Engl E530 Preamp

This preamp is very versatile. It offers enough switchable channels to play clean to dirty. 3 band EQ for clean, 4 band EQ for dirty. The clean channel has an overdrive and the lead channel has a contour switch, which I feel is more like a mid boost. It has a 412 simulation out and normal line outs. The 412 simulation is very decent. I like it better than the vst cabinet simulations that I have(GR3,AmplitubeM). It also has a built in 1.5 watt stereo power amp that can power a cabinet, and is loud enough for home use. The headphones out is not that good but it is available when needed. The headphones out makes this thing really portable. It has a preamp defeat switch, so you can use it with other another preamp. FX loop left and right. This amp has all the features I would ever need. It is very simple to operate. Plug and play. Sample setup:

Guitar > 530 > Headphones.
Guitar > 530 > Recording interface with 412 simulation.
Guitar > 530 > Stereo Cab.
Guitar > 530 > Power amp > Cab

I use this preamp with active EMG's and SD's. The stock tubes sounds very very bright. It has a lot of high end and can get shrill, but it can be easily controlled. The EQ for both channels is very responsive, especially the mid range. It does lack a just a little thump in the low end for my taste, but an external EQ easily fixed this. The preamp focuses more on the mid and high end side. The distortion is really brutal. 12:00 or 1:00 setting is definitely enough for metal. Death, thrash, whatever you want to call it. You can play chord extensions on high gain and still hear the notes ring. It can get noisy on the high gain setting, so you need something to eliminate the noise. The clean does not break up and the overdrive is subtle for blues/rock. I A/B this with my fireball 60 vs 530/engl power amp, and the sound is similar. The power amp really gives it that extra punch that it needs. The lows get a lot better. I rated this an 8 because of the shrill and fuzz that it can get on certain settings, but if you change the tube, then I would rate it a 10. I tried changing them to JJECC83S and it did increase the bass a little bit, but the high end side did not really change that much. I changed them into Tungsol 12AX7s and I like it better. More low end, less shrill and a lot more responsive. One more thing is that regardless of what kind of tubes I used, the responsiveness of the amp makes it cut through a mix very easy.

This thing will last a lifetime. The construction is heavy duty. The knobs are heavy and the case is.....heavy and just really well built.

If you are looking for an amp that is very easy to use, does not cost a lot, portable, and has massive amounts of gain, then you should definitely try this one. If you plan on buying a $200-$400 crazy boutique distortion pedal, consider this preamp first. For $200 more, you get all the features and simplicity this amp offers plus the sound. I don't think there is any pedal or any modeling product in the market that can match the quality of distortion that this thing pushes. The gain on ENGL amps, whether it is the SE or the 530 is really unique.

2 channels with switchable gain + contour switch for distorted tones + preamp defeat switch that routes direct guitar signal to the output + bright switch on clean channel. everithing except for "bright" is assignable from the footswitches yeah, it works with 2 footswitches, and it's pretty nice - you can make it by yourself like i did having just a box, some LEDs, foot switches (spst is enough), cable and two stereo jacks. ENGL's original footswitches look nice but cost too much and there's nothing in it but switch and LED.
theres a mono send/stereo return fx loop, stereo out and a supreme di emulated stereo output - on jacks too.
preamp is a true tube baby, though it does have OPs and solid state elements in loop buffering and speaker simulating which means you get totaly tube tone.
Oh, one more thing - you can use external midi switcher and pair it with your power amp's mode switcher if you have a switchable one.

i play in 2 bands - one plays blues/ethnic/rock and another plays hard'n'heavy rock. so i need much of versatility as long as i can not afford spending much on different equipment for each band. and this preamp IS the solution.
i mainly use masterbuilt guitars buy Alexander Kudritskiy - a super-strat with one-piece mahogany body, bolt-on mapple neck and seymours (dimebucker and 2 jbjr in middle and neck) and telecaster with heavy-weighted ash body (about 6 kilos) with DiMarzio chopper in bridge and seymour duncan APTR in neck.
if you wanna have a preamp that will deliver the true sound of your guitar - this is fir you.
dynamic's great! comparing to my Marshall jcm2000 dsl it feels like i had a compressor between the guitar and the amp and now it is turned off. every sound nuance is driven by fingers.
Clean is clean. it reminds me a bit of trace elliot velocette.On high gain clean will produce juicy breakup suitable for texas blues and some old school rock.
lead channel rocks from the start. it's full of harmonics and agression. not as much bass as my marshall has but it's tighter and more pronounced. high gain sounds are very focused and fat at same time. contour switch adds plenty of room and soul. and even on max gain you can go to clean sounds just with your guitar's volume knob.
seems to be noisy at extreme gain settings so rocktron's hush is very usable.
and one more thing - you gotta play realy clean with engl e530 - it makes every mistake noticable. but if you play good it will make you shine.

