Archon 100 Just Replaced My Other Amps

Unfortunately I have never tried any of the DZL amps. I have seen comparisons to the Uber, but only set up for metal. The Archon has a great tone for classic rock as well. The rig demo I saw with Neal Schon showed that he had a VH4 in the rack, and they mentioned that it was a great amp, but that Neal had switched to the Archon, so the DZL was a spare.

Perhaps the tone of the Archon would best be described as "modern German"?
 
Anyone remember where the URL for biasing again? Or the instructions? I finally got my cabs back, and want to use them with the Archon. (They're all from the plum line. [heh heh -- I never get tired of saying that])
LSchefman said:
As an example, changing the preamp tubes in one of my Two-Rocks a few years ago from the stock Chinese NOS that came in the amp to RCAs completely changed the clean tones. And recently, I put an NOS Mullard in the V1 of my HXDA30, and it immediately sounded warmer and more buttery than it did with the stock JJ (I wanted that, as opposed to more brightness). At the same time I also ordered some new JJs that were tested and measured for microphonics, gain, and matched triodes for the other positions, and really, the whole tone of the amp went up a notch -- and it was great to start with.
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Thanks for this -- I too find the Archon dry, but not really looking for sparkle so much as just a little bit of tubey euphony. Will tuberoll the V1 position, as you recommended elsewhere, I believe.
 
I think it is almost like a cross between a Mesa Rectifier, Bogner Uberschall, and Diezel VH4. I currently have an Uberschall and while Uber can be dialed in to sound more aggressive it is possible to dial in the Uber and the Archon so they sound nearly indistinguishable. I also have a Mesa Roadster, and while there is some similarity in the voicing they can't be dialed in as closely compared to the Uber. I have never personally played a VH4, but there are guys on Rig-Talk that have A/B'd the Archon with the VH4 and when dialed in and listened to blind people were not able to tell the difference.
 
The Archon is just a stupid good amp. It's worth the price even for just the clean channel in my opinion.
 
HANGAR18 said:
I was struggling to get my "signature tone" out of my Archon so I was keeping my 100w (brand that shall not be named here) around... until yesterday. I started matching each dial, number for number on each amp and bingo! The Archon is my new #1 amplifier! I still want to get an HXDA but the Archon is a lot more versatile than I thought it was. (Note: In my case, I switched out the 6L6 tubes for some Mullard EL34 tubes.) I've got two more amps for sale, including a 50 version of my former #1 amp.
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Hey, did you bias it yourself when you did this? I tried putting EL34s into mine, and failed miserably. They didn't register any kind of voltage drop across the bias points.
 
Dusty Chalk said:
Hey, did you bias it yourself when you did this? I tried putting EL34s into mine, and failed miserably. They didn't register any kind of voltage drop across the bias points.
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Oh yea. Wore surgical gloves to keep my fingerprints off the glass tubes, adjusted the voltage while keeping one hand behind my back for good practice even though I din't think I really needed to do that and it all worked out just fine.
 
Dusty Chalk said:
Hey, did you bias it yourself when you did this? I tried putting EL34s into mine, and failed miserably. They didn't register any kind of voltage drop across the bias points.
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Stupid question - Are you measuring from red to black?

It only registers a few millivolts, so you need a fairly sensitive meter. And you will likely have to change the bias point quite a bit, so I would try turning the pot a few turns before giving up.
 
elvis said:
Stupid question - Are you measuring from red to black?

It only registers a few millivolts, so you need a fairly sensitive meter. And you will likely have to change the bias point quite a bit, so I would try turning the pot a few turns before giving up.
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No, no, fair question, considering part of the problem was a loose connection on my multimeter. (facepalm @ self)

But yes, red to black.

And yes, HANGAR18, I did find your post elsewhere that told me where the bias adjustment is.

And yes, elvis, I will try it again with the EL34s later, keeping that in mind. I read elsewhere that EL34s are more crunchy than 6L6GCs, so I think I will stick with 6L6GCs for now -- I'm looking for headroom and dynamics. I got some new Groove Tubes ones from Guitar Center yesterday. Will probably buy a matched quad of something online -- any recommendations? And don't say RCA blackplates -- I may get those for recording, but right now I just want to enjoy listening to myself while I practice.

Thanks, both!

Any recommendations on what tube to roll into V1? I don't want to change the character of the amp too much, just make it slightly less dry, slightly more euphonic.
 
Okay, will do.

All my screwdrivers are too tall for the amp case, so stopped and played, it sounded nice even slightly underbiased. Will look for a proper screwdriver today. Will probably check the bias on the MDT later, too. Just because I can, now.
 
Thanks!

I strongly believe in the right tools for the job. Most of my tools are oriented towards computers, however, so are deliberately long. I probably do have something shorter, but will invest in that set for next time.

Case in point, I just found a bunch that were extra long.
 
Dusty Chalk said:
-- any recommendations?
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If you are happy with the GT (Groove Tubes) brand, I have experienced a lot of happiness from the GTEL34M (M=Mullard design specs) factory matched with a performance rating of 7. The GT web site will explain all that jazz better than I can.
 
Not entirely, but not unhappy enough to rule them out, neither.

I'm actually thinking of getting a "hard" matched quartet (which are slightly harder to come by), since I play mostly clean. Do you think if I get a higher rated quartet (8-10), it matters if I go EL34 or 6L6GC?

PS found my classic cheap 6 piece watch/glasses screwdriver set, which worked perfectly, so I am happily biased at 30mV+/-.
 
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Dusty Chalk said:
Not entirely, but not unhappy enough to rule them out, neither.

I'm actually thinking of getting a "hard" matched quartet (which are slightly harder to come by), since I play mostly clean. Do you think if I get a higher rated quartet (8-10), it matters if I go EL34 or 6L6GC?

PS found my classic cheap 6 piece watch/glasses screwdriver set, which worked perfectly, so I am happily biased at 30mV+/-.
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7 was the highest rating in the category that made the most sense to me. You'll need to read their rating structure to see which group of tubes makes the most sense for you. I like the EL34's for that less glassy warm squishy tone flavoring you get from them. Even still, the cleans I get are extremely nice and clean. All the differences are very subtitle.
 
Yeah, you know? You're right, even just biasing the amp seemed to make a big difference, and I only have 6s. I'll still get some "hard" 6L6GCs, but feel less like I need to get radically extreme.

I didn't find a rating structure on their site.
 
Hi everyone. I am also looking for an Amp.
I don't have much knowledge so please help which one i should prefer?
Also i want to know about the Archon and Fantastic. What are their specifications and for what kind of applications they are suitable?

High Density Interconnect PCB
 
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A lot of amps will do a lot of things. It would be a lot quicker if you listed what you wanted from an amp as a starting point.
What kind of tone do you want? Aggressive? Smooth? Both? Lots of lows? More trebly? How loud will you play?

In a nutshell, the Archon has a big, bassy/full, punchy clean channel that doesn't really break up. So it's great for VERY clean rock or jazz. The lead channel is AGGRESSIVE. Lots of grind and gain. You can dial it back and it is responsive, and turning off the bright switch smooths it out, but it is not a smooth amp. It is also very full with big bottom end, so not a Fender or Marshall.
 
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