Lance Keltner of Retro Channel got in contact with me and offered me a review period with the Retro Channel Power Amp. I gladly took him up on his offer! One advantage to dealing with Retro Channel is that you deal with Lance directly; it's not some big corporation run by bean counters. Lance is accessible, knowledgeable and he can play guitar some... well, watch his demo videos. He's a beast on the guitar and lives it. His company makes serious gear and they stand behind it. I personally have a soft spot in my heart for guys that have the balls to design/produce and market boutique level gear for guitarists and stay available to the owner base via the Net and phone. It takes a helluva lot of confidence and balls; and Lance has stood the test of time. He's been around for quite awhile. That says a lot to me.
I am primarily in the last 5+ years a direct-to-FOH/FRFR guy, utilizing the Fractal Axe-FX family of preamps/modelers and then sending that direct to FOH and using a powered FRFR-type of monitor to well,... monitor myself. Using a power amp and conventional cab (in my case, I dusted off my old standby mid-80's Carvin 412 that I've owned since I was 15 (30 long years ago!). It's currently loaded with Eminence Red Coat and Patriot speakers in an X-pattern. It's a mono 8 ohm cab). Running the Axe-FX as a 'preamp on steroids' with a power amp and cab removes a lot of variables from setting up/dialing up tones and for a lot of players is a preferred way to roll. This review is based on that paradigm and focused on the power amp's performance and less on debating the 'in the room' aspect of this sort of setup. Horses for courses. I've also run my original (vintage?) "Witchdoctor" Rocktron Voodu Valve with it.
What do we have here?
The Retro Channel Power amp is a true stereo power amp, aka a dual monoblock design. It's solid state; it's solid as a tank (22 lbs) and it has cooling fins on the back; that means no cooling fan. It has simple 1/4" inputs/outputs on the back (R/in, L/in) & (R/out, L/out).
On the front face, which features a prominent back-lit "Retro Channel" logo plate in the middle, an on/off power switch, and a mirror set of controls for the L/R monoblock power amps. Each side features a Volume, Master, Resonance and Presence.
In order, the Volume is your input level. You can vary this from clean and 'non-color timbre' allowing your given preamp to do the timbre; or you can ramp this control up (in relation to and working interactively) the Resonance, Presence and Master. The Master is your output level control and more is more. LOL. If you want it loud, this power amp can do it. I measured (db meter c-weighted, slow response) peaks of +128db about a yard from the cab. As with all 412's... that's a lot of air moving.
Unlike most solid state power amps, and more akin to tube power amps you have the Resonance and Presence controls. These are fascinating in conjunction with a preamp because they add the timbre of the Retro Channel 'thing' to your setup and are easy to hear/dial to best 'fit' your speaker setup.
In use, the Resonance is fairly subtle but IMHO is a 'set it and forget it' sort of control. You dial that control to best 'fit' your given cab and leave it there. Varying it for different types of tones doesn't make things better IMHO. Once you have it dialed... it's just 'right'. The Presence on the other hand, I liked more or less depending on the type of tone. I liked it up for more top 'bite' on clean tones, but - and this is personal preference and subjective - I tend to prefer darker OD type of tones, so I liked backing this off a bit.
Impressions:
The thing looks solid as hell, feels solid as hell. The cooling fin setup requires a fairly deep rack case; it's 13-1/4" deep from the front face to the rear of the cooling fins. (14" from the front of the control knobs to the back fins). They stick out 2" from the back of the unit. That's important to consider; but it also brings up one VERY important plus - no cooling fan. Silence when on.
With those 4 controls on the front, you can dial in all sorts of different timbre and it is remarkable - for a solid state amp - how much you can do with it. Lance has talked and shown in some demo videos that the power amp has some of the Retro Channel amp gain and 'feel' from their amp line. That allows you to actually even plug direct into the RC Power Amp and use it as a full blown solution. The gain level it allows is somewhere in the low mid-gain, essentially sounding like a pushed amp. If you are in a pinch because your preamp goes down; this is a nice alternative.
I ran this wide open for hours and hours, let it sit wide open for hours and hours. It gets warm, but never 'hot' to the touch. The cooling fins (note I did not have this mounted inside a rack case) get warm to the touch, but never more than that. Zero failures, issues or anything else.
