PRS Archon vs MT15
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- čas přidán 8. 09. 2024
- The PRS Tremonti amp
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The PRS Archon 50 watt head
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I just think it's amazing how much more comfortable you seem in your videos than two years ago.
he vibin now
For the price, MT15 all day long.
Tre Monti means "the three mountains". For your interrest.
Greetings from Germany.
yes cool but tremonti is one word lol
and btw Archon means Ruler at greek actually dont mean its greek word by its self
Phillip, I have to say there are so many things that I wondered about like the small feet on the MT15 and how it would sit on a cab with a bulky handle. No one mentions this kind of thing but you intuitively know that people may have these questions. Great work man, keep it up...
Maybe cabs should have recessed handles since they know an amp will be put there
amp companies would probably argue that the necessary holes required would affect the tone. i think it's a great idea though
Great idea. The one thing that really pisses me off about my JP-2C is that the reverb tank is mounted so it hangs out below the amp - so that any cab with a top mounted handle (a lot of Mesa's!) can't accommodate the head without something to lift it up.
Just get a 4x12 lol
Laney cabs solve this problem beautifully.
Like my Diezel cab
The BOOST knob is actually designed to be "channel 2" /overdrive for the bluesy/marshal tones.
Pull the boost out, crank that volume, adjust master volume accordingly
But there's no master on clean channel
Archon still sounded better to my ears. They sounded very similar regardless.
I have had the opportunity to play through the MT-15 here in Miami at the studio...and it is simply amazing. Great review as always!
I actually bought an MT 15 and love it! The only other amp I will ever buy is when they come out with the 100 watt version. This amp does everything in regards to the tones I'm looking for. It really is Mark Tremonti's sound in a box.
Josh O'Brien Hey Josh, im thinking of getting the mt15 too and I was wondering whether you had any abnormal hum sound as it seems to be common issue it the PRS forums... Thanks
@@intrud3rx There is some hiss that increases as you up the gain. I use a noise gate. I wouldn't let this deter you from picking up this little beauty.
i think that the mt15 sounded more full than the archon in the way that it captured ALL the frequencies of the guitar much better. when switching from the archon to the mt15, there was suddenly much more detail to the tone. it became less muddy and more string definition definetly was audible as well.
i think the archon has much more low end, whereas the MT has a little less but better articulated midrange
Definitely agree. Almost like it had blended clean signal. Which I like to do in parallel anyways
Id love to see MT-15 vs Victory Kraken. Lets make that happen.
They look identical
The Victory Kraken rocks. They definitely aren’t the same.
I tried that this week. The kraken just wont do a clean like the mt15, or any low volume gain. Its a cranked or nothing amp. Would be killer if it had a master volume an the fender style clean like the m15. The kraken was too loud to get anything good in store. Really want to try the jack, m15 and put them against on orange th30. Tempted by a duel terror tried the dark terror but as i should of known no good clean, an needs a master volume to get good sounds in store
@@celluloid-kali Mark Tremonti himself said that many clean channels on high gain amps feel like an afterthought, which he was keen to avoid, and he more than delivered. I've heard that the Peavey 6505's clean channel leaves a lot to be desired.
The PRS MT 15 sounds more like what I would use for my purposes.
Doug was really thinking hard about how quickly he could convert the amp to 50 watts, like he was ready to do it onsite! He's such a great dude!
I feel if you have the money, get the archon, if not... then the MT15 seems just as killer.
The MT15 is really living up to the hype behind it!
My .02 is this. I own an Archon 50 and the MT15. I also own an early 2000’s Dual Rec and plenty of killer Mesa gear in the past. These are all killer amps and do their job well. Both PRS smoke the Mesa clean but the Archon is an awesome well toned amp. I also like the MT15. I usually steer away from signature gear of any kind but this is a great amp and could care less if MT’s name is on it or not. Even being made in in China, PRS will stand behind it. I look at the MT like this, Tremonti has always been a Mesa guy like myself. I feel the MT15, which is based off of an Archon, is what he wished a Mesa sounded like. If I had to pick between the two and only one, I’d go Archon just because if only one is in the budget I would need the extra power and headroom. The MT15 is a bad ass piece of gear though! Much preferred over the Mesa mini imo.
