Product: Hiwatt DR 201
Price Paid: USD 1100 USED
Submitted
11/08/2007
at
03:16am
by
miles martin
Features
:
7
This is a 1975 200 watt 4 KT88 head. Four 12ax7s in the preamp. Partridge transformers that are the size of small mountains. This is the big brother to 100 and 50 watt versions. They also made a 400 watt version but it only has 6 KT88s so I'm skeptical if it really pushes that much power. That being said...this amp has an ungodly amount of juice. Let's just say that compared to other 200 watt amps this one is VERY well endowed. As far as features go, mine was modded back in the day so it has a few extra features besides the standard dual inputs, dual volumes, bass, treble, and middle volume, and master volume. The eq is basic but interacts with its own settings. It's hard to lose the basic tone of this amp which is in-its-own-way Hi-Fi. More to follow
Sound Quality
:
10
This is where this amp truly stands apart from the pack. I have owned a plethora of amps in my 16 years of playing from a vintage AmpegV4 to a Mesa Bass 400 and 400+ to a Trace Elliot V6 to EDEN WT800, Ashdown ABM 900 EVO II, Gallien Krueger 1001rbII, etc... If I had them all right now I'm sure my opinion might change but from what I can recall this amp has the biggest tone of them all. It's not the most versatile but the sounds it makes are so good it doesn't have you scrounging for new tones. The tone is deep, 3d, punchy, has all the highs and lows you could want, transients sound like thunderclaps. The only amp that was close was the 73 V4B. Still it didn't pack the punch nor was it as spacial. The tone envelopes the room. Other instruments resonate righteously if they are near.
Reliability
:
No Opinion
I haven't had this one long enough to tell and since it's not stock it can't be said. The workmanship on these amps is second to none however. No expense was spared when building these. The new ones run close to $4000 and from what i have heard they don't have "it". You just can't get these materials anymore i.e. transformers.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
I don't know. Hiwatt ain't Hiwatt anymore.
Overall Rating
:
10
I was hoping to run into one of these one day just to try it. I wasn't expecting what I got when I did. This amp will blow down the block in the wrong hands.