What I want to hear from a power amp is the 'oomph' and interactivity with the cab. I want to FEEL it. Most solid state power amps I've used lack that reserve to deliver that 'thump' equal to a tube power amp in feel. This one, however, does it. That's remarkable and noteworthy. I've owned different power amps over the years from the Mosvalve MV-962 and Marshall's 8008 solid state power amps; to Randall Hammer 320, Carvin TS-100, Randall RT2/50 among others. Of them, the two solid state power amps I've owned cannot hold a candle to what I am hearing/feeling from the Retro Channel. I'd have to start comparing the Retro Channel to the big boy tube power amps (the Carvin wasn't as loud as it should have been given the specs; it was one of the first series they have gone on to improve over the years) and the Retro Channel is 22 lbs vs. the mammoth 50lbs for the Randall and (gulp) 67lbs for the Rivera. Is the output level comparable? Impossible to say. The Rivera was a monster from another time (and planet?); it was insane. I once ran four separate 412 cabs at one time in our practice space... I got vertigo. This Retro Channel has more than enough power to push two 412's... it's got power to burn. It might not match the mighty Rivera Hammer... but it's at least as loud and has more impact than the Carvin 100 watt tube rack amp I owned for sure.
Price/Value:
This is a premium piece of gear. It is made in the USA; that is going to add to the price tag. It is warrantied for life for the original buyer. It sells direct from Retro Channel's website for $1099. That puts it squarely in the upper range of available power amps - tube or solid state. The answer every musician in market asks is simple: Is it worth that price tag? I'd tell you straight up that this is worth very serious consideration. Why?
It looks, feels, and performs the part. Based on everything I've thrown at it... it performs exceptionally well. It is LOUD. It hits hard. It allows enough variation in both gain and controls - the resonance and presence - to dial it in to match your own particular cab. It does not blink at being hit hard for long periods of time. It exhibited no signs of any thermal distress even under heavy extended periods of use. Will that hold up to touring? I cannot say; it does indicate that there are no issues with my unit given the pounding I put it through.
Lance has informed me that it carries a lifetime warranty for the original purchaser; that bodes well for the confidence behind the design and build. It is built in the USA; and that means it carries a premium in price that cannot be ignored but also understood that not outsourcing the production overseas means that the company is willing to charge a little more to keep the production where the company is based. I will always give a high five to companies that do this - British companies making their gear in Great Britain, German companies making their gear in Germany, USA companies making their gear in the USA, etc, etc.. It allows for higher quality products and stricter quality control in general and IMHO, in practice. It adds a premium in price that I am often willing to pay for in order to support.
If I was in market for a power amp, I'd give serious consideration to this. There are a lot of competitors fighting for this market now - solid state amplifiers, digital switching power amplifiers, tube power amplifiers and hybrid designs. In that crowded space, Retro Channel is offering a solid, pro level piece of kit that they are standing behind with a lifetime warranty and producing it in the country of origin to do it. It performs far better than any solid state power amp I've owned in the past. I have no pause in giving the Retro Channel power amp a definite thumbs up and recommend you check them out if you are looking for a power amp. This is a worthy product.
I am primarily in the last 5+ years a direct-to-FOH/FRFR guy, utilizing the Fractal Axe-FX family of preamps/modelers and then sending that direct to FOH and using a powered FRFR-type of monitor to well,... monitor myself. Using a power amp and conventional cab (in my case, I dusted off my old standby mid-80's Carvin 412 that I've owned since I was 15 (30 long years ago!). It's currently loaded with Eminence Red Coat and Patriot speakers in an X-pattern. It's a mono 8 ohm cab). Running the Axe-FX as a 'preamp on steroids' with a power amp and cab removes a lot of variables from setting up/dialing up tones and for a lot of players is a preferred way to roll. This review is based on that paradigm and focused on the power amp's performance and less on debating the 'in the room' aspect of this sort of setup. Horses for courses. I've also run my original (vintage?) "Witchdoctor" Rocktron Voodu Valve with it.
What do we have here?
The Retro Channel Power amp is a true stereo power amp, aka a dual monoblock design. It's solid state; it's solid as a tank (22 lbs) and it has cooling fins on the back; that means no cooling fan. It has simple 1/4" inputs/outputs on the back (R/in, L/in) & (R/out, L/out).
On the front face, which features a prominent back-lit "Retro Channel" logo plate in the middle, an on/off power switch, and a mirror set of controls for the L/R monoblock power amps. Each side features a Volume, Master, Resonance and Presence.
In order, the Volume is your input level. You can vary this from clean and 'non-color timbre' allowing your given preamp to do the timbre; or you can ramp this control up (in relation to and working interactively) the Resonance, Presence and Master. The Master is your output level control and more is more. LOL. If you want it loud, this power amp can do it. I measured (db meter c-weighted, slow response) peaks of +128db about a yard from the cab. As with all 412's... that's a lot of air moving.
Unlike most solid state power amps, and more akin to tube power amps you have the Resonance and Presence controls. These are fascinating in conjunction with a preamp because they add the timbre of the Retro Channel 'thing' to your setup and are easy to hear/dial to best 'fit' your speaker setup.
