6505+ 112 Combo vs 5150 50w

[AussieTerry]

Hi guys im currently running a evh 5150 Lbx through a captor x due to two babies.
Im wanting to upgrade to either of the 2 afformentioned amps to also play through cans,
Im having a tough time finding comparison vids though.

There is a 6505+ combo going for a decent price near me, is it as good as the evh 5150 50w? I really want that saturated high gain. The evh seems more versatile though, is the peaveys rthymn channel as good as the evh blue channel?

P.s. if this post looks fucjed its because im mobile and this site is acting retarded on my phone

 

[sakeido]

imo the 6505+ 112 combo isn't very good. I have one that's been converted to a head - the voicing just ain't there, the pots are crap so the presence/resonance controls practically don't work, the crunch channel isn't the same as the 6505+ head version... I would take a 50 watt 5150 over it 10 times out of 10

 

[oneblackened]

imo the 6505+ 112 combo isn't very good. I have one that's been converted to a head - the voicing just ain't there, the pots are crap so the presence/resonance controls practically don't work, the crunch channel isn't the same as the 6505+ head version... I would take a 50 watt 5150 over it 10 times out of 10

The phase inverter is a completely different design so the power amp doesn't respond the same at all. It's an LTP in the heads and a split load in the combo. LTPs have some gain (around 25, for 12AX7 with normal Marshall values), split loads don't.

 

[KailM]

Out of the box, the EVH wins easily.

However, with some modding the 6505+ 112 can sound amazing. The effects loop buffer makes it sound terrible with anything in the effects loop, but there is a very simple and cheap mod for that.

The stock speaker is crappy, so replace that or run it through a bigger cab (ideal) with good speakers.

I modded mine to have original 5150 specs on the red channel. It ended up sounding absolutely massive that way and very similar to my 6505 120 watt head.

IMO the green channel w/ crunch boost is special on the 112 combo (and maybe the 6505+ heads too). It does the hotrodded Marshall thing very well. That is what I miss most about that amp. The EVH blue is supposed to be that kind of channel too but it fails.

 

[MatrixClaw]

Personally, I like the 6505+ combo better than the head, but I don't really like the head so that's probably not saying much

The EVH is definitely better, though.

 

[USMarine75]

The 112 is MIC with inferior components and QC. IIRC there’s a slight circuit change (I’d have to find my schematics) and the bass sounds more rounded. Peavey claimed they were the same components as US models but I remember seeing gunshots showing not true they used locally sourced parts. And Chinese solder and QC is legendarily bad. Their solder mixture is prone to faulty solder joints. My MIC Wolfgang had terrible solder joints and it arrived new with a bad solder joint so neck HB didn’t work and neither did middle position. It looked like it was soldered by a 13 year old in a work camp. Also the stock Sheffield speaker is garbage. I’d never buy one, especially when you can find 212 Combo or Heads for $500-800. Just my opinion....

As far as tone, that’s up to you. But the 5153 has much better cleans. (I actually like the Peavey cleans depending on what you’re trying to do like edge of breakup, but they are not for everyone.)

 

[MetalHead40]

I have a 2007 6505+ head and it is amazing. Like it more than the 6505 I had. WAY tighter. Never played the combo but the tone, gain structure, and dynamics of this head are 10x better than the 50 & 100W 5153 I owned. Completely different animals and of course subjective, but for my taste but I'd pick the 6505+ every day and twice on Sunday.

 

[MatrixClaw]

I have a 2007 6505+ head and it is amazing. Like it more than the 6505 I had. WAY tighter. Never played the combo but the tone, gain structure, and dynamics of this head are 10x better than the 50 & 100W 5153 I owned. Completely different animals and of course subjective, but for my taste but I'd pick the 6505+ every day and twice on Sunday.

I've been hearing people describe the 6505+ as tighter than the 5150/6505 for 15 years and I'm still confused if we're listening to the same amps. Smoother, sure. Less aggressive, definitely. But tighter?

I just sold my 5150 after ~8 years of owning it (and like 10 before that, plus all the other versions. The EVH amps are definitely different, but still in a similar vein. I kept my 50w 6L6 because it's much more versatile and it's, no doubt, tighter (not that I needed it). It's also one of the most articulate amps I've ever heard, if not THE most, and I've owned VHT/Fryette, Soldano, Bogner, Diezel, etc. I'm hesitant that I'll be able to stay away from the Peavey for long as I always seem to come back to them, but I'm pretty content right now and the prices the Peaveys are selling for right now is insane, so it was the right time to offload it, I can always buy another when people are less crazy and the prices go back down

Honestly, you can't go wrong with anything in the 5150 lineage, though. They're all great. The beauty is there's enough difference between them that there's something for everyone.

