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King Loudness « Not bad, there's better though »
Published on 10/24/11 at 07:56The Marshall JVM 210H is a scaled down version of their hundred watt four channel firebreather JVM. It forgoes the expansive and complex featureset of the 410 and pares it down to a standard dual channel head. Each channel contains 3 modes for different levels of gain and saturation, which makes this amp seem like more than a dual channel. It also features reverb and an effects loop too. It's powered by the good ol' EL34s giving it the juice and that Marshall sound.
UTILIZATION
Getting a good sound out of this amp is more difficult than dialing in the 410. That may sound odd but the truth of it is that the 410 has so many more options that you're more likely to find a few sounds that you like. Taking two channels out of the equation eliminates some of those hidden gems you might have found lurking inside the 410. The provided modes on this amp are nice enough and the interface is classic Marshall but after trying the 410 I'm simply spoiled by choice.
SOUNDS
The tones out of this amp are pretty decent but like the 410 I think it's a bit too compressed and buzzy for my liking. Oddly enough this is more true with the two channel version I find. The clean and crunch tones have a cool EL34 based shimmer with that typical scooped midrange character that many Marshalls have in their clean sound. The second channel has a nice variety available in the gain modes, however it's a victim of too much compression for my liking. Always seems to be that way with my ears and modern Marshalls though.
OVERALL OPINION
All in all I think the Marshall JVM 210H is a decent amp for the player who likes the compressed type of Marshall sound and wants a bit of versatility too. They're about $1400 new which isn't a bad deal for what you are getting. Personally I'd buy a used Splawn QR with the gears as I think it's equally as versatile and sounds superior to any new Marshall made today.
UTILIZATION
Getting a good sound out of this amp is more difficult than dialing in the 410. That may sound odd but the truth of it is that the 410 has so many more options that you're more likely to find a few sounds that you like. Taking two channels out of the equation eliminates some of those hidden gems you might have found lurking inside the 410. The provided modes on this amp are nice enough and the interface is classic Marshall but after trying the 410 I'm simply spoiled by choice.
SOUNDS
The tones out of this amp are pretty decent but like the 410 I think it's a bit too compressed and buzzy for my liking. Oddly enough this is more true with the two channel version I find. The clean and crunch tones have a cool EL34 based shimmer with that typical scooped midrange character that many Marshalls have in their clean sound. The second channel has a nice variety available in the gain modes, however it's a victim of too much compression for my liking. Always seems to be that way with my ears and modern Marshalls though.
OVERALL OPINION
All in all I think the Marshall JVM 210H is a decent amp for the player who likes the compressed type of Marshall sound and wants a bit of versatility too. They're about $1400 new which isn't a bad deal for what you are getting. Personally I'd buy a used Splawn QR with the gears as I think it's equally as versatile and sounds superior to any new Marshall made today.