Thank you for playing Shinedown. And thank you for your great videos!!
Agree there's more bite on the MT15, which can be a good thing - I think there's often more bite on recorded heavy guitar tones than we realize, it just gets hidden behind similar frequencies like cymbals, etc. And I think the Archon could match those tones with the bright switches. I've been playing the MT15 at rehearsals for the last month with a REALLY cracking drummer, 2x12 mic'd with a 57, and it's all you need for heavy rock. Coming from using a Custom 50 (very loud amp) the MT15 is almost the same volume, much more than any sound guy will want you putting out on stage. Also stays very true to tone as loud as you turn it up, doesn't mush at all. FX loop, bias test, very portable, very loud - I was skeptical of a 15 watt amp, especially one that could sound heavy at volume, but it does it. Amazing for $650, cheapest PRS amp but right up there with the USA stuff IMO. Would be interesting to see what the difference is in range of tones from the amps, thanks for the head to head though!
Phil, I wish you would test them both again ( I know it's a lot of work) with one of your Strats. But I like the Archon overall, but not by much. Still love what you said on Fri. that you love, love, love your Mesa Boogie Mark 5: 25. That's why I bought one and I don't really look at amps anymore. For me, your review sold me and I don't need anything else. Thanks!
I just sold my larger marshall and fender combo amps and on saturday I bought the MT15.
I chose it because it is to be used primarily with my PRS Hollowbody SE II Piezo, and I was
interested in a component solution so I wouldn't have to heft around heavy combo units.
I was only interested in the clean side, although I do use pedals. My Bedroom setup is
PRS Hollowbody SE II Piezo -> Waza TU-3W -> Boss BD-2 -> Boss AW-3 -> Clon ->
Behringer( EQ700 -> TO800 -> CS400 -> TM300 -> UC200 -> DR600 ) ->
PYLE PMX466 Mixer -> PRS MT15
I bought my daughter the Jazzmaster T in orange cause it’s same as her Jagmaster. She loves it!!! Also got the Gold Top T for myself. Kudos to your wife! Thank you!!!!
I will say I own the Archon 25w amp. It’s probably one of the best, most versatile amps that I’ve ever owned. Which it’s an insanely loud 25w amp as well but can dial back volume very well. I love the MT-15 head and almost sold my Archon to get it but it’s not feasible for quiet playing our bedroom/apartment playing unless you get something like a load box/ir loader. However it’s absolutely the next amp that I’m probably going to get. I really want a victory kraken but that amp has been ridiculously hard to buy for some reason. Every time I go to buy it is sold out or the listing for a used one sold as fast as it’s posted. That Archon though.... it’s pretty much impossible to get a bad tone from it. The internal speaker is a little lack luster imo but run through a 2x12 it’s perfect
I have the MT15 and I can say:
1) It is definetly way-way louder than what you expect of 15W, it easily matches my 50W Peavey Valveking in volume and can keep with a drummer with the Master at noon (it is not a linear master knob, thou). I would say you can even gig it in the "half power" mode, which set the 6L6 tubes in triode configuration instead of pentode. This is true for the Lead channel, the cleans would break up more easily if crancked to drummer levels (which does not sound bad, it's a tube amp after all).
2) You can't really use the lead channel comfortably in bedroom without an attenuator.
3) I have it placed on top of a cabinet with a handle, no problem, the clearance is just enough.
4) Awesome tone for hi-gain applications, one of the best micro heads I've heard in this respect. Need no boost with the gain at noon. The MIDDLE knob controls higher-mid frequencies, similar to what an EVH 5150 does, but is less harsh (Mesa-esque Mark V-ish perhaps??). The BASS knob is subtle, goes from bass-poor to about-enough-bass, will not deliver lots of rumble (maybe the one limitation of it's 15W rating). The PRESENCE control affects the power stage only.
