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My local GC got in the new Marshall DSL40CR and the 5-watt combo in the Origin series.
I played both, not enough for a top-to-bottom review, but enough to get the gist of both amps.
The Origin is really, really low gain. It wants to be cranked to give up the goods. I didn't want to be "that guy" in the store, so I didn't crank it. The base tone was, in my opinion, a bright but dirty clean, if that makes any sense. If the other Origins are like the 5-watter, I'd guess that they make good pedal platforms. For your affordable AC/DC experience, this is probably your best bet.
The DSL40CR was a very pleasant surprise. It's exactly as advertised - like the previous DSL40C, just better. The Ultra Gain channel isn't as trebly now. The Classic Gain channel seems to have more gain. It can get surprisingly gnarly, especially with humbuckers, and I found myself actually backing down the gain after having dimed it, like I always did with the 40C. I'm not sure of the need for a ferocious, darker JTM-type tone, but the extra range in the dial might be useful with lower output pickups. If previously you dimed the gain on the Classic Gain channel in the 40C, then hit it with an overdrive (a common use case, I believe), you might not need the overdrive now.
The shared EQ is now more even across both channels, though the Ultra Gain channel is still quite bright - I found myself gravitating towards 9 o'clock on treble, as opposed to zero (7 o'clock) on the DSL40C.
The speaker in the 40CR is now a Celestion V-Type, as opposed to the 70/80 in the 40C. I can't pinpoint how much tonal change came from that swap, versus the circuit changes, but the overall package works. Unlike the 40C, you aren't immediately thinking of changing out the speaker.
Overall, the 40CR just feels good, coherent, and usable. None of this "the 40C is good *except* you have to change out the speaker and snip the bright cap" stuff. This 40CR sounds good out of the gate. It's nice when a manufacturer considers user requests and complaints and makes an improved iteration of a product.
One cool addition in the 40CR is 2 new knobs, separate master volumes for each channel. This could allow you to set up one channel with a boosted level. Combined with a 6-button footswitch (which may or may not be available yet) to access all 4 modes across the 2 channels, this amp could be giggable with no dirt pedals. 4 usable Marshall tones at $750 (+ footswitch cost) is a pretty decent proposition, and Marshall may end up cannibalizing sales of their JVMs with these new DSLs.
I played both, not enough for a top-to-bottom review, but enough to get the gist of both amps.
The Origin is really, really low gain. It wants to be cranked to give up the goods. I didn't want to be "that guy" in the store, so I didn't crank it. The base tone was, in my opinion, a bright but dirty clean, if that makes any sense. If the other Origins are like the 5-watter, I'd guess that they make good pedal platforms. For your affordable AC/DC experience, this is probably your best bet.
The DSL40CR was a very pleasant surprise. It's exactly as advertised - like the previous DSL40C, just better. The Ultra Gain channel isn't as trebly now. The Classic Gain channel seems to have more gain. It can get surprisingly gnarly, especially with humbuckers, and I found myself actually backing down the gain after having dimed it, like I always did with the 40C. I'm not sure of the need for a ferocious, darker JTM-type tone, but the extra range in the dial might be useful with lower output pickups. If previously you dimed the gain on the Classic Gain channel in the 40C, then hit it with an overdrive (a common use case, I believe), you might not need the overdrive now.
The shared EQ is now more even across both channels, though the Ultra Gain channel is still quite bright - I found myself gravitating towards 9 o'clock on treble, as opposed to zero (7 o'clock) on the DSL40C.
The speaker in the 40CR is now a Celestion V-Type, as opposed to the 70/80 in the 40C. I can't pinpoint how much tonal change came from that swap, versus the circuit changes, but the overall package works. Unlike the 40C, you aren't immediately thinking of changing out the speaker.
Overall, the 40CR just feels good, coherent, and usable. None of this "the 40C is good *except* you have to change out the speaker and snip the bright cap" stuff. This 40CR sounds good out of the gate. It's nice when a manufacturer considers user requests and complaints and makes an improved iteration of a product.
One cool addition in the 40CR is 2 new knobs, separate master volumes for each channel. This could allow you to set up one channel with a boosted level. Combined with a 6-button footswitch (which may or may not be available yet) to access all 4 modes across the 2 channels, this amp could be giggable with no dirt pedals. 4 usable Marshall tones at $750 (+ footswitch cost) is a pretty decent proposition, and Marshall may end up cannibalizing sales of their JVMs with these new DSLs.
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