Has anyone migrated upwards (or downwards) from Ashdown MAG amps/speakers to ABM? And if so, is it worth over double the cost!?
I use a MAG EVO 300 head with two MAG 2x10 cabinets. Sound (to my ears) is very fair UNTIL you need a bit more volume (maybe half to three-quarters), at which point it sounds a bit cheap and clicky. No real warmth, though a fair bit of overall volume. I use passive Fender P.
There was an ABM 500 head going through pretty ancient Laney speakers at my rehearsal studios, and this seemed much better to me - even at low volumes. I didn't think the valve dial-in did much, nor was anything else especially remarkable. But I preferred the set up to mine.
So the question is what EXACTLY is different on the ABM series. Ashdown's website is a bit woolly on the subject. Are the MAG speaker drivers exactly the same as the ABMs? In which case I can't believe just having wood cabinets will make THAT much difference to the sound. Just a lot more weight. Does the ABM amp series have different circuitry to the MAG series, or just a few more watts and a valve pre-amp? I'm not clear at all what makes the price difference. It's pretty much impossible to try 3-500 Watt amps in a shop at mid-to-high volume so I'm stuck.
Any views/experience welcomed!