5) Beautiful cleans. Very linear at moderate volumes, will crunch a bit at drummer levels.
6) Not really meant for medium gain/crunch/dirty tones. You would have to lower the gain to like 1-5% AND turn your guitar's volume back to get there.
7) It has a 12AX7 driven FX loop, that attenuate the preamp's signal a lot before SEND, and amplifies the signal a lot after RETURN. This can potentially pick up noticeable interference noise depending on your electromagnetic environment, longitude of your FX cables, the quality of your pedalboard's power source and connections, buffer, etc.
Funny, I find mine has absolutely tonnes of low end even through a 1x12.
@@TheMirrorify Well, I feel like there's a high pass filter somewhere in the very low frequency area, maybe around 80 Hz. Specially compared to my 50W Peavey Valveking (on the same speaker) which gives tonnes of very low end. My 20W Engl fireball SE also feels like is bass filtered in the very lows. It makes sense, since most of sound power is consumed in the low frequency range, if you discard the very low end (which is not too important to guitars in a mix), you free more available power for the near lows, mids and highs, hence making your amp louder despite the limited wattage.
@@gastonpossel yeah fair enough. I assume different pickups make a difference too.
PRS MT15 is definitely my preference. That PRS MT 15 really has a nice sound.
yes same for me but that loud issue is a big problem and huge negative spot for not to buying.i am loooking for a new amp for home and after i saw this video no matter how i like the sound i will not take it.maybe go for the fireball 25
@@xdx2653 apparently there is a fix to it. I found it on Google not too long ago. It is a relatively simple fix. I am gonna order one of the prs se custom lefties and the prs mt15 and a decent cabinet, and maybe get into learning guitar. I figure if I pay a decent amount for my setup, I'd be less inclined to put it down and more inclined to keep at it till I'm good.
The amp sounds amazing, I can only compare it with a Diezel or Mesa Boogie Mark V
Great review Phil. Personally the MT-15 for high gain and the Archon for cleans, the Archon's clean was bigger but since there for the most part are rock and metal high gain amps, MT-15 all day.
jonas brave - Just to clarify I've never played through either of these amps. I'm just hearing what I'm hearing in the video. Personally I felt the MT was struggling a bit at lower gain tones. When Phil was playing those blues runs, it sounded like a high gain amp trying to go lower gain but not quite cutting it.
The Archon's definitely more versatile and a bit less extreme but definitely more rounded genre wise however for Modern Rock, Metal and pristine clean tones, not as big of a clean tone as the Archon but still a very usable and clear cut clean tone, the MT-15 is a beast. That's all just me though.
I've had the MT15 on a 1x 12 Mesa Vin30 sealed cab. Sounds fantastic. It's just a fantastic little amp. There is a hiss that increases with the gain so I run it through an HX Stomp pedal with a gate on the fx loop. Turn down the output of the FX pedal to get the bedroom volumes. The MT15 + Mesa 1X 12 cab + HX stomp costs about the same as my Mesa Boogie Mark V25 combo by itself. The MT15 sounds tighter than the Boogie.
The PRS Mt 15 sounded amazing and badass to play on! It can make anything sound rocking!
I can’t get past that you have the mt15 hanging partially off the arcon. LOL!
7:40 perfect reaction :D
Two 2"x4"- 1 at each end of the handle, set head on the two by fours.
Or figure out how much room you need to clear the handle,say it's a half inch.pull the feet off.get 4 stainless screws that are same diameter but 1/2 " longer and 2" worth of stainless washers,make sure that it's a multiple of 4.is OK if it's a bit over 1/2". You can paint the washers first before you install them if being silver would bother you.