In use, the Resonance is fairly subtle but IMHO is a 'set it and forget it' sort of control. You dial that control to best 'fit' your given cab and leave it there. Varying it for different types of tones doesn't make things better IMHO. Once you have it dialed... it's just 'right'. The Presence on the other hand, I liked more or less depending on the type of tone. I liked it up for more top 'bite' on clean tones, but - and this is personal preference and subjective - I tend to prefer darker OD type of tones, so I liked backing this off a bit.
Impressions:
The thing looks solid as hell, feels solid as hell. The cooling fin setup requires a fairly deep rack case; it's 13-1/4" deep from the front face to the rear of the cooling fins. (14" from the front of the control knobs to the back fins). They stick out 2" from the back of the unit. That's important to consider; but it also brings up one VERY important plus - no cooling fan. Silence when on.
With those 4 controls on the front, you can dial in all sorts of different timbre and it is remarkable - for a solid state amp - how much you can do with it. Lance has talked and shown in some demo videos that the power amp has some of the Retro Channel amp gain and 'feel' from their amp line. That allows you to actually even plug direct into the RC Power Amp and use it as a full blown solution. The gain level it allows is somewhere in the low mid-gain, essentially sounding like a pushed amp. If you are in a pinch because your preamp goes down; this is a nice alternative.
I ran this wide open for hours and hours, let it sit wide open for hours and hours. It gets warm, but never 'hot' to the touch. The cooling fins (note I did not have this mounted inside a rack case) get warm to the touch, but never more than that. Zero failures, issues or anything else.
What I want to hear from a power amp is the 'oomph' and interactivity with the cab. I want to FEEL it. Most solid state power amps I've used lack that reserve to deliver that 'thump' equal to a tube power amp in feel. This one, however, does it. That's remarkable and noteworthy. I've owned different power amps over the years from the Mosvalve MV-962 and Marshall's 8008 solid state power amps; to Randall Hammer 320, Carvin TS-100, Randall RT2/50 among others. Of them, the two solid state power amps I've owned cannot hold a candle to what I am hearing/feeling from the Retro Channel. I'd have to start comparing the Retro Channel to the big boy tube power amps (the Carvin wasn't as loud as it should have been given the specs; it was one of the first series they have gone on to improve over the years) and the Retro Channel is 22 lbs vs. the mammoth 50lbs for the Randall and (gulp) 67lbs for the Rivera. Is the output level comparable? Impossible to say. The Rivera was a monster from another time (and planet?); it was insane. I once ran four separate 412 cabs at one time in our practice space... I got vertigo. This Retro Channel has more than enough power to push two 412's... it's got power to burn. It might not match the mighty Rivera Hammer... but it's at least as loud and has more impact than the Carvin 100 watt tube rack amp I owned for sure.
Price/Value:
This is a premium piece of gear. It is made in the USA; that is going to add to the price tag. It is warrantied for life for the original buyer. It sells direct from Retro Channel's website for $1099. That puts it squarely in the upper range of available power amps - tube or solid state. The answer every musician in market asks is simple: Is it worth that price tag? I'd tell you straight up that this is worth very serious consideration. Why?
It looks, feels, and performs the part. Based on everything I've thrown at it... it performs exceptionally well. It is LOUD. It hits hard. It allows enough variation in both gain and controls - the resonance and presence - to dial it in to match your own particular cab. It does not blink at being hit hard for long periods of time. It exhibited no signs of any thermal distress even under heavy extended periods of use. Will that hold up to touring? I cannot say; it does indicate that there are no issues with my unit given the pounding I put it through.
Lance has informed me that it carries a lifetime warranty for the original purchaser; that bodes well for the confidence behind the design and build. It is built in the USA; and that means it carries a premium in price that cannot be ignored but also understood that not outsourcing the production overseas means that the company is willing to charge a little more to keep the production where the company is based. I will always give a high five to companies that do this - British companies making their gear in Great Britain, German companies making their gear in Germany, USA companies making their gear in the USA, etc, etc.. It allows for higher quality products and stricter quality control in general and IMHO, in practice. It adds a premium in price that I am often willing to pay for in order to support.
If I was in market for a power amp, I'd give serious consideration to this. There are a lot of competitors fighting for this market now - solid state amplifiers, digital switching power amplifiers, tube power amplifiers and hybrid designs. In that crowded space, Retro Channel is offering a solid, pro level piece of kit that they are standing behind with a lifetime warranty and producing it in the country of origin to do it. It performs far better than any solid state power amp I've owned in the past. I have no pause in giving the Retro Channel power amp a definite thumbs up and recommend you check them out if you are looking for a power amp. This is a worthy product.
Last edited:
I only own my 412 in terms of conventional guitar speaker cabs; and 412's by nature and design are not your friendly 'bedroom level' choice for a speaker cab. 
