Microfet 100

[Harley Hexxe]

Hey Dante,

    I just noticed in your signature, that you have a Microfet listed in there. What is your appraisal of that power amp compared to the Microtube or the B200S?

     Harley 8)

[Dante]

I seem to remember it sounding good, but mine only works in one side. Also if my memory serves me, it's a delicate unit...breaks easy. I didn't trust it, so it's a backup to my backup, in storage.

I haven't used it in years, it's in a 2u rack with my old Quadraverb. You want me to pull it out and give you an updated opinion? Maybe I'll get all motivated and try to fix the broken side.

Dante

[Harley Hexxe]

 No Dante,

    I think you already told me what I needed to know about it now, and that would be these two things:

        1) If it's that delicate, then it won't make any difference in a shock mounted rack. It just won't hold up to being moved around to more than a gig or two before it ends up in a repair shop.

        2) It may have sounded good, but apparently not good enough to motivate you to get it fixed when you heard it. So from that I'm kind of getting a mental sound image of a MT100, without the presence control, which is just clean, un-altered amplification to the preamp sound.

       The B200S still leads the way in solid-state guitar amplification.

    Thanks Dante

[Dante]

I'd say your assessment is spot on 

I did already have my B200s when I got the MicroFet, so I never really needed it. One of the channesl (I think chB) died shortly after I started gigging with it. I remember I used it with a Peavey TransTube, probably the best sounding preamp I've heard... after an ADA of course. It must not have been very remarkable a power amp, because I put it in storage.

That said, I took it out of storage just now. Man, the rack is brand new, I should really swap out this one for the 2u that I'm giggin with - that thing is TRASHED  ;D  As soon as I opened the case a memory came rushing back. There was a stripped out rack screw holding it in. I could not get that damn screw out. I ended up using a cold chisel and a BFH to pound it into submission. Needless to say, that chewed up the corner of the rack ear pretty good. As soon as I saw that chewed rack ear, I remembered the fun time I had trying to get that screw loose.

Since my MT200 is sounding puny in chB and since I have an extra rack space in my 4u rack anyway, I'm going to put the MicroFet in there and compare it with the MT200 using my MP-1 Classic and two 1x12 Thiele cabs. This should provide a pretty good A/B comparison, which is always fun for gear geeks like us

Party on Wayne, Party on Garth - Schwiiiingg

[Harley Hexxe]

Dante,

    It sounds like from your description, that the case they built the Microfet into, is the same case they built the MT100. That's a flimsy design to begin with, and my only beef with the MT 100 apart from the fact that one channel always seems to go out on them. I do like the sound of the MT 100 better than the 200, but they're just not reliable. Maybe we'll figure out what that flaw might be one day, but for now, all my MT 100's will remain in storage boxes.

     Harley 8)

[Dante]

I agree, I did like my MT100, but it kept crapping out on me. Usually, as you say, one channel.

I hooked up the MicroFet already, it was super easy. It will not work in bridged mono or chB, only chA. I just discovered that my MT200 will also not work in bridged mono. :/

At any rate, the MicroFet seems wimpy at first, but watch out, it gets loud. 12:00 on the MicroFet is is like 10:00 on the MT200, but it ramps up quickly after that. It's thinner sounding, almost transparent like a Fender amp, without the bottom warmth but very much putting out what is put into it. To my ears, the MT200 seems to color the tone a bit - warmer. fatter. better. spongy tube compression.

It's very similar to my new SS combo amp, thin. I think (like my combo amp) it would pair fine with an MP-2, because the MP-2 is so forgiving. It can compensate for a bad power amp (IMHO) and still sound good - good enough for who it's for. Not that the lil' Marsha is a bad power amp, it's just not as warm sounding as my Boogie toob amp was....but it cuts through the mix

[Harley Hexxe]

Dante,

     None of the SS poweramps will bridge, not even the B200S. The Microtubes are the only ones that will do this. I seem to have gotten the opposite impression though, (MT 100 sounded warmer), in bridged mode with the stock tubes in it. The only way I was able to warm up the MT 200 was to use some high gain tubes in it that I would never use in the preamps, like the used Fender 12AX7's I put in one of mine, or some Sovteks that are similar, and dialing the Presence knob to about 10-11 O'clock.
    The B200S still warms up the preamp output better than either of them, and it's quieter.

    Your MT 200 should work in mono bridged mode. There might be a connection fault somewhere in the amp preventing this.

       

[MarshallJMP]

I think a lot of problems are comming from the jacks.Some are special with one or 2 switches that act as senses for the bridge mode.(the mone bridge output jack and the mono in jack)

[Harley Hexxe]

I didn't know about that, but that would explain it

[MarshallJMP]

I did found all the types except for one,the bridge out jack.Still looking.

[Harley Hexxe]

No way to clean the contacts or repair the jacks?

[MarshallJMP]

You could try but the best way is to replace it.These jacks are old and usually the contacts have tarnished.Also these are plastic jacks and the plastic can become brittle.

[Dante]

Dante,

     None of the SS poweramps will bridge, not even the B200S. The Microtubes are the only ones that will do this. I seem to have gotten the opposite impression though, (MT 100 sounded warmer), in bridged mode with the stock tubes in it. The only way I was able to warm up the MT 200 was to use some high gain tubes in it that I would never use in the preamps, like the used Fender 12AX7's I put in one of mine, or some Sovteks that are similar, and dialing the Presence knob to about 10-11 O'clock.
    The B200S still warms up the preamp output better than either of them, and it's quieter.

    Your MT 200 should work in mono bridged mode. There might be a connection fault somewhere in the amp preventing this.

       

I swear, there's a bridged mono on the back of the MicroFet

[Harley Hexxe]

I swear, there's a bridged mono on the back of the MicroFet

   Maybe that is why the B channel is blown. I was told SS amps don't like to see each other.

[rnolan]

Hey Harley, depends on the amp, they have to be designed to be bridged, e.g. I have my new DCM200L bridged to power the Mesa bass cab.  Also my TS100 can be bridged (I had it bridged into an EV 3 way TL for the MB1 before I bought the Mesa cab and DCM200L).

This channel problem seems very similar to one posted here in the past.  IIRC cleaning the jacks helps for a bit (particularly the jacks which do the switching) but best solution is to replace them.  Also the plastic jack sleeves are important as they are not meant to earth with the case (causes earth loops/hums as MikeB found out replacing his B200s jacks).

I had a MT100 (or was it a 200 Dante ??) US voltage for a little while.  It didn't float my boat so swapped with Dante for B200s (looks like I got the better deal Dante, although was working fine when I shipped it, I think I used it for 20 minutes all up...).