Thanks for putting out great information. KYG
I had the archon 100, could never get along with the tone. I now have the MT15, its fantastic. I would much rather have the MT15 after owning both. I will say, both amps sound much better with V30s. I have another cab loaded with creambacks, and the MT15 plus that cab have a little too much low end. The V30 with that midrange spike sounds killer. Great video! Also, I much prefer the boost on the clean channel. Seems to really open the clean channel up, moves more air.
Tiger blood 1978 , man I really like it. I just couldn't get the archon to cut how I like. When I hear someone play it, it sounds pretty good. Just not when I played it lol.
Drew Sandefer you think the mt15 cuts better in a mix than the archon? I didn’t get along with th archon either because I thought it didn’t have enough upper mids.
all my amps sounding way better with my creambacks vs v30 who sounds very fizzy harsh and spike and dry high end.its matter of taste afterall,for me there is no better speaker from creambacks.after creambacks chaos coming
that tone is absolutely sick in the intro.....awesome Phil.....
The MT sounds great, but the way it wobbled on top of that amp .. not good! Good to see you don't pull your punches in your reviews, that's not the case with some other channels.
Thank you again Phillip for a great break down on this amp.
Great video as always Phil.
Both of the amps are good but I feel MT15 has more bite to it.
Night time playing? Great subject matter. I've not been on this chanel that long but I live in Wales in the UK (not England Scotland or Ireland) Tom Jones country you're video's or vlogs are being watched from the green green grass of home
Halloo from a displaced 1 gen removed Welshman. My Great grandparents emigrated from Cardiff when my Grandpa was around 2yrs old (sometime 1917-1918) and my grandmother's family is from near there, but outside of Cardiff. One of these days Ill get to drop in and see 'the old country'. My grandpa had all sorts of stories from my Great GP about Wales, and my other relatives, because their lives overlapped quite a bit. I always make it a point to say hi if I find someone from Wales in a forum or in-person (rare). It's my vain attempt to claim my heritage so to speak.
Like many people have already said, I would love the Archon, but my wallet says Tremonti. Both sound great so its a matter of money at this point. Good review and glad I ran across it.
Phillip I just bought the PRS MT15 with the matching PRS cabinet and it sounds amazing. The handle in the cab allows the amp head to sit firmly on top. The cab comes loaded with a Celestion Vintage 30.
It would have been great if by design, it will be able to seat on any cab of our choice.
I am currently running a Dunlop Wha and Maxxon 808 in front. Also a Boss Fender 63 reverb and MXR Carbon Copy on the loop. It just sound amazing.
I am really enjoying it.
To me, the MT15 sounded like it had more overtones or frequency range.
They definitely sound close to each other for sure. I ordered the MT15 all the way back in June & am still waiting for it with an eta of Sept 11th. For the price point the MT15 is amazing. I know there's the Orange Brent Hinds & other lunchbox amps but my ears do not like EL84's so the 6L6 MT15 was a hands down winner for me. Still gonna slap it on a 2x12 V-30 Orange PPC cab though! Thanks for all your hard work & for sharing with us man! Keep doing the good stuff!! 🤘🤘
Yep, my old Mesa Studio 22+ does the same volume thing coming off of zero. It's not a fault...it's a feature!
its not a fault ofc but not a feature either lol..this is pure stupidity
I like shinedown too!
Shinedown Demo'ing Tremonti! Nice choice. Thanks for a great demo. It's helping me make a decision.
your overall production has improved greatly over the years!
It sounds like it has the same problem that the Fender Blues Jr. has. On the Jr. these is no sound at "1" on the volume then when you roll up to #2 the sound kicks in BAM. There is a Mod for the Blues Jr. but who wants to put $300 more dollars into an amp that is low priced anyway. On the Tremonti you could put those ISO Pods under it like people do with their Turntables. I would choose the PRS 50 watt head.
For the price of the MT you can really have a nice mini guitar rig to gig with. With a proper mic man this thing can fill a room.
