) when raising the volume. I noticed my 15w Orange Dark Terror did that which hosts el84s. Which do you thing would hold on a bit better out of these two?
Do you use a noise gate pedal? Great video!
PRS MT-15 is the one in my studio sitting on top of a Mark 1 Mesa Boogie and jacked into the Black Shadow speaker.
Next purchase is a Badlander.
Definitely the MT15 for me. I like both for the gain tones, but I prefer the clean tones on the MT15, especially with the boost option.
My Hot Rod Deluxe has 6L6’s! With A V30 speaker. But I’d take the PRS. It really could use a parallel switchable effects loop, though. But the engl’s power soak is a huge plus.
MXR 6 band in the MT15 loop works wonders. it really brings it life.
Great demo...would like to hear both heavy.
Ummmm.....together
Superb video!!!
Engl for me 👍🏽
The ENGL has a bit more chug to it. Agreed a blend of the both would be sick.
Подскажите пожалуйста, когда отключаешь выход на кабинет и берёшь линейный сигнал из усилителя в звуковую карту, теряется ли влияние оконечника?
Mt15 sounds more articulate, highs/presence could be rolled down for smoother and fuller sound if required but by itself or in the mix, it fits better and is more defined. Again, either way, lowering presence on mt15 or levelling up on the Engl would make them sound similar. They both seem to have a similar gain structure
not to mention it's HALF the price of the ENGL. You could get 2 MT15's for the price of one Fireball 25
I bought the MT15 and absolutely love it the only draw back is no direct output for recording
This video changed my decision from the ENGL to the MT15. They are similar, but MT15 sounds clearer or balanced in the high ranges more noticeable when the amp cleans up.
Both are cool. I would go with... well any of the two could do the job actually. The presence its okay for me in the Engl, in a mix you could boost it with post eq IF IT IS NECESARY. On live well, the cymbals dominate the freq, you could turn the knob up but you will have fizz. The PRS is a good option too, and you could dial the presence down hahaha. Great amps
Love the overtones of the engl I have the mt15 and love both
Hey John... How noisy is the MT15? And do you need an eq in the loop?
I see you're a Stefan Carpenter fan! I'm picking up some of his style riffin in you demo too.
Yup haha
Jon, how do you come up with those drum beats for the djentier parts? I'm struggling so hard with programming beats. Mine just sound so pedestrian, it kills me!
Try EZ Drummer II. Fantastic! 🔥
It was so good that I upgradeed to Superior Drummer shortly thereafter, as it's just so amazimg and the sounds, patterns, and MIDI, are very inexpenaive to get whatever sound and groove you're trying to aquire... A solid investment!
Best! ✌🏼
Might be time to revisit the Orange OR15 to see if it still stacks up
🤘 awesome riffs!!! lol!!!
I like the Engle the best!
I have the mt15 and love it. Running through my old Marshall mg412 cab and looking to upgrade to 2x12 with better speakers. What’s the general consensus on best cab to pair this thing with? Only other cab I’ve played this through is an evh 212 cab and it sounded great. Just curious if something like a mesa 2x12 would pair better. Thoughts?
MT15, possible to have TV levels volume and maintaining good tone? how bout FXLoop hum did you had any issues?
I had an ironball before and really got along with it. In a fit of idiocy, I sold it along with my port city cab. Well...time to get them again
Does the engl have more of a rectifier thing going on in the heavy section?
My man, hello 🤗
I am on a crusade to look for my small amp to bring on tour. I am between the ENGL Fireball 25 and Ironball 20 SE. Which one would be better for modern-prog metal? I LOVE the features of the Ironball SE but it seems that Fireball sounds a bit better but I do not have the opportunity to test them myself since I live in a hole of the world in Mexico xD
Greetings from Mexico, amigo!
Fireball :)
Honestly, it sounds like you are almost switching between a sm57 and senn 609 for the differences in the amps. I like both.
Cleans and crunch go to Engl, smoother cleans and punchier/less fizzy crunch.
I thought the MT-15 sounded better for rock n metal isolated, but preferred the Engl in the band mixes, probably has to do with how the midrange sits in the mix for Engl. Great video man, ty.
Not sure about the comparison of crunch capabilities as Engl sounded like treble/hi-mids were cut off by the presence knob which was almost totally down...why was that? why not a bit upper?
I just got an MT 15 and it sounds great but it has an unhealthy amount of hum. Is this normal for this amp? Is it normal to hum even in standby mode?
Victory V30 The Jack MKII. Please compare the Engl Fireball 25 with this.
The ENGL sounds 100% better to my ears. Sounds like it's more balanced then the MT15.
I'd be interested in in hearing the Engl with the presence up, seeing the prs has its presence turned mostly all the way up and the Engl has its presence all the way down. This was reflected aurally, in the same IR back2back comparisons.
the engl presence wasn't all the way down. just not up as high as the Prs
@@drdoscacciato6555 agreed. I used hyperbole to describe it was most of the way down (an angle 8:30 or approximately 10-15% in some isolated examples compared to the prs which was at an angle of 14:30 or approximately 80%) as figure of speech not to be taken literarly. I think my meaning of ALMOST all the way up for the prs against the Engl which was ALMOST all the way down was conveyed. That at these dial settings, the Engl having significantly less presence with an almost completely turned down knob compared to the prs most of the way up having much more.
I'd like to hear them either at similar knob settings or set to match by sound to see how much more or less can be added/taken away - different approaches to a like for like (knob position or sound match)
On measured watts, what's on the front means not a lot. Old Marshall 100-watt amps test out at around 144.
This ENGL has a noise gate and power soak. The PRS doesn't. But in the U.S. the PRS costs $750, while the ENGL costs $1,350. I bought a returned F 100 for $1,675. Love it. Just bought a used ENGL 2x12 for $450, $550 less than new. Plan on getting another and spread them out a bit in my space. ENGL cabs rock too. Very heavy though.
PRS - clean, bright and well defined. The bass response is outstanding. Also has 2 seperate eq controls, making an all round fantastic amp.
Engl - Grainy and earthy clean tone, not as bright as MT, however has a thunderous low end - but less tight and responsive off the pick.
Also uses same eq settings for clean and dirty.
In a mix, they do however appear to compliment eachother.
But the MT15 gets my nod, outstanding little amp.
Great review!
I had both and actually is opposite. Engl is much more clarity and can be brighter and darker a lot
The Victory vx kraken is a lunchbox head with 6l6 or el34. It is 50 watts though but it’s comparable in price ($1300ish) I think it’s worth comparing
Not sure if it's just settings, but the MT15 sounds like it would cut through in a live mix better with those upper mids/clarity that the Engl appears to lack in this demo. In the room that might just sound fizzy tho 🤔
MT 15 all day long. It has a much better top and clarity that will cut through in a band mix.
The Synergy 30 head has 6l6 tubes too.
for sure it's a beauty, ( fireball 25 ) i love it from an esthetic point of view. And love the demos for what i heared.
But before pulling the trigger, and knowing that 99% of the time it's headphone or recording, or very very low volume practicing ( with a blackstar fly 3 ...) i think this thing maybe overkill for my use.
Also it's difficult to know if i would not prefer a smaller print device like Two notes Cab M, or Iridium Strymon... thx for sharing if you have any advice.
PRS sounds wider and open in my monitors.
Engl sounds a bit tame and not as full.
Great video
Pay note to how he has presence set on each amp
Is an ibanez rgt in pink with a quilt top behind you?!
Both is perfect