PRS MT 15 Amp

I bought this amp as an upgrade to my home studio setup. I'd been using a Blackstar HT-5 for about 8 years as a home practice and recording amp, and wanted something with more variety and better headroom, particularly on the clean channel. I opted for the Harley Benton G112 cab offered by Thomann - note that there are certainly more expensive cabinets out there, including the intended PRS 1x12, but as the Harley includes a Celestion V30, this was more than sufficient for my needs.

My signal chain is: PRS SE Santana (2011) -> Exotic EP Booster -> Maxon OD808 -> amp. In the effects loop: TC electronics Plethora -> TC electronics Helix -> TC electronics Flashback II (currently running as a looper).

My first impression was with no effects or overdrives/boosts, simply guitar straight into the amp. And this thing did not disappoint! The clean channel is beautiful: clear and chimey, with crisp highs and a wonderful mellow character overall. I was worried that it might sound sterile or lifeless without at least some reverb, but the character of the amp really shines through. Not surprisingly given the 6L6 power section, it's closer to Fender territory than say Marshall or Orange, but remains quite balanced without becoming harsh or shrill. The pull-out boost on the treble knob is also a welcome addition, as the clean channel does retain excellent headroom. With the boost engaged, there's a really gorgeous airiness to the tone, with strummed chords singing and single notes sustaining really clearly. Adding some delay and reverb, the treble boosted sonic palette takes on a wonderful character, becoming rich and resonant - finger picked arpeggios sound remarkably clear and full.

Most people will be interested in the overdrive channel here. Unsurprisingly, this is really outstanding. There is an enormous amount of gain on tap, although even with the gain at max, the tone remains very usable; chords retain definition and leads sound smooth and full, without sounding grainy or harsh. My own preference is to keep the gain relatively low, typically below half way (although note that this is still quite a lot of gain!), and to then add extra punch with the Exotic and midrange with the Maxon. I'm not really a metal player, but for saturated leads (ala Gary Moore, Satch, etc.) this amp is incredible. If I had one complaint, it's that the lead channel does attract some noise, even with the gain at moderate levels - not surprising, given the number of gain stages here. I usually keep a Sentry Noise Gate within my pedalboards on the Plethora, and this deals well with any extraneous hum.

My only other complaint is not having had enough time yet to play with this amp! I also considered the Hughes & Kettner Tubemeister 18 when buying the MT15. That had the added advantage of the Redbox DI, something lacking from the MT15. However, the difference in price between the two amps on Thomann is roughly the same as buying the Redbox alone, so that's always an option.

Overall, I highly recommend the MT15. I haven't gigged with it (unlikely to in the near future, given the Covid 19 situation across Europe). I can't imagine that it would struggle to keep up with a drummer; even at 7W half power, it's remarkably loud. You will not regret buying one of these!

I live in Russia, everyone has heard about our mail, but this is the third order in a month, which comes ideal and in just 8-9 days ...
As for the "little devil".
Minuses:
1) Noisy loop, critically loud backgrounds at home volume.
2) 7-15 watts is more of a publicity gimmick that doesn't make it quieter for home use. (it would be better to make a general volume control for two channels)
3) This is where the cons end, this is just a great amplifier for the money !!!!!!!
The clean channel is as transparent as a baby's tear, and it is good friends with my OCD and Ibanez, and other pedals sound good in the clean channel (and sound terrible in the loop). It can be quiet enough to play with your wife sleeping in the next room at night. Pedals are essentially the only way to get crunch at low volumes.
As for the lead channel, it is VERY VERY loud, you do not need a heating pad, rather you need a fire extinguisher for this channel, a huge supply of gain, and even at its high values ​​the sound remains dense and readable. I tested it through a cabinet 2x12 celestion vintage 30 16 ohm on a Les Paul with 496r - 498t, stratocaster with Dimarzio HS2 and Blue Velvet, Amarok with EMG Retro Active, Stratocaster with Seymour Duncan JB and SH-6 - sounds great on different power pickups , a sound with hints of mesa boogie, which does not try to copy it, but has its own character. Don't look for easy crunch without pedals here.
As for the volume, I do not think that this amplifier is suitable for playing in an apartment building with the volume knob raised above 1 mm, IT IS VERY LOUD (the minimum volume of the lead channel is no different from the minimum volume of mesa boogie dual rectifier mods 100w solo head) !! ! But I also would not use an attenuator, it is quite possible to try to catch the volume at the minimum, which will be better than the same volume with an attenuator, and will allow you to play in the evening! And for the night there is a clean channel and pedals, there is a loadbox and impulses. And attenuators are probably needed by amplifiers that need to swing the output (like Fender), here it is not required IMHO and will not give anything!
Bottom line: I am very pleased with this amplifier, it is quite universal for home, rehearsals and probably live performances !!! And the backlit trick is just bombing!
P.S. If you turn on a clean channel, then standby and wait 15 seconds, then there will be no click when turned off. At least that's how it works for me.

I was looking for a tube amp head for rehearsal and live gigs for very long time.
I was tired of this situation where you have to see what gear the bar/ stage will have and then think if your pedals go well with their gear and so on.
I had enough for that. It was time for me to get my own fierce tube head.

I tried and watched many many heads from the cheapest ones up to 1000€ (which is what I could afford at the time)

Now am I happy that I chose this one..

Pros:
+Great tone options for metal players.
+It has all the gain you need.
+As you may already understand from the tube combination in this one, it is LOUD and can easily rehearse and play at any medium sized gig (and probably even bigger gigs)
+It has the option for half power (~7 watts) which is ideal for home usage/ Don't worry, you can indeed play at home for practice with the Master Volume knob at low levels
+Foot switch included
+Case included
+Great looks (blue for clean and red for lead)

Cons:
- None so far. Even the price is justified by what you get in the end.

PRS did a great job with this and I am sure I will enjoy for the years to come.

Of all the lunchbox amps I have seen, the MT15 just has exactly what I need on the tone department - crystal clear cleans and thick saturated high gain. Also the fact that it has 2 6l6 power tubes makes it sound like a full sized amp (they have changed the power tube to 5881 now and Tremonti said it actually made it sound better in an interview). I got this in 2020 (when it had 6l6) and writing this review now because we all have a honeymoon period with our gears where everything is a solid ten when it's new.

Tone-wise, it's all I need - good cleans and thick leads. I won't even complain it does not have reverb or any other bells and whistles like other amps in it's price range are offering because it's tone justified the price. It's a straight forward amp and you can always get a good tone with a few turns on the knobs.

Regarding build-quality there are a few issues:
The fx loop is a bit noisy, courtesy of high gain pre amp tube (12AX7) on the fx loop circuit. The remedy is to change the preamp tube of the fx loop to a lower gain tube like 12AU7 but I can live without changing it.

The master volume taper is not linear but a sudden jump at around 8 O'clock.

And lastly, my unit had a buzzy chassis. The base is a metal plate screw to the body and it can rattle at higher volumes. However, it's an easy fix by stuffing foam underneath.

Other than these three issues, I have absolutely no reason not to love this amp. It gives good tones, handles pedal like a champ, and achieve bedroom level volume without sounding too thin.