Great questions all! Wish I had some gut shot photos loaded some where to a hosting site to post of my real Archon 50. Will bet this new one is PCB and much more like my MT 15 internally than my Archon is.Just saw this today on the PRS web site and I can't wait to geek out studying all the specs and differences.
So far I noticed the new control layout is on the top instead of the bottom and most of the knobs are in different places.
My initial questions about the new version of the Archon that I'll be searching for answers to are these....
The new Archon (50w) has 5 gain stages, so how many gain stages did the original Archon have?
Where is it made? (Indonesia is still WAY better than China).
Is it still considered to be a "hand wired" amp? In other words, is it still 100% point to point wiring with no printed circuit boards (so that it can be repaired easily).
The new version looks like it has different tubes... is this true and if so WHY?
Has the transformer changed? If so, how?
Does the new Archon 50 bear any resemblance to the Blistertone?
To answer one question yes both amps run 6 preamp tubes 4 true preamp stages the V5 loop driver and the V6 PI. The Archon and MT both have the same basic preamp design with the same tube function slots. Know this because I own both.