Can The DSL 20 HR sound good ?

I had a DSL20HR for a while and I think they can be a very versatile amp.
I don't play stuff like that dude - I actually tried lots of non-circuit mod changes to get more of a classic rock tone from mine.
The amp is very responsive to different speakers and tubes - both preamp and power.
Cathode biased, so just about any pair of octal based power tubes are plug and play.
As per my suggestion in @DirtySteve 's thread, it was on a pair of MX112 cabs (G12H Anniversary speakers).
Sold it recently after acquiring the 4210 split channel JCM800.

dsl20.01.jpg
 
I don't know what the dB was in the video because I guess he didn't measure it? But typically speaking, a 20w should put you around 100-103dB, which is very loud. When factoring speakers, depending on their dB sensitivity and the number of speakers you're using: the overall dB/SPL is either going to go up or down a bit too.

Charting dB is often done inaccurately too, because you're supposed to measure the cabinet away from any surface by at least 3.3ft (1m) and then place the metering equipment at roughly 3.3ft ( 1m) in front. That number will go up if you're closer to the speaker and it'll go down if the speaker is closer to a surface beside or behind it.

Long story short though: 100-103dB is ear shatteringly loud and if you've never tried it, grab some protection and try and see for yourself lol

I measured all of mine once and not even factoring in that the cabs were against a wall thus robbing SPL, I was at 108.5db with one, 109.6 with another and then 119.2 with the 3rd one. Absolutely horrific
 
Clockworkmike said:
I don't know what the dB was in the video because I guess he didn't measure it? But typically speaking, a 20w should put you around 100-103dB, which is very loud. When factoring speakers, depending on their dB sensitivity and the number of speakers you're using: the overall dB/SPL is either going to go up or down a bit too.

Charting dB is often done inaccurately too, because you're supposed to measure the cabinet away from any surface by at least 3.3ft (1m) and then place the metering equipment at roughly 3.3ft ( 1m) in front. That number will go up if you're closer to the speaker and it'll go down if the speaker is closer to a surface beside or behind it.

Long story short though: 100-103dB is ear shatteringly loud and if you've never tried it, grab some protection and try and see for yourself lol

I measured all of mine once and not even factoring in that the cabs were against a wall thus robbing SPL, I was at 108.5db with one, 109.6 with another and then 119.2 with the 3rd one. Absolutely horrific
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That is kind of the point of the 20. It can be very loud but it can sound good at lower volumes. The guys tone sounded better with master at 2:00 and pedal off but that's not in room tone due to youtube compression and other physical limitations. ie cab pushing air and the room.

I like the idea of a classic or even vintage but I doubt it will happen anytime soon.
Of course I also have an eye on the Origin 20.
 
ibmorjamn said:
That is kind of the point of the 20. It can be very loud but it can sound good at lower volumes. The guys tone sounded better with master at 2:00 and pedal off but that's not in room tone due to youtube compression and other physical limitations. ie cab pushing air and the room.

I like the idea of a classic or even vintage but I doubt it will happen anytime soon.
Of course I also have an eye on the Origin 20.
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Yeah essentially, higher watt amps aren't going to be THAT much louder, it just means you have more headroom ( clarity overall at lower volumes) like you touched on. Lots of people believed "If I get a 100w it'll be twice as loud as a 50w!" But there isn't but about a 3dB difference between the two, which is noticeable but certainly not "twice as loud". Same rules apply from a 20w to a 50w: just a smidge over 3dB. A 20w vs a 100w however, would be about 6dB, which human hearing still doesnt perceive as "twice as loud" because allegedly, we need a shift of 10dB ( in other words one would have to make a leap from a 20w to nearly 180w to be truly twice as loud).

The biggest difference you'll see is a 20w or 50w will break up earlier in power amp distortion than a 50w or 100w. But if you're using preamp distortion, what's the difference honestly? Lol
 
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From what I know and read of sound. Every db is a factor of sound. Ex. 100db is approx. 10x louder than 90db.
There is a formula that determines how much louder you are at higher db.
Mike is correct. Wattage increase is not linear with db output.

