Yes. You can dime the volume and use the level of an overdrive pedal to control the overall volume. You're going to want an overdrive anyway.
Yes to a certain degree the master volume is useful. That is why some people use attenuator / or etc... Flux tone speaker instead of the master volume. To retain power tube overdrive and reduce loudness (what the master volume cannot do). The power tubes overdrive when the master volume is higher (and therefore louder). Then the master is low, the power tubes no longer overdrive, the sound is preamp distortion alone. The lower the master is turned down, the more tone loss occurs.
It will take an external device be it pedal, attenuation, etc. Like said above, power stage is where it's at. Master set very low it won't matter how high you turn the preamp. I don't like the sound it has like that anyway. I get tones I'm happy with and I just use pedals. Right now I have a 535Q Wah-Whirlwind Gold Box into a Dunlop Echoplex straight in. Sounds good to me and it cleans up. The way I have the GB set I can just leave it on.
There is the low power mode, but IMO it doesn't sound very good. The amp sounds/feels constipated. In general I am not happy with the Origin20 or any other Marshall in reduced wattage modes-whether it's the new Power Stem technology or Pentode/Triode operation * I'd also agree a good pedal in a higher power mode with the master pulled back is a better solution. Whether something like a Bogner Lagrange into the amp clean, or an Overdrive/Clean Boost/Distortion unit goosing the front end. * Marshall engineers need to pick up some Orange amps to see/hear power reduction done right.
My 50H didn’t sound constipated in low power settings, it just isn’t as loud, but I do agree on the dsl40c’s half power does not sound so pleasing, and it’s as if the amp is trying to squeeze the sound out, so constipated is a good reference. Cheers Mitch
Well I think they did a pretty good job of that on the new Studio series, at least the JCM800 Studio. I have one and the 5 watt setting sounds great! It's not a Pentode/Triode thing it's some kind of power scaling. I don't know much about these things, but I know what sounds good, and the JCM800 Studio sounds great in both settings!
Oh yeah, I agree Mitch, the Dsls do not sound good in the lower watt settings. They get kinda mushy sounding losing some of the high end.
So true Scozz, I tried it on each of the dsl’s we own and they all sounded alike, so I have never bothered with the pentode, triode, switch again. Cheers Mitch
You bought the combo didn’t you? It’s hard to believe you didn’t like a Dsl1hr thru like a 1-12 or similar.
I have the DSL1HR. Good for the money. It takes a good cabinet and speaker and the mids up very high for the best tone IMO.
IMO this amp sounds better at the 20 watt setting with an attenuator than using the built in lowest power setting, but it's a convenient feature to have if in a pinch and don't want to lug more equipment around.
Can you define low volume? IME, the 20 and 3 watt settings sound awesome and very close to each other. But, can also be too loud for home use. the 1/2 watt setting sounds a bit thinner and requires a bit of EQ tweaking to sound similar to the louder settings. The 1/2 watt setting can still be too loud... It can get louder than TV volume quickly. And, at louder than the TV, it can sound pretty darn good. At quieter than a TV? It's a delicate balance. It also looses a lot of feel at lower volumes... But, so does every other amp on the planet. I have NEVER experienced an amp at lower than TV volumes that feels right. But, I can get a tone that inspires me and makes me smile. But, it is always different than jam or stage volume.
I know its not gonna sound as good as cranked. I want as close as possible in feel and tone at very low volume for late night practice. Tried a couple Marshall MG's and they sucked.
I'd wager the 50H is probably much better in lower power mode vs. the 20.. I'm running a 2x12 and at the 1/2 of a watt or whatever it is in low power just does not hit the speakers hard enough at all. It feels and sounds bad. Running a 10" speaker like in the 20w combo, or a single Blue or G12M20, it may be a lot better. Still, I think Orange has a much better grasp on power reduction. My Or15 in 7w mode was arguably BETTER than at 15. More touchy feely and compression, not as much hard edgy crunch. Same with the TH30, And the new Rockers with the headroom/bedroom switch sound really good at the bedroom settings even though a V30. For Marshall you are better off with a good outboard attenuator for power/volume reduction. All IMHO of course
We have a TH30, but I only played it for a few minutes at GC before I brought it home, it was a Christmas gift for my grandson, didn’t even know there was a power scaling switch on it , I just checked it’s not a power scaling switch like the origin, it’s a a half power switch. Good thing I wasn’t ridiculed. Cheers