i can depend on it. i have no backup. i don't need it with e530. yesterday i played on open air show in drivin rain. there was tent over ther stage but after the gig i saw that my preamp that was at the very back of stage and a wireless unit on it are complitely wet. but still it worked and sounded like it should.

i love this preamp. i would by another one if something wold have happen ot mine

2 channel guitar preamp rack with stereo outputs, stereo effects loop, headphone output, recording output, preamp bypass and 2 gain modes per channel. Bought a couple of months ago brand new. Very Simple to use, literally plug in and play. I use a marshall double footswitch to switch between channels and gain level, although you can add another footswitch to control the bypass and contour controls if you wish. Couple of bad points, no proper midi! It costs ??120 for the engl 4 way switch to get midi (im assuming the pedal itself has a midi in, out and thru port). i suppose this is good in a way because any engl amp can then be controlled via midi, but they really should have had it built in for a rack pre.

Im using a couple of schecters at the moment. The hellraiser C1 (in drop C) with EMG 81/85 (either 85 or 61 on the bridge, i forget which), and a Blackjack PT (in standard) with a jeff beck humbucker in the bridge! I play mostly rock, metal and hardcore stuff. This amp is made for metal! Its got stacks of gain on the lead channel, and even with the gain all the way up its really tight on the palm muted riffs, unlike duel rectos for example. I was expecting to have to buy a tube screamer pedal to tighten up the sound as many metal guitarists do, having the amps gain lower, and using the screamer distortion to saturate the tone (ala zakk wylde, killswitch, god forbid, chimaira....the list goes on). But you really dont need that for this amp. The sound is comparable with the new peavey EVH head in terms of gain and tightness....but the engls got more of a mojo. Its a really unique sound with lots of bite. If a boogie rumbles, and a marshall roars, then the 530 snarls whilst spitting acid at you. You will find yourself trying to make it sound like your fav band, and then figuring out that it not only does it, but it does it better! (this happened to me whilst playing Tool). The contour switch and duel mid controls really let you shape the tone. You can go all out dimebag filth, all the way to zakk wylde squealing.

The clean and crunch tones are OK. Youre not gonna be considering the "modern Rock" version of the e530 if you play country, blues or jazz.

For Lead tones, its not as good as it could be unfortunately IMO. Its a little too bright when you go from a metal riffing tone, to a soloing tone(especially with the jeff beck pickup). In other words it can do one or the other. But having said that an EQ pedal in the FX loop would fix that minor problem straight away.

As with all hi gain amps there is some noise when u crank the gain, but not too much. And it seems to become less noticeable as you turn it up.

For metal riffing tones i would give it a 10 because it is actually amazing, and a joy to play. But the other tones drag the rating down a little bit.

Engl.....German = built like a tank. no problems so far.

Not had to deal with them yet.

If you love metal, and have a decent valve poweramp ( i use a heavily modded marshall el34 50/50....although its now more like a 6L6 50/50 with custom transformers :-) ), then this is a great amp. In my opinion more amps need to be specialised to a genre. Thats where marshall went wrong with the JCM2000 series. They tried to make it do everything and it just didnt work. You wouldnt buy a Fender Deluxe to play hardcore, and likewise you probably wouldnt buy a jcm800 for jazz. This amp is specialised for metal, and it does a fantastic job.

2 Channels, Clean and Lead, Bright Switch on clean channel, contour on lead. Hi/Lo Gain switch allows for some nice breakup sounds on the clean channel, classic rock rhythm on the gain channel on low. Can all be switched via a foot switch, or through a separately purchased midi switcher.
Preamp has a built in power amp with cab sim for practice use with a cabinet. Frequency compensated line outs for recording.