Older (aka Better IMO) Shinedown through the MT 15 and Archon. Very nice, Phil
Thanks for doing this comparison Phil! Love your channel man, keep it up!
i have a mt15on order in the uk phillip, not scheduled to arrive until end of october. both amps sounded great but the mt15 just sounded bigger and fuller to my ears.
Love that Alvarez Dana scoop in the background! Great video man
Those amps are killer!
Just received my MT-15 head. Waiting on the cab its on back order. Cant wait to hook it up. Hope I like it. Im very curious what the tech said about how he can make it about 55 watts easy. Talking modifying it. Interesting.
Great production, Phil!
I've had the same problem with small heads on a speaker cab w/ handle too tall for the heads feet. I put some foam pieces under the feet to raise it up to clear the handle. It's a stupid pain in the ass but an easy and cheap fix.
I know it's not for everyone but I'd immediately relays in the boost and effects loop and control from my eons old Octopus MIDI switcher.
Great review! In my opinion, the red channel of the MT15 sounds better, but the Archon has very similar sound and a better clean.
For 650$ , you really can't beat it . It sounds good and while it wont compete with my mesa dual rec , I could definately see it as being a very good second amp for jamming with buddies and some studio work .
In my ears the MT15 had more clarity and depth. I like the Archon also but as I state at first for those and the price I went with the MT15 and have not been disappointed. Can’t wait for the 100 watt version to set and compare with my MESA Stiletto Deuce.
Would like to see Archon 50 watt vs MT15. Both are 6L6
I have one on the way! I have the rocker 15 head and it's crazy loud too. All the Orange lunch boxes I've played are loud. ¼ turn is crazy. I play in a small room though. Probably effects it
The look of disappointment when rocking the MT15 back and forth on it's itsie bitsie little feet
Great review as always Phill, both sound great amps, i suppose its down to your budget , thanks for your time, Cheers
I've had the MT-15 for about a month now and I have to say that I am not really impressed with the gain channel.
It's has that high end fizz that so many high gain amps have that just can't be dialed out without making it muddy.
The clean channel though, that is a completely different story.
The clean channel is the single best "pedal platform" that I own, and that alone is worth the price for me, I love it.
Swap preamp tubes aropund,that will change the sound for sure. mine will be home tomorrow and I have plenty of 12AX7 preamp tubes waiting.
8:36 Shinedown - In Memory 🤘🏿🤘🏿
You should doa comparison of the MT15 against the Peavey 6505mh! I'm trying to decide about buying one or the other and there is really nothing good on a comparison with them.
Now, the Archon 50... 🤘🎸
Think I prefer the MT-15 and just looking at the price in the UK the Arcon is £1500 as opposed to £450 for MT15 so it is a no brainer there!
sounds huge and awesome
I preferred the archon in this video. I own an archon 100 and was thinking of checking out a MT15, but I don’t see a point. The MT15 seems to be jsut as loud and I actually think the archon does a fine job at lower volumes compared to most tube amps.
Great review! I’m surprised at how similar the two amps sound. The MT15 seems to be a good value. It can be useful for gigs and home use plus I like the smaller size.
the mt 15 sounds great for a lower price but i would still go with the archon in terms of sounds
The MT15 seems to be punchier and more defined. I’m definitely buying one.
Man its been a long time since i heard the sound of madness. Great song
07:39 - 07:44
I Love how you just look at the camera, as you Rock the amp back and forth over the cabinet handle, just to reinforce what you mentioned at the beginning of the video !
08:15
Ah, Yes !
There It Is Again !
08:58
Loving It ! ! !
09:20
Hey, Phil !
That's a nice looking Belt Buckle that you have hanging on the wall, just above those amps to the viewers Right !
(ha ha) Just Kidding !
We all know what that is !
09:58
One More For The Road !
10:35
But, I don't want to Stop !
The only problem with the choice of the Archon being that where I live they're around $2800.00 and the MT15 is $1199. So even if you are buying a cab new, you're saving quite a bit of money on the MT15.
