Re: Peavey 6505 or XXX Head?
there are a lot of great amps and these are two of them. Myself, I seem to like 6L6 amps more often right away and these two are no exception. There is a lot of XXX hating out there, so if that doesn't bother you....I will compare both in stock form.
Both have the tone stack after the preamp. But the XXX's tone stack has active filters and that throws a lot of people off this amp, assuming they weren't thrown off by the trucker mudflap chicks on the front, thinking the girls are cheesy. I think the girls add to the amp's charm, and I love all 66 1/2 of them. The EQ is to be used in a more mild-mannered fashion than, say, a Marshall. The XXX's EQ is for fine shaping the tone, not your core sound. You mainly shape your tone on the XXX with the channel volumes in conjunction with the master volume, which has its own tube driver. The 6505 has no master volume, so like with any non-master-volume head you have to turn it up more for overdrive. The XXX is more flexible in that it lets you choose how much you overdrive the preamp and how much you overdrive the power amp (trainwrecking flexibility). More preamp than power amp = ~Mesa; preamp volume down, with the master volume up more, ie less power braking on the power amp section = ~Marshall.
So, the XXX is very unique. From what I understand, most non-master-volume amps that have been modded with a master volume just had a knob and rheostat added. The XXX's master volume has a dedicated tube driver. Basically it's an extra preamp tube, or gain stage, before heading to the power tubes. Kind of an ingenious design because of all that added flexibility it allows, and combined with the active tone stack that comes after the preamp itself--well, this allows for an incredibly dynamic front-end. The XXX-haters I have talked to know nothing about the importance of a master volume, and no experience with active EQ on an amp (I cannot think of any other amp with these features), so they just dial in their favorite Marshall/Mesa settings, say "yuck," have a second glance at the "cheesy" trucker chicks, and move on to the next amp saying that the XXX is a piece of crap, or it sounds like arse. Not.
The 5150/6505 has more gain stages, however, and can thus simulate a master volume effect, but you have to turn it up more for this to happen.
I like both amps. Perhaps, just perhaps, the 6505 sounds a bit cleaner when cranked. But the XXX has 3 channels, and I believe the 6505 sounds are to be found inside the XXX anyway.
Have someone show you another 3-channel amp with a master volume for $900 brand new. There isn't one. Next up the dollar chain is the JSX, with a few more features. But at $900 for a 3-channel amp with a master volume and this much brutality? The XXX was a no brainer for me. Excellent FX loop with send and return levels. Decent clean channel that stays clean, I kinda like it actually, it's OK. The lead channel is great. But it's that amber rhythm channel that is glorious. Sounds just as good or better than every Soldano I've played, and of course those are great amps. To me, the 2nd channel on the XXX sounds like a Soldano Avenger, which only has one channel and costs at least twice as much. BTW, the 6505 also gives Soldanos a run for their money.
I will say the XXX is picky about cabinets. I actually didn't like it at first because of this. At 400 watts, the matching XXX cabinet sounds underdriven, certainly no speaker overdrive. It wasn't until I tried the XXX through a Genz-Benz cab that I actually pooped a little. I've also noticed that if you have two 8-ohm cabinets, which allows you to run the output transformer at 4 ohms (full power), the XXX simply owns. Your top string will snap at you like my early Bogner Ecstacy from 1993 did (probably in the first 5or so that Bogner made, serial # was -+^. Had to sell it a few years ago to make the mortgage and save my house and avoid foreclosure). The only thing that Bogner had on my Triple X was the super-controllable "angel feedback" it gave, truly beautiful and unearthly. I've not found any other amp that does it.
XXX, 6505. Both great amps for about the same price tag, but the XXX is more versatile with 3 channels, has a more dynamic front-end with that active tone stack, and is more flexible at all gain settings, and can suit the bedroom player or studio dude better due to the internal power-brake more commonly known as a master volume. Plus it has those sexy mudflap chicks.
I would trade it for a VHT in a heartbeat, though. But I would still cry. And I'd miss the girls.
Mine has a blue jewel power light.
Don't understand all the XXX-hate out there. If you get one, prepare to defend it if you care to, and to be laughed at, especially by metal-snobs if there any of those in your circle.