Tech 21 Power Engine 60

By nature, this powered speaker doesn't have a lot of features. However, the 3 band EQ and master volume are a nice touch, as is the SansAmp XLR out.

The PE provides clean, clear, uncolored reproduction of whatever sound comes into it. I bought mine from a fellow musician who plays keyboards. He loved the sound until you got into the lower keyboard registers. It reached a point that he was not using it. I offered him $100 bucks (which was what he paid on eBay) and there you go.

I use the PE as the companion with my Tech-21 Trademark 60. It is exactly what I need for larger venues and outdoor gigs. The additional speaker moves more air and cuts thru nicely. The fullness of my TM60 + PE60 is amazing. A friend who heard one of my bands recently is general manager of a major music venue in the south. He was knocked out by the sound of this combination.

Who gigs without a backup? Actually, my backup is a preamp box like the Tri-AC or Magicstomp. I'd normally just take it direct into the board if needed.

If the PE60 goes down, I'll just play with the TM60 alone. But the beauty is that if the TM60 was to go down (leaving just the PE60), I'd just plug in one of the preamp boxes and keep going.

I've owned the TM60 for 5 years with no issues at all. I feel the PE60 is of the same quality.

I have sent some emails with operating questions and requests for manuals, etc. All have been answered in a day or two. Considering the competition, this is exceptional.

I've been playing 40+ years. Have owned Fender, Crate, Gibson, Vox, Roland, and Tech-21 amps. Now have the TM60 with the PE60, Fishman Loudbox 100 Acoustic amp, and a Roland Cube 60 for small jazz and rehearsals. Also do some small solo instrumetal gigs with a Fender Passport PD250. Gibson, US Fender, Taylor, Ovation, Epiphone and Line-6 Variax guitars.

If lost or stolen, I'd buy another in a heartbeat.

I did not compare this to other products because it was the companion to the TM60 which I already had and I was happy with Tech-21 gear.

This box is a great companion for the TM60 and for preamps (POD, Magicstomp, etc.) needing live power.

It's a very basic PowerAmp+12" speaker that amplifies the sound of any preamp
I bought a couple from musiciansfriend for my PODxt Live. I've always wanted a stero rig and i wanted to take advantage of the stereo capabilities of the POD but was frustaded that what i heard through my headphones sounded very different on an amp.
I also wanted something that wasnt too delicate, like tubes, and small enought for the gigs I play (100 people).
Its 60 watts which is more than enough for personal monitoring.
Has a built in EQ which i dont use, XLR output and input and a 1/4" input.
Its exaclty what i need.

It outputs exactly what you input, it doesnt color your sound at all.
It doesnt break when you turn it up but then again i dont usually like high volumes.
I play rock in the styles of U2, Stone Temple Pilots, a little Zep, very classic sounds.
I use a fender start 76 with EMG's and a Parker Nitefly SA

I've been giggin with these for a week now, which i know its not a lot of time but these amps are built solid, i dont think i will have any problems with it. I usually take good care of my equipment but still I think these could take a good beating and still sound good.

The bass player in my band www.myspace.com/adannuvo has a Tech21 SansAmp he bought on E-bay without a manual. We sent them an email and they replied with a link to the manual in less than 30 minutes. I know that has nothing to do with the PowerEngines but still they seem like a good company with good custumer support.

Ive been playing for 10 years semi-pro. Ive owned a Line6 Flextone II Plus with the external cab, then i switched to the POD 2.0 with a Crate head and half stack, then i moved to the xt live with a couple of these PowerEngines, i have never been happier...it allows the POD to sound like the POD, no coloring.
I play with a Strat 76 with EMG's and a Parker Nitefly. Event the piezo from the Nitefly sounds awesome through this. I would definitly get another PowerEngine if these were stolen. You cant beat the price on it. Very dependable, very light, punchy.

Very basic amp with vol, bass, mid, treb. This is the 60T which has the tweeter. I wanted a full range monitor for use with my Tonelab/GT-8 modelers.

The sound quality is pretty flat, which is what I wanted. The open back gives it an amp type feel, but still provides a pretty clear un-colored tone.

It's a solid state amp, so it will probably last forever.

Haven't need support yet.

I've playing over 30 years, mostly rock. I currently play in a P&W band and also in a wedding band. I use the PE 60 as a monitor to accurately reproduce the tones coming from the TL/GT-8. It does this very well. I haven't tried to turn it way up, but low volume sounds great. I would buy this again.

