New Amp Day: ARCHON 100watt

HANGAR18 said:
The answer is yes.Tubes that don't get used don't get wear.
Click to expand...
Actually... I don't think this amp disconnects two tubes. I thought I had read that here a while back. But recently I zoomed in on a photo one of you put up and it said the half power mode was Triode operation and the full power was Pentode. That would mean they aren't cutting two tubes, but switching power modes. That means you are still using all 4 tubes, just going Triode, when using the half power mode.

Edit: I just checked the Archon manual to be sure, and it clearly says the half power mode on the 100 watt is a Pentode/Triode switch, meaning it always uses all 4 tubes.
 
DreamTheaterRules said:
Actually... I don't think this amp disconnects two tubes. I thought I had read that here a while back. But recently I zoomed in on a photo one of you put up and it said the half power mode was Triode operation and the full power was Pentode. That would mean they aren't cutting two tubes, but switching power modes. That means you are still using all 4 tubes, just going Triode, when using the half power mode.

Edit: I just checked the Archon manual to be sure, and it clearly says the half power mode on the 100 watt is a Pentode/Triode switch, meaning it always uses all 4 tubes.
Click to expand...

Well, that's good to know! Maybe now I can try 50 watts in my living room instead of 100 watts and see how it affects how rapidly I get to the breakup.

But, then there was something I read somewhere about using a different ohms setting when you reduce the power. Right now I have the amp set to the 8 ohms setting and it is sitting on a 8 ohm 2x12 cabinet. Now that I think about it, all I have is 8 ohm cabinets except for one 16 ohm cabinet and my HXDA is sitting on it. So, I could try cutting it to 50 watts but I'd have to leave everything in 8 ohm mode.
 
H18 I'm with you. I swear I read that here as well, about switching the ohm setting in half power mode on the Archon. And, that is an indicator that you're cutting off two tubes. Is it possible we read the first thing ever posted on the internet that was not true??? LMAO. Seriously, a Triode mode significantly changes the feel of the amp on every amp I've tried it with. (And I only say it that way so as not to say what I really believe, which is that "It has to make a big difference in feel on every amp with this feature", but saying that would not be politically correct.)

From my experience with P/T switches, I'd say you would end up using it more as a "feature" than a volume reduction. You'd chose based on the feel difference more than the volume difference. Triode is usually softer, more vintage feeling while Pentode is punchier and bolder.
 
I've been running mine at home in 50W mode set for 4 Ohms running into an 8 Ohm cab, per the instructions in the user manual.
Whether or not the tubes are running, I recommend rotating them periodically, as they are producing different amounts of power in different modes. It's not the time while biased that wears them out, it is the power dissipation.
 
I looked at the online manual and did not see that, but I KNEW I read it here before. Now I'm really curious as to why they recommend the ohm mis-match.
 
Page 2 of the owner's manual, second column, halfway down, under Output Power.

NOTE: I deduce that the 100W amp switches off two tubes. The 50/25W section specifically calls out triode mode, and that the impedance does not need to be switched, but the 100W does NOT mention triode, and the impedance needs to be switched.
 
Yeah. It makes sense though, in that the 50/25W has only 2 power tubes (both need to be running), so they had to find a different way to cut the power.
 
So the 100 watt cuts two tubes, but the 50 (and 25) can't so they switch from Pentode to Triode?

That is kind of weird to do it differently in different models in the same amp line. Guess you'd have to read all three manuals to have had the right answerS to this question.
 
Theoretically, they could also have a pentode/triode switch in the 100 -- that would be pretty cool, wouldn't it?
 
elvis said:
I've been running mine at home in 50W mode set for 4 Ohms running into an 8 Ohm cab, per the instructions in the user manual.
Whether or not the tubes are running, I recommend rotating them periodically, as they are producing different amounts of power in different modes. It's not the time while biased that wears them out, it is the power dissipation.
Click to expand...

Knew-I-seenat-sommwherrr.

I'll try that setting sometime.
 
DreamTheaterRules said:
So the 100 watt cuts two tubes, but the 50 (and 25) can't so they switch from Pentode to Triode?
Click to expand...
I'm skeptical. Mesa/Boogie, with their Simul-Class circuit, simply lifts the output of a pair of tubes. The tubes continue to receive power. I've never worried about aging tubes at a different rate since 6L6 and EL34s never aged the same, anyway. In my vintage Fender amps (Bassman 100 and Twin), you had to pull a pair of power tubes to get half power. Pentode/triode wiring change is a completely different animal, and in my experience, has never been leveraged to reduce output, per se. But if that's what PRS support says, then it's gospel.
 
Boogie said:
I'm skeptical. Mesa/Boogie, with their Simul-Class circuit, simply lifts the output of a pair of tubes. The tubes continue to receive power. I've never worried about aging tubes at a different rate since 6L6 and EL34s never aged the same, anyway. In my vintage Fender amps (Bassman 100 and Twin), you had to pull a pair of power tubes to get half power. Pentode/triode wiring change is a completely different animal, and in my experience, has never been leveraged to reduce output, per se. But if that's what PRS support says, then it's gospel.
Click to expand...

I think that's incorrect. If you lift the tube outputs they will see a high impedance and the flyback caused by transconduction at the inputs would damage them. I believe Mesa shorts the inputs to the tubes. So they remain biased, but see little power and are, for all intents of this discussion, not aging.
Their multi-watt amps also play various games: shutting down signals to tubes, switching from Pentode to Triode, dropping B+, pretty much anything you can do to change the output power. That's how you get 100W/50W/5W, etc.
 
Played another outdoor gig with my Archon. This was a huge festival, but a relatively small stage. The amp had plenty of power and sounds AMAZING cranked up. It is just the best experience to play through. The cleans stayed pristine and the crunch is brutal.
 
The knob positions on the amp right now from where I last played the amp are as follows:

Clean Master: Slightly above 9 o'clock
Lead Master: Slightly above 9 o'clock
Depth: Almost 3 o'clock
Presence: Almost 3 o'clock

CLEAN CHANNEL
Bass: 12 o'clock
Middle: 12 o'clock
Trebble: 12 o'clock
Volume: 1/2ish o'clock
Bright Switch: off

LEAD CHANNEL
Bass: 2 o'clock
Middle: 2 o'clock
Trebble: 2 o'clock
Volume: 2 o'clock
Bright Switch ON

Try that recipe ans see how it tastes to you.
 
I run clean with everything about noon, but bass boosted a bit and bright on. I run Lead with everything at noon and volume at about 1:30 and bright on. Presence about 1:00, Depth about 11:00, but I change Depth depending on venue. I run with a vertical recto 2x12 with V30 and a G System. Masters are about 11:00, but I use the GS to set the actual level, so it is generally quite a bit less than the Masters make it look. I use the GS for lead volume boost.
 
elvis said:
Played another outdoor gig with my Archon. This was a huge festival, but a relatively small stage. The amp had plenty of power and sounds AMAZING cranked up. It is just the best experience to play through. The cleans stayed pristine and the crunch is brutal.
Click to expand...
The Archon really does well at outdoor gigs. I've played a few large outdoor stages and it does great.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

V
Effects loop
Replies
5
Views
206
Villa718
V
nussbajh
EL34s in an Archon
Replies
8
Views
426
ViperDoc
ViperDoc
N
Archon 50 MKII - does it go well with 1960BV cab?
Replies
14
Views
236
Bogner
Bogner
Read774
Archon setup
Replies
6
Views
155
Alnus Rubra
Alnus Rubra
FatFingerBlues
New Archon 50w Head
Replies
6
Views
241
Dasher
D
Back
Top