Using with a Gibson SG standard/peavy 50/50 power amp.
For Metal, the buck stops here. No other pre-amp out there comes close in this price range. I've owned JMP-1, Tri- axis, Mesa Recto Recording.
The Tri-axis is the only thing comparable, but generally requires a lot of extra tweaking and an EQ or something like wise in the loop to get you there.
One major thing that stands out from all others.If you are using the recording line outs, The built in power amp, or direct to a proper power amp, the voicing STAYS THE SAME. The Recto pre, JMP and TAX all sounded completely different through there various outputs and required huge amounts of EQ'ing to get them in line.
But enough about them.

Clean Channel - Nice if not average clean, Better then the Recto Pre and JMP, With Bright switch is enabled , well it's brighter, glassier tone, can be a bit to harsh. With high gain enabled, this gives a really nice breakup, bluesy tone. Reminds me of an older JCM 800 Head.

Lead Channel - Lo Gain. Nice straight Rock or lower gain alternative tone.(Green Day, AC/DC can all be found here.) Has HI and LO Mid dials in the EQ which add a lot of options for Voicing.

Lead Channel - High Gain, This is where this preamp shines. At 3-5 there is enough gain to cover pretty much everything, 6 on up is just insane BUT the gain does not turn to mush, still nice and tight, just loads of gain. I could not imaging anyone playing metal that would not find more then enough in this channel to satisfy what they need.The voicing screams metal, Really tight all around.

The best way I can describe the high gain is a very nice mix between a dual rectifier and a modded marshall plexi.

Only had it for a few months, but seems solid enough.

No Need to contact, but manuals can be downloaded from website.

If you play metal, buy this. If you are looking for a unit for direct recording metal, buy this, blows all the modelers(POD included) and recto pre away.
If you want something to run through a small cabinet or headphones, buy this.

They could easily charge a lot more for this pre-amp for the sounds it gets. I can't recommend it enough.

2007 made. The Engl E530 is an all tube preamp and it has all the features I want and none that I don't. 2 channels (Clean and Lead) with Hi and Lo gain modes on both. It also has a contour switch that works as a solo boost. I really like the graphic EQ controls better than the digital found in other preamps; very responsive to touch and hard so you your settings won???t easily change by accident. It has a headphone jack too. I only wish It was midi compatible but with the Engl Z-11 midi switcher (Bought separately) there is no problem.

I use 2 Ibanez RG550XX With an X2N in the bridge, a Reverse Polarity FS-1 in the middle and an Air Norton in the neck. The clean is nice and glassy. It will give you a jazzy sound or a brighter sound with the Bright switch enabled. The Hi gain mode will give you more of a bluesy overdriven type of sound. The Lead channel is what makes this thing killer. TONS of freaking gain, usable gain! I run my gain at 4-5 Max and it's plenty for the heaviest applications. The treble is pretty harsh and you will need to keep it lower than usual but it's no big deal. The Lo gain mode will give you a nice crunch for softer rock styles. The Contour switch will be a volume/mid boost for face melting solos. Some people say it can be noisy at high gain settings, I don't find this to be true. 5 is already hi gain and I don't get noise or feedback, if you go for extreme unnecessary setting you may get noise. I'm selling my Rocktron Hush, that should say it all! ;)

I have had this for a month but it is pretty well built and so far no issues; it looks very reliable. I don't know anyone that has had a reliability issues with this thing. I do not use back ups and I trust this preamp to last me for a long time.

I have not dealt with Engl directly but I got mine from Dereck at Rock Solid Amps. He is a really cool guy and very helpful. Check out his store www.rocksolidamps.com if looking for some Engl gear!

