We are very pleased with these stacks. We do realize they are not for all occasions though, and still have other amps we use. We will use combo amps in small venues, and for recording. I am old enough to remember the big Sunn amps from the 60s/70s. I think they may have had a bit of an edge on these, but not much. I happened to like the sound of the 6550 based Sunn amps. I also remember Marshalls and Fender tube amps from those days as well. I think they did it right, and they are still the best amps you can buy.

Sound
If you ever wondered why tube amps are still popular, try playing through one of these. It is simply a whole different thing. It has an emormous variety of possible tones and sounds. We bought two stacks, using very good solid state combos and various effects prior to that. We seldom use any external effects now. It is relatively easy to find what we are looking for, just by using the amps. The usual set of guitars played through them includes a 1957 Les Paul Custom, a 1961 SG Standard, an ESP H1000, a Peavey LTD, and an Epi LP with a Gibson PU upgrade. The stacks sound great with all of these. We have done some recording with them, but they really come into there own when playing live, particularly in large venues. For the Les Paul Custom, using extra mid range, less gain, and more volume seems to really bring out the best. This stack can produce really clean, musical, mellow tones, or the wildest crunch and overdriven… read more sounds you could ever want. It has power you can feel in your chest when you turn it up just a bit. We have had them for a few months already and have never used anywhere near the full capability. Blues solos are just incredible with this stack. We do use a Cry Baby Wah pedal with them at times and it works very well.

Features
The stacks came with all the speaker cords, and short instrument cord, power cords, a pedal to change channels, which is really important for setting up a sound for rhythm and a separate sound for lead/solo. The DSL has two channels, and each can be set up to produce strikingly different sounds. The ability to change the tone, drive, volume, and reverb on each channel independently is very useful. The clean/crunch button and and OD1/OD2 button are also good, but would love to have them on the pedals. You might not think of it as a "feature" but the actual overall design of the amplifier circuits, which produces incredible power and tone from the tubes is perhaps the best feature of all. This is technically a 100W amp. It is more powerful, and superior to solid state amps rated at several times that 100W rating. The cabinets are rugged and well built, good handles, casters, and hardware in general.

Ease of Use
It is extremely easy to find the sound you want. Not a lot of FX, just twirl a few knobs that are plainly labled. Both our guitarists found the controls very intuitive. Musician friendly all the way. The stacks come with manuals for both the head and cabinets. The explanation of how to set up for the proper impedances was straight forward, and nice to have for initial set up.

Quality
The stacks just ooze quality. They look every inch the very model of MARHSALL amps. They came in perfect condition. They are working without any poroblems. We use them on the road regularly, and despite their size, they are pretty practical. Some care needs to be taken with the heads, but otherwise we don't baby them much. The stacks, two large JBL PA cabinets, three bass cabs, three bass heads, and various other items all fit in your basic minivan. These stacks will last a very long time if not abused rather than used. Way to go Jim!

Value
Well, yeah they're expensive. Then again, they are among the finest you can get. The price has increased since I bought mine, which is a shame.

Manufacturer Support
I will give it a 10 because I haven't had to deal with them at all.

The Wow Factor
I am not sure I would call it sex appeal... BUT the impact these things have on people is pretty amazing. When we play out, some people, guitarists in particular, tend to gawk openly at them. Others want to touch them, to seemingly make sure they're real. We kid about "Marshall worship" in the band. This is when a guitarist playing through the amp seems to gravitate to it, and stand in front of it, perhaps touching a knob for some minor adjustment, but remaining there just sort of standing in front. They are definitely very, very, cool looking. An almost magical presence on stage.

Musical Background:
Active Musician

Musical Style:
Blues, Rock read less