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BGRA: SWR SM-400
| Manufacturer |
SWR |
Model |
SM-400 |
| Reviewer |
Paul |
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| Experience |
35+ |
Item owned |
6 months to 1 year |
| Review Date |
2005-03-23 |
Price paid |
$300 |
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Dimensions | typical |
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Weight | 18 lbs |
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Power | 400W to 8 ohms (bridged) |
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Other | effects out, stereo or mono bridged, pre out |
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I'm not really big on writing reviews, but when I am so impressed by a piece of ancient equipment (the head, not the writer) I've got to express it. I'll start with a listing of SOME of the amps I've owned over the years: An Ampeg B15, Ampeg B-18, something I think was called a B-215 (solid state flip top with 2 15's) a Kustom 200(Blue no less!, an Acoustic 370 (with the 18" bin) A very forgetable Randall (yuck), A Trayor Bloc 80 which I still have, a G-K 400RB and now this SWR 400. All I can say is that it blows all the others away, not only in power, but in sound texture, color, tonality or whatever adjective floats your boat. This is a truly flexible and powerful amp with tons of warmth. When I bought it it didn't sound all too great, but with an easy changeout of the 12AX7 pre-amp tube, it all came together. I am playing this through a 15" Delta LFA in a folded horm box of my own design. I can tell you that it's not the speaker that does it, it's the amp. I used the G-K 400RB on the same speaker, and all I got was a thin, brittle, loud tone, that sucked. This happens to be a early whiteface version, with no cooling fan. Does that make a difference? I have no idea, but it'll be a long time before I'll put this one out to pasture!
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| construction |
 | (95%) |
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| clarity |
| (100%) |
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| versatility |
| (100%) |
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| volume |
| (100%) |
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| value |
| (100%) |
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| overall |
| (98%) |
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