Light, compact, sufficent wattage and even looks cool (someone thought I had a Bogner Cabinet at first glance).

Perfect full range solution if using a modeler as your preamp...period. I can also use it to with my SWR amp and run effects in stereo. You can also chain PE60's as well.

Use the XLR out to go directly to board and then use amp stage monitor.

I play clean, blues, jazz, rock (heaviest being Van Halen-eqsque) and this is perfect sounding amp to realize the sounds I have dialed in. The PE60 just makes it all sound as it was intended.

Use it in church and it is silent.

Build extremely well. Very solid. Would most likely get another one.

Company was extremely responsive and friendly in all my email dealings.

Again, for a modeler preamp the PE60 is the power amp for you.

Simple to use.

Fender American Deluxe Strat HSS LT. I play this through either of two setups, depending on venue:
1, Strat -> Marshall Blues Breaker II -> Boss Overdrive 3 -> Boss Noise Suppressor -> Boss Gt-6 -> Tech 21 Power Engine.
2. Strat -> PreSonus Tube Pre -> Tech 21 Power Engine.

Both setups have proven better than my Fender Hotrod Deluxe or my Line 6 Flextone III. Don't get me wrong on the Fender or Flextone. Both are great. But for the GT-6, this thing gives me just what I'd expect after creating a patch using headphones. And the Flextone is a great guitar -> amp setup.

Not much to go wrong. It's solid state.

I would buy another one. I'm considering buying another one to use at church so I don't have to haul it between church and home twice a week.

1/4" or XLR Input. XLR Output with Ground Lift. 12" Celestion Seventy 80 Speakers. 60W rated.

Been looking for a way to amplify my processor since I bought a DG-Stomp a few years back. Then I got a VAMP2 to go with it. Now I replaced both with a PODXTL which I owned for more than a year now. This amp made a lot of difference for me. At first I wasn't happy with the sound that I was getting. So I tried different methods of "breaking-in" and "warming-up" the new speakers. Didn't really helped much. Not until I used the XLR in. It does make a difference, to my ears anyways. Now I'm happy with my rig ...

Giving it an 8 for making me think I made a bad decision for buying this instead of an Atomic!

Looks pretty solid to me. I only transport it twice a week to church so that shouldn't really be a problem for me. We'll see the wear & tear later.

I sent an email regarding the use of a DI box for the XLR in. Next day, I got my answer.

My Question:
i wanted to try to use the XLR in on the pw60 to connect my POD XTL
(unbalanced out). so i went to the local music store to buy a DI box. the guy in there asked me where i'm connecting it and told him about the amp. he is not sure if the XLR is a balanced "line level" or "mic level", neither do I (after he confused me).

Here's the answer from "John Bednar, Technical Supervisor":
You don't need any DI or external level shifting boxes. All you have to do is connect the XLR out of your POD to the XLR in of the PW60 with an XLR cable. The Level control on the PW60 is designed to adjust the input level from mic to line level.

Right now, here's my rig:
Gibson LP -> POD XTL -> PW60 -> PA System

If someone steals it, I will replace it again. If you don't have the money to buy overpriced amps or just want to make your rig simpler by using modellers, get this one.

Thought about getting the Atomic Reactor. From other reviews, it supposedly sounds better. But to think of the extra money, extra weight & the hassle of replacing the tubes ... oh, what's the point of getting a modeller again ;-)

The best feature is the way my Line6 Podxt Live sounds through it.
And at 32 lbs, I'm not going to break my back.

I have the 2112-A speaker and for the music I play, clean violin Fender Dumble tones, I feel this is a better choice over the Celestion found in new ones. To each there own. If I was playing vicious metal I might rethink speakers, but I'm not. So I'm real happy with the 2112-A's.
If it ain't broke, don't break it.

The Podxt Live sounds like the engineers at Line6 wanted it to sound like. Like it sounds on a direct recording with mic and room modeling. The PE60 simply reproduces the Pod so well.

This is true with my MagicStomp that I use for my acoustic. I use two PE60's for stereo. So nice.

Sometimes I'll use both modelers along with some other delays and switch in/out using a PedalRacks True Bypass Strip. I saw John Scofield using the strip. Very, very cool.

The PE60 sounds great with all my gear and I'll get wild with synth
sounds an octave or even two below princible note on both the MagicStomp And the killer synths on the Line6 Live. The PE60 can take it. No wuffing. Just bark and bite.

