Clips - OT Comparison - MM vs '74 Dagnall

rgalpin · Post by **rgalpin** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 11:27 pm

These clips compare the Mercury Magnetics Axiom 0100 JM to a Dagnall that came stock in a '74 100W Super Lead.

I am interested to hear your opinions on each.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemus ... dID=681952

I am trying to get more of that Marshall knock woody tone out of my amp and I am wondering if the Dagnall takes me in that direction. Hard to tell for me so far. What do you all think?

awangotango · Post by **awangotango** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 11:55 pm

The first is to old analog L.P's as the 2nd is to the digital CD. more clarity, but at a price. tone and punch. i like's my old albums, i listen to any of my favorite tones on Lp and prefer them over cd. .........Alot of the knock is from the cab no?

rgalpin · Post by **rgalpin** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 12:53 am

thanks for checkin' it out a.t. - good observations "more clarity - at a price."

I think the merc sounds better but in a sort of "sounds good in yer bedroom" kind of way. It's actually compressing the HAIR out of the sound - the Dagnall lets the hair through big time. The Merc sounds compressed and nice but almost a little constipated. Compressed and nice doesn't translate well next to drummer pounding a snare drum into oblivion - I'm thinking that even though the Dagnall sounds more "unrefined" that it might be the better of the two for my applications. at the very least worth a try.

i have so far tuned the amp to the merc - if i go with the dagnall i'll tune it for that - and i may be overthinking this a bit - but i think that with the merc, if i get some frequencies going from the amp that are close to the knock the merc will turn them into nice round warm lows and i'll miss the mark.

maybe i've convinced myself prematurely - but i'm trying to keep an open mind - cuz i want that wood!

and the cab - YES! the knock is in the cab... not the 1x12.

bmf5150 · Post by **bmf5150** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 1:15 am

i like the dagnal better,but the merc is good.your dagnal sounds different than mine,thats weird.i have a 67 self lead 1.5 stack dagnal opt.

awangotango · Post by **awangotango** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 1:38 am

i'll give you a standing offer of $400 for that OT if you decide to dump it.

OdgeUK · Post by **OdgeUK** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 2:51 am

I think they are so close that I'd go for the cheapest option! LOL

The Merc was warmer to me but seemed to have a little less 'openess' to it. I though the Dagnall had a hardly noticable sound artifact in it that I didn't like, like a slight pre-amp gain type of distortion.

My ears told me that the Merc Clips were the better sounding. Is this unusual?

novosibir · Post by **novosibir** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 3:19 am

First of all - both are great sounding OT's! Each on its own way.

Then - not easy for me, to explain the different nuances I hear with my German's English, but anyway - the Dagnall has more kinda 'eeeh' in its tone, while with the MM it's more kinda 'oooh', a tad more mid pronounced at the expense of a tad less openness.

And yes, the MM is smoother sounding, the Dagnal has more roughness. It's not much! Let's compare with surfaces, which the Dagnall is grinding like with a 60 grain grinding paper and the MM like with a 80 grain grinding paper.

Technical spoken it seems, that the Dagnall has a tad more odd order harmonics from the range K7 & K9 - a bit more salt & pepper in the soup.

The more often I listen to both, the more I'd decide for the Dagnall - although, with the MM I'd also not be sad in no way

Larry

RACKSYSTEMS · Post by **RACKSYSTEMS** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 12:49 pm

We need a test of a older output transformer with self leads. One from a 68 plexi to compare I think this would be a better comparison.

rgalpin · Post by **rgalpin** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 1:24 pm

understood. the title of this thread sounded like it was MM vs Dagnall. but really it was just MM vs rgalpin's Dagnall!

i changed the title.

and i'd love to hear an older one compared to MM! bring it on!

darrell · Post by **darrell** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 1:38 pm

I put the tracks on a cd and played them on a onkio TXDX 656 receiver With a set of bose 601's as to sound like edward The Diag hands down.. The MM lost the hair Its not a bad tranny by no means but a different flavor for sure.Im glad i got to here them as I want to change the output tranny in my 100 watt head..

Are these off the shelf transformers or wound to your own specs ??

Sparky · Post by **Sparky** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 7:24 am

More juice on the MM, to my ears.

rockstah · Post by **rockstah** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 10:46 am

the DAG has more wood. more "knock".

NitroLiq · Post by **NitroLiq** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 11:14 am

[quote="novosibir"]the Dagnall has more kinda 'eeeh' in its tone, while with the MM it's more kinda 'oooh',

Tone Slinger · Post by **Tone Slinger** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 6:55 pm

I think the Dag outrite slays the Merc. Sounds more authentic. It made the Merc sound like a cheap distortion box in comparison, wasnt even close. More "Open Woody" sound . I assume that Georges Metro Dagnall clone would be the closest to the real thing ? Darrel, rgalpin's OT is a vintage '74 ot. The Metro clone would probably be as close as one could get. What does everyone think ?

Bluesgeetar · Post by **Bluesgeetar** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 8:26 pm

The Dag stole my heart in that little contest. It sounded old school where as the MM sounded very generic and well, new school.

Metropoulos Forum

Clips - OT Comparison - MM vs '74 Dagnall

Clips - OT Comparison - MM vs '74 Dagnall

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