Orange Dark Terror
Ease of Use: Volume, Mid shape gain, on/off and the output/standby. Doesn't get much simpler than than. Plus at only 15 lbs it is incredibly easy to put it in the included transport bag and take it with you anywhere. I use a Jet City JCA12xs cab with it and the total weight is under 25 lbs. Plus the amp bag has a shoulder strap so carrying the cab on the same side and my guitar with a pedal or two in the case and I am able to take my rig anywhere without bitching about how heavy the shit is.
Features: The only real downside to the Dark Terror is that it only has 1 channel. What it does have though that the original Tiny Terror lacked is a tube buffered FX loop. Other 'features': 120/230 setting so you can use it overseas, single 16 ohm or dual 8 ohm speaker outputs. Don't take the lack of controls and features as a bad thing though, because it shines without them, however in the spirit of fairness the score does have to take a hit.
Reliability: It's an Orange through and through, so you know the quality behind the amp.
Value: To me it's worth every penny (or $650 worth of them to be exact). Having to buy a separate EQ (even though not really needed) and a gate wasn't a big deal for me, figured I would have to get them for any amp, but to be impartial I gave the rating a ding because of it.
Customer Support: Haven't had to utilize it to personally judge.
Expressiveness/Sounds: Despite the limited controls this amp has a pretty decent range. I'll cover this more in depth below.
Tubes: Preamp: 3 x 12AX7, Output: 2 x EL84, FX Loop: 1 x 12AT7
Size: (W X H X D) 30x17x14cm, 11x7x5.5in. 7kg/15lb
How it sounds:
Okay, so the first complaint I hear (besides being single channel) is that the EQ is limited, but these same people complain about how limited 3 knob EQs are too so yeah those that bitch about 95% of amps won't like this on that principle alone. Simple solution is to buy an EQ pedal and fix that problem. But it doesn't really need fixed unless you are looking for more high ends to step out. You definitely don't need more bass thrown in unless you are trying to go over the top with your low end, once you get the volume to around 11 o'clock the bass is there and tight as hell.
This is a high gain amp, but not like some others where you already have to much gain with it floored. At lower volumes you can expect good respectable distortion levels with the gain around noon. At higher volumes you can crank the gain back a little bit more and still have breakup. Full out gain, god why would you want to? Almost flooring the gain and compensating by using more volume and you can play clean through the amp.
Volume -- this bitch gets loud. Not arena loud, but then that isn't what it is intended for. Volume on 2 is bedroom levels when you are using a decent gain. Using a MXR 10 band EQ in the loop I can drop the volume even more, at these levels though it sounds more like you are listening to a song through computer speakers than hearing a guitar live through an amp. Once you crank the volume past noon, you start to feel it. And it it's not loud enough using the MXR gives you an extra +12 db boost in the loop.
Shape control gives a bit of diversity to the amp, makes the amp pretty good by itself if you are just going to play metal (and maybe rock). From scooped to heavy mids the Shape control spans the range.
Output level, honestly I think the 7 watt output is a waste. This amp has enough gain at minimal volume that you don't need to switch to 7 watts just because you want breakup sooner. The 15 watt mode sounds better 99% of the time and doesn't cause the loss of bass and high end that I perceive when switching back and forth.
It is a tube amp so you will likely want a noise suppressor with it. It doesn't need a boost however, as it does fine at getting the gain it needs. In fact, most of the time I can't stand my Green Rhino with it because of how it makes the distortion sound. However, if you want to play clean a boost does great to get your volume back up to where it sounds good.
Ease of Use: Volume, Mid shape gain, on/off and the output/standby. Doesn't get much simpler than than. Plus at only 15 lbs it is incredibly easy to put it in the included transport bag and take it with you anywhere. I use a Jet City JCA12xs cab with it and the total weight is under 25 lbs. Plus the amp bag has a shoulder strap so carrying the cab on the same side and my guitar with a pedal or two in the case and I am able to take my rig anywhere without bitching about how heavy the shit is.
Features: The only real downside to the Dark Terror is that it only has 1 channel. What it does have though that the original Tiny Terror lacked is a tube buffered FX loop. Other 'features': 120/230 setting so you can use it overseas, single 16 ohm or dual 8 ohm speaker outputs. Don't take the lack of controls and features as a bad thing though, because it shines without them, however in the spirit of fairness the score does have to take a hit.
Reliability: It's an Orange through and through, so you know the quality behind the amp.
Value: To me it's worth every penny (or $650 worth of them to be exact). Having to buy a separate EQ (even though not really needed) and a gate wasn't a big deal for me, figured I would have to get them for any amp, but to be impartial I gave the rating a ding because of it.
Customer Support: Haven't had to utilize it to personally judge.
Expressiveness/Sounds: Despite the limited controls this amp has a pretty decent range. I'll cover this more in depth below.
Tubes: Preamp: 3 x 12AX7, Output: 2 x EL84, FX Loop: 1 x 12AT7
Size: (W X H X D) 30x17x14cm, 11x7x5.5in. 7kg/15lb
How it sounds:
Okay, so the first complaint I hear (besides being single channel) is that the EQ is limited, but these same people complain about how limited 3 knob EQs are too so yeah those that bitch about 95% of amps won't like this on that principle alone. Simple solution is to buy an EQ pedal and fix that problem. But it doesn't really need fixed unless you are looking for more high ends to step out. You definitely don't need more bass thrown in unless you are trying to go over the top with your low end, once you get the volume to around 11 o'clock the bass is there and tight as hell.
This is a high gain amp, but not like some others where you already have to much gain with it floored. At lower volumes you can expect good respectable distortion levels with the gain around noon. At higher volumes you can crank the gain back a little bit more and still have breakup. Full out gain, god why would you want to? Almost flooring the gain and compensating by using more volume and you can play clean through the amp.
Volume -- this bitch gets loud. Not arena loud, but then that isn't what it is intended for. Volume on 2 is bedroom levels when you are using a decent gain. Using a MXR 10 band EQ in the loop I can drop the volume even more, at these levels though it sounds more like you are listening to a song through computer speakers than hearing a guitar live through an amp. Once you crank the volume past noon, you start to feel it. And it it's not loud enough using the MXR gives you an extra +12 db boost in the loop.
Shape control gives a bit of diversity to the amp, makes the amp pretty good by itself if you are just going to play metal (and maybe rock). From scooped to heavy mids the Shape control spans the range.
Output level, honestly I think the 7 watt output is a waste. This amp has enough gain at minimal volume that you don't need to switch to 7 watts just because you want breakup sooner. The 15 watt mode sounds better 99% of the time and doesn't cause the loss of bass and high end that I perceive when switching back and forth.
It is a tube amp so you will likely want a noise suppressor with it. It doesn't need a boost however, as it does fine at getting the gain it needs. In fact, most of the time I can't stand my Green Rhino with it because of how it makes the distortion sound. However, if you want to play clean a boost does great to get your volume back up to where it sounds good.
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