I have been playing for 9 year. I use this with a Mesa 2:One Hundred power amp, a Rocktron Xpression and a Marshall 1960AV (WIch will soon be replaced by a Rectifier Cab or an Engl Stardard Cab). I'm very happy to own this preamp. I used to play a Peavey 6505+ and while it was hard to let it go ( I loved the sound) decided to go rack. I was looking for a High gain preamp that also had a good clean channel and a Solo boost (Things the 6505+ lacked). Over all, I find this preamp to be a great buy and a great product for what it is. Trust me, when you read Modern Rock in the front panel, they really mean it!! So you are warned in advance. If you play Blues/Country/Jazz/Classic Rock this is not for you; there are other products out there that will suit you style much better. I play Prog/Power Metal (Think Symphony X, Dream Theater, Blind Guardian) and I love this little thing. For the price, I think is the best preamp in the market. I has a Marshall JMP-1 and it was great but just not the sound I was looking for. I also bought the Engl Z-11 Midi Switcher to access all the features from my Midi Mate and I'm loving it! :D

I want to say it was made around 2003 my particular one. I really only play metal and prog so it's perfect for exactly what I need it for. It's got two big channels and then some boosts and contours to change them up a bit. If you get the little pedal for it it definitely improves the switching, I'm not suer if they come with them new or not though. It does have a headphone jack and effects in and all that. I wish it was more, or at all midi accesable, it just kind of lacks in features overall, but for it's price I guess I can't complain. I use this amp out gigging and at home and it's the only preamp in it's price range I would suggest, nothing else compares.

It's pretty much capable of every kind of music, but it's CLEARLY made for metal, or "modern rock" if you will. The clean channel isn't distorted it works very well I'd say. The distortion if prefectly clear and beats out everything I've heard in it's range, the only thing slightly comparable would be the rocktron pirhanna, but it's still not nearly as nice. I use a jackson soloist with duncans and it gives such a clear tone. It's perfect for my style of music, the only other two preamps I'm considering are
1. The 1700 upgraded version of it
2. Mesa Triaxis

I can always depend on it, I can't imagine anything going wrong with it. Both my friend and I have gigged around with it with no problems or even thoughts of problems

Never had to deal

I've been playing for about 8 years, and this is the only preamp aside from the triaxis I have ever though well enough of to play on. For it's price it's the best on the market. I would suggest to anyone buying their first rack piece to get this hands down. Don't even consider anythign else unless you're getting an insane deal on it. I wish it had midi, but other than that, for it's price I'm happy with what it does....clean and distorion.

The E530 is an extremely versatile preamp, with everything between suprisingly warm and lush clean sounds and all-out death metal distortion. In my opinion, it's the best amp you'll get for the kind of money it costs.

The preamp is driven by two tubes (12AX7 / ECC83). It has a total of four channels, easily switchable through midi-interface or footswitch, effect loop and frequency compensated outputs for direct recording. And those actually work great!

I run the preamp through an E830/50 poweramp (the old version of E840) and they match perfectly. This setup through a 4x12 cabinet is all I need for both rehearsals and gigs.

It would have been nice if it was delivered with a footswitch, but at least the small Engl Z-4 won't set you back too much.

It has amazing variety, and is capable of both sweet blues-sounds, crushing metal and 70's rock. Perhaps not the best clean tone around, but good enough for me. The clean channel is somewhat distorted in higher volumes, but you have to go pretty damn high on the gain setting, in my experience.

I use it with ESP and Ibanez guitars, all mahogany bodies with neck-through design and EMG pickups. In my opinion, that type of guitars is close to perfection in combination with this preamp. The sound is tight, the distortion warm and brutal and the separation good.

I play mostly black (and extreme) metal, and I am really satisfied with this amp. I have tried several of the expensive Engl heads (Savage, Invader, Blackmore etc.) but feel absolutley no need to upgrade. It packs an enormous punch and has all the gain you'll ever need.

The only thing is the tubes. On extreme gain settings it is somewhat noisy, has a lot of treble "fizzle" and is not quite as tight as I want it to be. To really get this preamp to it's best performance, you'll want to change the tubes to JJ ECC83 S. That takes away the "fizzle" on the high gain-channel, makes the distortion a bit warmer, the sound tighter and REALLY makes the contour-switch on the amp kick ass!

Gig with it without a backup? Definetly! It is sturdy and can take the heat. I would recommend using normal care, as you would with any amplifier, but this is by no means an amp prone to breaking down.

I have used it for about a year and never had any problems at all.

Have never dealt with Engl personally or needed support.