I'd pick the Archon. The two didn't sound to dissimilar when using the Archon cab I prefer brighter sounding amps in general. If I had to choose the promise of that unused bright switch would be enough to sway my opinion in favour of the Archon.
Dude, is that a Charvel Surfcaster? I met the guy who designed that. Gorgeous piece there, fella. They made a twelve string version too.
The archon has a more british tone. Id probly pick it over the mt but they are bolt kinda higher gain so probly the sorta sweat spot is likely at a higher gain than id want
If I wasn’t absolutely sold on buying the MT15 before. I am now!!
I like the lead tone for the tm15, but the clean chanel on the archon sound better
Love your reviews Phil! Thanks for being objective.
The MT lunchbox would be the amp for me but only if Doug Sewell showed us how to covert this amp to 55watts
Looking forward to a video on a Mojotone 2x12 cabinet to use with a MT-15!
Phil, This is another fantastic comparison on two amazing amps. Well done Sir. Both sound very similar imho and sound great. I have the Mt-15 and love it more and more each day. I had the Evh lbx first version which I know you had as well and loved it but I just think this thing has it all and for the price it beats some amps 2-3 times more expensive. For all you boogie fanatics I would advise you to check one out firsthand and see what you think. This blows the mini rec up by the way. No contest.
FINALLY somebody noticed the lack of foot switchable boost!
According to the PRS MT15 amp group on Facebook, a *LOT* of guys are having tons of problems with this head.
Add in everything mentioned here, and PRS has really shit the bed on this amp. Big time. Apparently, there's no QC being done on them whatsoever
Nice review. MT15 seems to be the better amp for metal without needing an overdrive pedal in front. It's not as versatile as the Archon. The MT15 seems to be marketed for the metal crowd and competes against the Orange Dark Terror.
They both sound similar to me. My amp now is a Mesa Boogie MarkllB, I'm pretty much a Fender guy though. These amps aren't my cup of tea but they sound cool
Sounds like Sweet Deal $. Starting to get Sick of PAuls signature.
me too, lol
I think Paul can get a bit over the top with his love for his own products, but then if it was my company and I had a hand in every product I would be too. If I am being honest.
I own 3 Prs se's that I have moded sold one and now I am trying hard not to buy the s2 studio. My wallet is screaming no but my gas is to strong. I hope to see some on the used market in a year or 2.
I really dig that MT15. Both amazing. But really like the MT
I think the MT-15 had a slightly better clean but the Archon was better dirty. Of course to be fair i listened to it on a crap tiny speaker over youtube. Nothings better than live
I would prefer the sound of the Archon. Has a thicker midrange character to it and less bass while the MT15 sounds like it has more bass and less midrange. Mark Tremonti has always liked his Mesa Rectifiers and I think the MT15 takes significant inspiration from that style of amp.
I have the MT-15. And have no problems like you have pointed out. So I think for some it’s just a matter of opinion. I feel like the MT-15 sounds a lot tighter and clear than the archon. And for the money MT-15 all the way.
5:00 Tre-monti means 3 mountains in italian...
Interesting review. I'd love to see a comparison between the PRS MT 15 and a Marshall Origin 20.
Love the MT15, but it looks like a one trick pony. It's so in your face. All the time. To the point that it can't be used(easily) for late night practice without having to fight it. The Archon costs more, lacks the punch of the MT15, but it's much more versatile and easily controlled. Definitely getting an Archon after your vid. I've been lusting for an mt15 since its release and have been desperately waiting to see a GOOD comparison between it and the archon 25. You sealed the deal for me. Archon 25 will soon be mine.
Great review--totally stopped me from me from wasting money on the MT15.....and nice work on those Shinedown riffs, btw. \m/
The Archon is a better amp. Yep, but for 1/3 the money your get a very versatile amp that sounds nearly as good in the MT15. For most players the MT15 will be the best choice.
i thought it was a large head on a quad till you reached and turned it down and i realised it was a 1x12. and my eyes were playing tricks on me
Gotta go with the Archon