This amp has been at the back of mind for a while - I’m a bit slow on videos, but in my mind I’m always working on ideas and one of them was “good budget amps” and this was one I wanted to compare with the Peavey XXX and Blackstar HT-100. I remember playing one of these in a store a decade ago and thinking it was pretty good, so when one popped up online for $395, I couldn’t resist.
It’s the little brother of another 120w Egnater head, the “Armageddon,” which shares the same basic design and tone, but that amp has an extra set of gain/volume controls for a 3rd channel, a built in ISP noise gate, and critically a “mid cut” feature with two knobs (level and depth) - much like a Diezel Herbert. The Armageddon lacks the “mids” switches that this Vengeance has, ostensibly because the mid cut already handles that.
The tone is darker, smooth, and another amp in a long line of recent amp acquisitions I’d argue are not quite aggressive enough for bright metal chugga-chugga tones out of the box. That said, it’s a really great sounding amp for smooth leads, and the various switches make it quite versatile - channel 1 can even do a solid crunch tone very well. It contrasts a little with the appearance of the amp, which has “gothic” looking font and a murdered appearance - all black - which gives me the impression of an amp aimed at metal players. I think it would disappoint the most aggressive metal enthusiasts, but would really please classic rock players sonically - but not aesthetically.
Both channels have tight, bright, gain, and the 3-way mids switches. The amp also has two master volumes, presence, and depth controls, as well as the usual host of modern features (effects loop, XLR output, etc). These switches are integral to getting the tone you want out of the amp - even without adjusting the EQ section, getting a good base tone to work with by adjusting them seems to be the way to go. The mids switch especially is quite useful, going from scooped, “flat,” and boosted settings. I actually praise the designer here, the mids switch is usable at all 3 settings, and since either channel can be set differently, it covers a lot of ground. Too often these mid shift/contour/scoop switches are completely unusable because the effect on the sound is too extreme - not the case here. On this amp, it’s noticeable, but doesn’t fracture the core tone of the amp to achieve it - which also means some of the best sounds are interactive, such as setting the switch to scooped mode, but boosting the mids in the tone stack, or vice versa.
I’d still like to try the Armageddon and compare it, but considering this amp runs about half the price, it’s hard to justify. Maybe if the right deal pops up.