I have been playing for almost 16 years and have tried loads of different amps before settling on this. I will never go back from Engl, that is for sure. I love almost everything about this preamp, and compared it to the more expensive Engl heads (and Mesa) but see no real need to spend a lot more money to get basically the same sound.

basicly the same as the other E530 around. 2 channel, 2 mode 1 rackspace preamp. kind of tweaked fender like channel 1 (roughly), and high gain, marshall based channel 2.

options without it being plugged are cool enough. see the website for further specs.

there are 2 channels and 2 stories.

the clean channel is the better of the 2 stories. versatile enough and it delivers. I suggest by the way new tubes and leave the old Engl stock ones in the trashcan; they are too harsh for this preamp. bright cap does a good job, adds some shimmer. this channel is somewhat compressed, but not in a real bad way. good bass response and pretty good voicing to cut through the mix.

the lead channel is the problem. a lot of people rave about it, I think it is seriously flawed. first you have to love the sizzling highs. I don't, so I roll back the hi mid (wich is actually treble) and the treble (which is actually a bright pot) and the high sizzle is gone, works for me. secondly, it does not cut through the mix, at leas the high gain while doing some rhytm does not cut. for soloing it is a little bit better. the lo gain lead does not suffer from this problem, at leas not with the contour on and mid at 3 o'clock.
the third flaw is the dynamics. it delivers a very brutal distortion, that does not cut and has no dynamics or definition to speak of... that is again, on the high gain. this is due to a gainstage that is switched off in the lo gain... tada, difference explained. that gainstage is the bad boy, which caused me headaches.

if you want to use the lead channel properly in a band: forget about the hi lead; only suitable for very compressed note soloing. if you want a raw, usable, leadtone: turn up the gain on the low channel. don't need that much gain: well it has dynamics enough that the volumepot on your guitar acually works...

no problems so far. just a bad tube at delivery. now it is fitted with jj tubes, a lot warmer.

overall build: seems sturdy enough

no idea

well, you have to get into the electronics to get why it does not work very well on the channel it supposably is build for: hi gain lead. forget this channel and you have a very decent preamp for its price.

Made in 2006. Bought new from Derek B. at www.rocksolidamps.com - They call it 4 channels, really more like 2 with a gain boost for each channel. Pretty standard tube preamp. Seems like it's built well. Has a your effects loops, line outs, frequency compensated line outs (supposed to simulate a cabinet - you can hear a sample I recorded here: www.rocksolidamps.com - go to sounds page and look for "Engl E530 Direct Recording" This was done with just a cable going from the preamp directly into my mac. My only gripe is no lead boost.

I am using this through a Peavey Classic 120/120 power amp and 2 Madison MAG-H412 hybrid cabinets (each cab has 2 Celestion V30's and 2 Celestion G12T-75's) with a few USA select Jacksons. Using both EMG's and Duncans. This thing will give you just about any tone you could ask for from Stevie Ray to Deicide or AC/DC to Zyklon. All the gain you could ever need. I play mostly death metal (www.myspace.com/mercykillonline) and this thing handles it VERY well. I can also dial in some great old Ace Frehly "Hotter than Hell" sounds. Not the best clean channel in the world, but I don't really need one.

Had it for about 5 months. Seems rugged enough. It is in a custom built shock mounted case so I know it's pretty safe. Sturdy metal construction. Haven't had any issues yet.

Haven't had to deal with them yet, but Derek at Rock Solid has a great reputation so I am not at all worried.

I have been playing for about 18 years and have used all kinds of gear. I am a total Engl fanboy. I love the tone of all the Engl stuff I own. If this died I would buy another in a second. For the price you can't beat it. Not too many features to overwhelm you. Just plug and play.

-Two Channels, Two "Modes" per channel, + Two Gain Stages for each channel, = about 8 different sounds, right out of the freakin' box.
-Clean Channel 3 Band Parametric EQ (Bass/Mid/Treble)
-Overdrive Channel 4 Band Parametric EQ (Bass/LoMid/HiMid/Treble)
-Stereo Line Outs
-Stereo Cab Emulating-Line Outs
-Auxiliary Input
-Headphone Output, which can be used to drive a guitar cabinet.

Right, I'll break this down with all the channels/modes seperate.

