Amalgam Audio CRR MERC 2019 NAM Expansion DI

ATTENTION! Core DI sets contain the main tones (bright, balanced and warm EQ settings) for the particular amp. Expansion DI set contains additional tones (thin, fat and scooped EQ settings).Core DI sets contain close mic'd IR cabs, Expansion DI sets contain "amp-in-a-room" IR cabs that need an external IR loader for the full 1-2 second length of the files. The "amp-in-a-room" IR's are meant to bixed in with the close mic'd cabs for extremely realistic room sounds.

The CRR MERC amp has to be the most versatile and musical amp we've yet encountered and we've been through 50+ amps. This is the first amp we've heard that can do beautiful clean and any amount of gain without feeling that some compromises have been made anywhere. Unlike many small amps it does not sound hallow in any range of its frequency response. Once in it's sweet spot in regard to the High and Low volumes, which can be mixed, one can just adjust the gain by switching the Boost from 1-3 and then turn on the series (cascading) switch to go into Overdrive and roaring Lead tones. The extremely effective and versatile EQ can be tuned to taste to go from smooth to bitey, fat or scooped tones with ease and very predictably.

It is has quite a lot of compression and therefore is very "touch sensitive" without going into high volume jumps. But it never sounds flat, it has still lots of dynamics and is one of the most fun amps to play.

The amp is voiced in a way that the harshness and fizz that is audible in many vintage amps is absent here, but it does not sound "filtered" or like it is lacking any frequencies. It is often compared to being Marshally in tone, but we would argue it rather sounds like a great Marshall on a record, where it has received EQ to tame the highs/fizz and lows and where compression has been added. This amp does great studio sound out of the box.

If we could have one amp in the studio, this might as well be the one.

The Expansion DI set includes 25 DI captures ranging from clean to lead and featuring 3 EQ curves (Thin, Fat and Scooped). 6 custom "amp-in-theroom" IR's are included (1x12 MERC combo with G1265M Cream speaker, and the MRSH 1960A with G12M25 75Hz Pulsonic speakers).

SPECIFICATIONS

- 2x6V6
- 4x 12AX7
- 16w Output