Palmer Macht 402

I've been using this amp for a few days now and I'm very impressed with it. I had looked at purchasing the Harley Benton GPA-400 but decide on this one as it has a lot more features included and seems to be of a better quality. Palmer is part of the Adam Hall group. Compared to the Harley Benton GPA-400, it has more output options for a start: 2 x Speakon and 3 x 6.3mm (1/4") jacks. Inputs: 2 x balanced 1/4" TRS and 2 x balanced XLR line inputs for channels A and B. It also has very good built-in circuit protection: over-voltage; overheating; short-circuit; soft-start and DC. Switching power supply. Operating voltage is switchable: 230v or 115v, AC. Always check the voltage setting before turning a device on for the first time. I once had a power supply blow-up because the voltage switch was supplied with the switch in the wrong position: 110v instead of 240v. I didn't check before switching it on - bang! An expensive mistake, one very dead power supply. It has more output power modes than the Harley Benton GPA-400, as well: 2 x 200w@4ohms; 2 x 100w@8ohms; 2 x 50w@16ohms. In bridge mode: 1 x 400w@8ohms; 1 x 200w@16ohms (mono).

FRONT CONTROLS:
On/off; volume; treble and bass controls (sometimes call resonance and presence). Rumble filters: low frequency lock at 40Hz for channels A and B which are independent of each other.

FRONT LEDS:
Power, signal, clip, protect, Output Mode: bridge/parallel).

REAR CONTROLS:
Ground lift: eliminate ground loop hum. Clip limiter: output set to maximum possible level. Output mode: bridge, stereo or parallel. Adjustable input sensitivity: Hi (-10 dbu/240 mv); Mid (-2 dbu/610 mv) and Low (+4 dbu/1.23 v).

CLASS-D AMPLIFIER
This is a class-D amplifier, and therefore, is very efficient. The theoretical power efficiency of a class-D amplifier is 100%! But, real-world power MOSFETs are not ideal switches, but practical efficiencies well over 90% are common. If you don't know the difference, by contrast, linear AB-class amplifiers are always operated with both current flowing through and voltage standing across the power devices. An ideal class-B amplifier has a theoretical maximum efficiency of 78%. Class A amplifiers (purely linear, with the devices always "on") have a theoretical maximum efficiency of 50% and some versions have efficiencies below 20%. The power consumption of this amp at full power is 820 watts. It also weighs in at 3.8kg which is very good.

I have connected my rack version of the brilliant Kemper Profiler Amplifier (KPA) to the Palmer Macht 402. The amp then powers two Line 6 DT25, 1x12 extension cabinets. The cabs are designed by Reinhold Bogner and use 12" custom Celestion G12H-90, 8 ohm speakers. They sound great and have lots of bass because of the close-back design. It's my dream set-up at the moment, until something else comes out ;-) It's loud and it's got more than enough oomph, 200 watts to be precise! And, it all comes in full glorious stereo, so modulation and delay effects sound fantastic.

CONCLUSION
Overall, I'm very happy with this amp and for the price it a bargain. It looks and feels like a quality unit, it's got no valves so I hope it's (very) reliable, I can't tell yet as I haven't had it that long, but it comes with a 3-year Thomann guarantee, highly recommended.

I bought this stereo amp to replace my all tube Peavey Classic 50/50 amp. The tube power amp is four times heavier (26.5 pounds - 12 kilos) and takes 2U spaces. Plus it needs re-tubing and occasional service as all tube amps do. I paired my Macht 402 with the Digitech GSP1101 rack processor which I have been using for about 10 years now. I was worried about two things: first that the 402 will not have enough volume and second that it wouldn't sound as good as Peavey. I was wrong :) I use two Carvin Legacy 2x12 cabs 8 Ohm each, with Celestion Vintage 30s, and the Macht 402 amp has plenty of power on tap even in stereo mode. It's definitely loud enough to play live with a loud drummer. As far as the sound goes it's as close to the Peavey as it gets: clear and worm, but punchy. The EQ controls are very effective and I was able to dial the sound that I was used to within minutes. The Macht 402 is loaded with features and very solidly built even though it's made in China like pretty much everything else these days :(

Recently, as the only guitarist in my band, I have decided to go stereo. My plan was to use two amp modelers and feed those into a stereo power amp. I was looking into affordable guitar specific power amps and ultimately had three choices: the Palmer Macht 402, the Harley Benton gpa400, and the Seymour Duncan power stage 100. The Palmer won based on a couple different factors. First, as someone living in the US, voltage is something to keep note of. Standard US voltage is 110-120v. Unfortunately as attractive as the Harley Benton was with its low cost, it would require a transformer to convert the voltage as it is tailored for EU use. The addition of a decent transformer would bring the price to around the same as the Macht 402, and it would be one more component to worry about. Next is price. I own a Seymour Duncan power stage 170 and I love it, so getting the stereo version would make sense. However the SD 100 costs around $600, almost twice as much as the Macht 402.

Now onto the Macht 402 itself. It is extremely easy to use and, though larger than a SD power stage, is still small and light enough to justify buying. It can get very loud and even has high and low dials in case you need to tailor your sound to a specific cabinet. The rumble filters are a nice touch as well, cutting lower frequencies that can muddy up the sound. Lastly, the Macht 402 has a voltage switch on the bottom, allowing you to switch between 115v and 230v so you can use this amp on both sides of the Atlantic with no additional gear.

I have yet to play a gig with it so I'll update this review if needed, but overall I'm very happy with this purchase!

Using that power amp for over a year. I am using it with pre amp JMP1 Marshall. Played classic rock gigs, pop gigs, funk and recently Motown and is all I need cause got so much sound versatility! It newer sound like velve but that doesn't mean it worse, is just different and I never experienced any technically problems like before with velve power amp 2:50 famous brand where fuse was blown so often that I always need to have spare with me. Did I mentioned that it is stereo? How cool is that!