In any case, once you get into the 90+ range. It’s loud. Anything past 100 and you will risk hearing damage. 120 is where you will begin to experience pain.

I have a 20w Joyo Zombie that can rattle the walls of my apartment. I have a db meter in my jam room and I try to keep it at 80-85db. Although I’ve seen it spike to 90+ at times.
 
LiveeviL2000 said:
From what I know and read of sound. Every db is a factor of sound. Ex. 100db is approx. 10x louder than 90db.
There is a formula that determines how much louder you are at higher db.
Mike is correct. Wattage increase is not linear with db output.

In any case, once you get into the 90+ range. It’s loud. Anything past 100 and you will risk hearing damage. 120 is where you will begin to experience pain.

I have a 20w Joyo Zombie that can rattle the walls of my apartment. I have a db meter in my jam room and I try to keep it at 80-85db. Although I’ve seen it spike to 90+ at times.
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No kidding. At your home, unless you're just wanting to try and see what it can really do or have lost all respect for your ears other than to hold your glasses to your head: keep it well under 100 lol
 
When I first used my Dumble Deluxe amps on stage my sound man claimed from 25' away they measured 140 DB
they are only 20 watts that's two amps so I turned one off at band practice my bass player said my little 20 watt amp
was to loud I have a 25' cord went over to where he was and the amp projects that way I don't understand why could be the speaker
speaker G12E-50 Celestion Rocket-50

002.JPG
 
67plexi said:
When I first used my Dumble Deluxe amps on stage my sound man claimed from 25' away they measured 140 DB
they are only 20 watts that's two amps so I turned one off at band practice my bass player said my little 20 watt amp
was to loud I have a 25' cord went over to where he was and the amp projects that way I don't understand why could be the speaker
speaker G12E-50 Celestion Rocket-50

View attachment 96429
Click to expand...
If Guinness still recorded such a feat, that would come in at #2 in the all the time recorded dB chart for music, just behind Sleazy Joe's 143.2dB Sweden show in 2008 and ahead of Manowar's 139dB Germany soundcheck in 2008. That's also the exact reported dB upon the flight deck of a US aircraft carrier
 
Clockworkmike said:
But typically speaking, a 20w should put you around 100-103dB,
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Depending on your distance. A 1 watt amp with a V30 at 1 meter will be 100dB. At that distance a 20 watt will be around 114 dB. With distance, of course, it drops. So it could very well be louder than 100 dB!
67plexi said:
my sound man claimed from 25' away they measured 140 DB
they are only 20 watts
Click to expand...


He had to be wrong. See above, Not many speakers are more efficient than a V30. At that rate, a 100 watt amp with V30 speakers hits around 120 dB AT 1 METER away. It is impossible for a guitar amp to hit anywhere near 140 dB let alone at that distance. It would take 10x that power to add 10 more dB, still well under 140 at 1 meter yet.
The G12E-50 Celestion Rocket-50 are actually a quiet speaker at 95 dB sensitivity. It's just physics I'm afraid.
 
Jethro Rocker said:
Depending on your distance. A 1 watt amp with a V30 at 1 meter will be 100dB. At that distance a 20 watt will be around 114 dB. With distance, of course, it drops. So it could very well be louder than 100 dB!



He had to be wrong. See above, Not many speakers are more efficient than a V30. At that rate, a 100 watt amp with V30 speakers hits around 120 dB AT 1 METER away. It is impossible for a guitar amp to hit anywhere near 140 dB let alone at that distance. It would take 10x that power to add 10 more dB, still well under 140 at 1 meter yet.
The G12E-50 Celestion Rocket-50 are actually a quiet speaker at 95 dB sensitivity. It's just physics I'm afraid.
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Nice work! Ill gladly stand corrected lol

I think it's important to make sure your metering device is both 1) properly calibrated and 2) you're at the right distance. I used a crappy app on my phone, reading about 1m away and my Mode Four into a 4x12 with K100s only hit about 118.5ish. Being a 350w head, that just sounds incredibly inaccurate even being conservative
 
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