Where to start I've had this for a month or so now.. Modern sounding 4 channel high gain preamp - Ill start with the channels... My Eq setting are pretty flat
Clean - Very clean, Id like a bit more chimyness and tubey warmth from this channel, but I haven't got a tube replacement for the V1 position I prefer over the stock tube ( the stock ENGL long plate here isn't bad ). Dry its a little lacking, but with a bit of verb, chorus, or delay it warms up nicely and sounds killer.
Clean Hi Gain - Some nice break up, not a channel I use much.
Lead - I'm running a TC electronics G major in the loop with a +5db mid boost on my stock setting for this channel rather than using the mid contour switch, and its blues goodness to die for :D Also great for a semi dirty dry channel to practice and hear every nuance or mistake.
Lead Hi Gain - More than enough gain for whatever kinda metal you wanna play :D I'm running a cheap JJ tube in the V2, its a bit more gritty and middy, and gets rid of the top end fizz with the stock tube.
The 1 Watt power amp sounds very nice with a Harley Benton G212 Vintage ( I was blown away with how good this combination sounded when I set it up to test ). Perfect without a external power amp for practice.
Headphone out is noisey. Im not sure if i got a bad unit, or if its my headphone impedance.
Built like a tank. FX Loop works great. I haven't tried the cab emulated output.
I did buy a midi switcher for the 4 relay switches, but I haven't bothered using it. I use the 2 switches for channel and low/hi gain from the G major. However I have found I don't need to switch the bright, mid contour, and bypass, I can EQ with the G major ( mid boost sorted ), and on the clean channel I pretty much just leave the bright switch on.
Overall a killer preamp, I'm selling my modeling gear as it just doesn't compare. 99% of the time I only use 6 tones ( I wanna sound like me, not try and copy 100 other tones ), I use a clean, a thick chorus clean, bluesy, rock, super high gain, and a lead or 2, the E530 does it all with a couple of basic FX.
It has a modern sound to it, so more voiced towards a tight detailed sound rather than warm and fuzzy.