 

[Muzz]

I would go for the 5150 head since you're more likely to keep an amp head in the long term. Sure the combo is probably a better short term deal but not practical if you're ever gonna buy more amps. Which you will, first I got a 6505 then a recto then an engl powerball. Then fixed another 6505. Which one do I sell? haha

 

[Deadpool_25]

@MatrixClaw Wait the Peaveys are selling high? I guess it really is time to offload my 6505.

 

[MatrixClaw]

@MatrixClaw Wait the Peaveys are selling high? I guess it really is time to offload my 6505.

Not the 6505s that I've seen, but I just sold my 5150 for almost $1600

 

[Deadpool_25]

Not the 6505s that I've seen, but I just sold my 5150 for almost $1600

Locally? Was it a block letter?

 

[MatrixClaw]

Locally? Was it a block letter?

Not locally, I never listed it here cause I assumed I'd just get lowballed haha. It was a signature. The block letters have been going for like $2k. Crazy!

 

[MetalHead40]

I've been hearing people describe the 6505+ as tighter than the 5150/6505 for 15 years and I'm still confused if we're listening to the same amps. Smoother, sure. Less aggressive, definitely. But tighter?

I just sold my 5150 after ~8 years of owning it (and like 10 before that, plus all the other versions. The EVH amps are definitely different, but still in a similar vein. I kept my 50w 6L6 because it's much more versatile and it's, no doubt, tighter (not that I needed it). It's also one of the most articulate amps I've ever heard, if not THE most, and I've owned VHT/Fryette, Soldano, Bogner, Diezel, etc.

Just shows how different we perceive things. The 6505+ I have here is WAY tighter than the 6505 I just got rid of several months ago. I absolutely couldn't play the 6505 without a boost to tighten it up and even boosted it still had a bit of sag. I boost everything & there've only been 3 amps out of 30 that I owned that I was happy without a boost and this 6505+ is one of them. As far as the 6505+ being smoother or less aggressive...no way no how. Sounds every bit as grinding and aggressive as the 6505 I had, just much tighter, more immediate/faster attack. The 6505 had a maybe a hair more in the low mids, but I can dial the 6505+ to get 98-99% there.

The difference between the two I have/had is 100% objective. No doubt about it, this 6505+ is worlds tighter than the 6505 I had. FWIW both are USA made the 6505+ being 2007 and I think the 6505 was a 2012.

I'll also add...the gain on the lead ch is much more useable on the 6505+. The 6505 past 4 was completely unusable and overly compressed mush. The 6505+ at 5.5-6 sounds great.

 

[Jon Pearson]

To add to the pile, there seems to be a good amount of variability in the 5150/6505 series. I've played at least a dozen of the regular and plus models at different times and the need for a boost seemed to be there about half the time and other times not. The 5150 combo I have right now definitely does NOT need it, it's the tightest amp I've played.

 

[EdgeCrusher]

I've owned both the 6505+ 112 combo and the original 5150 III 50 head at the same time and was able to compare them back to back through the same cab, as well as in stereo.

On the red channel the 6505+ has chunkier low end and low mids, while the 5150 III is tighter with a much more cutting high end. The green and blue channels on the 5150 III are better than the clean and crunch channels on the 6505+ in my opinion, though they were not bad on the Peavey.

I ended up selling the 6505+ combo, but it's one of the best budget options out there in my opinion. It actually compliments the 5150 III really well since it has that beefy low end chug, while the III has more clarity and cut.

 

[jarledge]

To add to the pile, there seems to be a good amount of variability in the 5150/6505 series. I've played at least a dozen of the regular and plus models at different times and the need for a boost seemed to be there about half the time and other times not. The 5150 combo I have right now definitely does NOT need it, it's the tightest amp I've played.

there is always going to be variability based on tolerances of the amp's components, but I'd also ask if you played all those different 6505s/5150s through the same cab(s) ? I would be willing to bet whatever cab you were going through made the amps feel more tight or more loose depending on the speaker and construction.

 

[Jon Pearson]

there is always going to be variability based on tolerances of the amp's components, but I'd also ask if you played all those different 6505s/5150s through the same cab(s) ? I would be willing to bet whatever cab you were going through made the amps feel more tight or more loose depending on the speaker and construction.

Some of them yes, others no. All the cabs would have had some V30 variant though - I don't disagree with your point, I do think the variances in the amps themselves are more what I was hearing than any affect from the cabinets though. Just my 2c.

 

[PrestoDone]

Jesus, i just checked on reverb...insane ,$$$ for 5150/5150Il...dang

 

[MetalHead40]

there is always going to be variability based on tolerances of the amp's components, but I'd also ask if you played all those different 6505s/5150s through the same cab(s) ? I would be willing to bet whatever cab you were going through made the amps feel more tight or more loose depending on the speaker and construction.

I know this wasn't directed to me, but I'll add that my experience was the 6505 vs 6505+ through the exact same cab. 6505+ is worlds tighter. Components used for sure make the difference I guess.