For background, I'm running straight from either a Jackson RX10D (stock PU) or a Schecter Omen 6 (X2N in the bridge) into a, yes, that's right kiddies, a Marshall MG412A. Ew. This cab picks up friggin radio signals. (it's NOT the ENGL, I've put it in front of a few other things and no background chatter when I shut up with the guitar). However, this thing STILL sounds good!!

-Clean/LoGain/BrightOff - Sort of a sterile kind of clean, and keep in mind i'm using the SS poweramp included here. not much character in it, but it responds well to reverb/delay and the such.
-Clean/LoGain/BrightOn - Ah, here we are. Character, tone, and warmth! This setting gives the preamp a lively kick in the nads, and wakes it up. Great cleans here; effects would work well here too.
-Clean/HiGain/BrightOff - Bluesville. roll back your tone and you're swimming in Hendrix style fuzz.
-Clean/HiGain/BrightOn - Not to much to say here, not much different from the HiGain/BrightOff clean, 'cept it sounds a little more Stevie Ray to me.
-Overdrive/LoGain/ContourOff - My God. It's crunch friggin' heaven. Hit a few open chords, stand back, and marvel. I started playing the chorus to "Shook Me All Night Long", and before long, my parents were staring at me like I was possessed by some guitar demon, making me rock out and smile at my godly tone. My father, who got me started on guitar, merely said, "Wow." This channel is where all the classic rock's at, but it particularly excels at that AC/DC grit-crunch, and if you tweak it a bit, the alternative-rock crunch you'll hear from your favorite MTV bands.
-Overdrive/LoGain/ContourOn - Hit that contour switch and roll back your tone knob, and your leads become smoother than your girlfriend's ass (Assuming your girlfriend takes care of herself, or is under 50). Everything from pentatonic smear licks to shred runs are right at home here.
Overdrive/HiGain/ContourOff - Sweet. Mother. Of. Mercy. This is it, fellas. This is that brutal, death-metal, rip-your-balls-off-and-cook-them-and-feed-'em-to-your-mother grind that you've always wanted. This is where I'm at home. I play in the style of Children of Bodom, Deicide, The Black Dahlia Murder, Decapitated, Lamb of God, and other death metal/power metal/metalcore bands. (Dragonforce...mmmmmm....) Palm mutes hit you in the teeth so hard your dentist feels it. Power chords obtain a whole new level of "power", yet still remian clean enough for you to pick out every single note. The gain is absolutley over the top, without being too noisy. (In fact, even you diehard Gain-heads will turn that knob below half. it's just TOO MUCH). This is the stuff metal gods are made of.
Overdrive/HiGain/ContourOn - Shred. Nuff said.

i've abused this thing more than it deserves. (Fell off a friend of mine's amp as he pulled a cable little to hard...survived with not one scratch!) I've had it for a good half year, and it is ASTOUNDING.I doubt i'll have to call in to ENGL or DerekB over at www.rocksolidamps.com (BEST. BUISNESSMAN. EVER) for a loooooooooooooooooooooooong time. That's German engineering for you. 5 cause i havent had a long enough time with it to accurately tell you...

havent dealt with ENGL, but DerekB is the best person you will deal with. Ever. What kind of buisnessperson gives their personal cell phone number on their website? One that's damn good cause he's respected, and for a good reason.

Free SHIPPING was enough! but he threw in the neat rocksolidamps T-shirt (free adverts for him, but I'd buy Derek billboards if i had the money!) + totally metal skull keychain \m/.

I've been playing for about 4 years, and I'm 16 years old. Yes, all your gearhead alarms are going off... "16??? HE'S PROBABLLY STILL SCOOPING HIS MIDS!!!" but trust me, I'm as tried-and-true as the the rest of you gear snobs. I've played countless amps in stores, and none have jumped out at me like ENGLs have, even when i was trying to convince myself I liked a certain amp... (But...dual recs are the shit, right Salesman Bob? RIGHT????). I play in a thrash/death outfit that hasnt recorded anything yet due to a lack of a recording equipment fund...but we'll have something up soon, probablly on the HCAF. stay tuned.

Oh, if someone stole it, I'd eat his spleen. And buy 10 more of these.