from: Gregory Bennett
I use an Egnater IE-4 tube preamp, and it rips!
Unlike the head, the IE-4 has four separate channels, each with their
own set of controls (gain, bass, mid, treble, presence, and master).
There's no bright switch though...oh well. But, this preamp is easy to
set-up- put the tone knobs at high-noon and you're ready to rock.
Really, it's almost impossible to get a bad sound out of this thing.
The clean sounds on this puppy are gorgeous; channel 1 has lots of
clarity, punch, crispiness, and headroom. I've never played through a
Fender amp, so I don't know if the IE-4's clean tones measure up to
these much heralded amps.
Channels 2 through 4 sound similiar to each other, just more distortion
as you go from one channel to the next. The distortion on these
channels are awesome! Channel 4 has EXTREME levels of the dirt, but it
DOESN'T sound like a muddy, mushy, or fuzzy mess. It retains that
clarity and pick articulation. Overall, the IE-4's distortion tones are
girthy, with LOTS of definition and headroom. Personally, I prefer
channels 2 and 3- they're great for that "modern" rhythm crunch that I
like (i.e. Hetfield/Mustaine/Ian.)
Speaking of the CAE 3+ [see bottom of Additional preamps or multiFX claiming amp or speaker simulation, other products], I use one of these as well. It's also an
outstanding high-gain preamp. To my ears, the 3+ has superior lead
tones than the IE-4. Channel 3 on the CAE has that sweet "violin"
sustain. If I had to choose between the IE-4 or the 3+, I would
probably opt for the CAE for just this reason. Oh well, once you start
"comparing" different amps and preamps, it's like arguing apples and
oranges. To each his own...trust your own ears.
Greg
Amptone.com ultra gear-search page