I like one PE60 for most electric work. Probably a phase thing.
Two for acoustic layered stuff, two for electric layered stuff.

But usually it's one PE60 'cause I'm real lazy.

At a local blues jam we get all tube geeks showing up with there botique amps or hot rodded amps or to be fair, cool old Fenders.
They talk their tube stuff amunst themselves then they ask me about my amp. What, no preamp?, No tubes?. Not much to talk about.

But then I get on stage with them and they are blown right out of the water with my tone. A G&L ASAT, The Line6 Podxt Live, and the PE60.

This is killer tone gear.

I had my jack on one of the PE60's cut out while playing twice. I cleaned the jack with spray cleaner and it seems ok now.
So I'll not ding it for maintainence

Talked to someone recently about the speaker upgrade and They told me for the type of music I play the 2112-A is prefered over the Celestion found in the new PE60's. The Celestions will handle big metal sounds better.
Robben Ford, Steve Kimock, Bill Frisell, John Scofield. Those are the tones I'm after. So I'm told the 2112-A is the better choice for that sound. Save my money. I'll still have to check it out someday.

This is the part of my tone chain that produces the final sound you hear. I would have bought anything. I would buy it today if it showed its face.

It did show its face, The PE60. I bought two.

I think I sound better than I ever have before.

just what it needs to do

Fender strat texas special pick ups and paf pro
Boss Gt-8 preamp/effects
Not noisy at all. The amp adds a lot of punch to modelers.
You have to figure out what output select the gt-8 needs. In my opinion line/p.a. because the power engine has xlr out (and in). You
need speaker sim. on (only with the line/p.a. output select.)
I had to change some speakertypes. Mostly 1x12.
The sound is brilliant. Couldn't be better.

I just have it a week. I think it's built verry well.

Okay

The best

I have two PE60 with the old 2112-a speakers. I'm concidering an upgrade to the new Celestion speakers. Any thoughts?

I have a G&L ASAT going into a Line6 PODxtLive into one or two PE60's
The Live is an awesome modeling pedal and I didn't want to change the sound of it by going into a combo. I saw the ad "finally, an amp with no tone", that got my attention.

One cab is what I prefer for most electric playing, but two cabs for acoustic. I have a Wechter Pathmaker into a Yamaha MagicStomp and again, the MagicStomp sounds soooo good and I want to preserve that tone. The PE60 in stereo is the answer

With my G&L ASAT, my PODxt, and my PE60's my tone is to die for. At least to my ears. I play a Bassman or a VoxAC30 or Silvertone thrugh the POD and that is what you hear. Just the way the Line6 engineers wanted it to sound like. A Great amp.

The PE60 are probably the single most important part of my tone chain.

Just keep it clean

?

As long as I'm into modeling, and that's been since Line6 came on the scene, I'll be using these cabs.

Of course if I ever own a 'Two Rock' amp then these will take a back seat. All I need is $6,000.00 dollars.

This is a totally tranparent power amp that is ideal for modeling pre-amps. It works great and sound great. It has XLR inputs and outputs, and 1/4" inputs and outputs. Doesn't really have any features to speak of except a 3 band EQ and volume control, the rest is dependent upon your modeler or pre-amp that you plug into it.

Perfect for me using my POD XT Live.

I am using a Carvin Bolt, into a POD XT Live, then into the power engine. All I have to do is turn up the mid-boost a little bit and I am ready to go. I don't need to change any input settings on the POD or anything. It's basically like going straight to the house PA, only I'm going through the power engine first and getting to the house through the XLR out, I don't need to use direct boxes anymore.

I get the same sound through the PE 60 as I do through the headphone out on my POD. That's what we all want right? It sounds great. If you know how to make a patch sound good, then the power engine will sound good to you.

I can't really rate the sound quality of the amp, because it is absolutely transparent. My POD patches sound good, so the amp sounds good. But top ratings for reproduction of the sound without any coloration.

It's well built, metal on the corners. It's really solid. No problems.

Never dealt with them, and haven't needed to.

This is really great for us modeling guys, it has a perfectly transparent sound to reproduce your pre-amp for stage monitoring. Excellent!

It can also be used as an extension speaker for another amp, tube or solid state. It's pretty amazing and versatile. I love it, and would definitely get another one if anything happened. Great product for a great price.

I bet they would sound great in stereo! Might have to get another one and find out!