# Hiwatt DR103 vs Marshall Plexi



## butterknucket (Feb 5, 2006)




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## krall (Apr 19, 2009)

...And the Marshall wins this shootout.


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## butterknucket (Feb 5, 2006)

They both sounded good, just different.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Really? I thought the Marshall sounded muffled.


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## krall (Apr 19, 2009)

Guncho said:


> Really? I thought the Marshall sounded muffled.


To me, the Hiwatt was too bright/thin.


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## Louis (Apr 26, 2008)

krall said:


> To me, the Hiwatt was too bright/thin.


This one sings !!


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## Chitmo (Sep 2, 2013)

Seems like silly things to compare. They’re not even the same wheelhouse!


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

Stupid comparison - should play both amps with SAME cab or both cabs with same amp (or even better - both of those so you know what's doing what). I would bet $100 most of the difff is Fane vs Celestion (which are fatter sounding).

The Marshall does sound better for such riffage solo, but I bet the Hiwatt would win 'in the mix' .... which is another consideration to keep in mind with such shootouts.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Granny Gremlin said:


> most of the difff is Fane vs Celestion


I had a '79 DR103 and two JCM800's ('84 & '86).
Probably not in the same league as the vid, but to me, the DR ruled (Fanes)


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

My vote is for the Hiwatt.


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## butterknucket (Feb 5, 2006)

I also found myself preferring the Hiwatt.


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## aC2rs (Jul 9, 2007)

In this comparison I preferred the Hiwatt, IMO it sounds much more articulate than the Marshall.
The Marshall still sounded good, just a different voice.


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## reckless toboggan (Mar 9, 2019)

Marshall.

Especially so in this demonstration where the amps are isolated from a band.

Hiwatts have always sounded just a bit too thin/brittle to my ear. They can, and have, definitely sounded amazing given what else is going on in the context of a band, and in a given location. But on their own and more often than not, still just a bit too thin/brittle to my ear, and it's even more apparent to me when they're played on their own.

I absolutely hated Hiwatts (and fender amps, and telecasters) when I was younger and I could hear all of the high frequencies much better than I do now. The Hiwatt "cut", the Fender "sparkle", and the tele "twang" were like painful ice-picks in my ears, at least until I was in my mid 30s.

As my hearing sensitivity has inevitably rounded off, as it does with us all, I've come to really enjoy Fender amps, telecasters, and Hiwatts too.

To my ear Marshalls sound better on their own and generally better in a wider variety of band contexts and locations, and that has been so to my ear over the years. Marshall (Plexi especially) with a Strat or Les Paul usually just sounds good to my ear in most situations and over the years, although as we all know there have been examples of terrible ice-picky Marshalls too, which I absolutely, painfully, loathed.

In my old-ish age, again, as my hearing has rounded off in the high frequencies, the high-frequency ice-picks have been replaced with a permeant tinnitus, and I've really come to appreciate Telecasters through Marshalls, and Fender amps in general as well.


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## SG-Rocker (Dec 30, 2007)

The build quality and wire dress of a Hiwatt is unparalleled for a quasi-mass produced amp.

* the pokey sound is likely due to the Fanes.


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## bolero (Oct 11, 2006)

I used to run my '60's plexi thru a '72 Fane loaded 4x12, sounded pretty killer

the '73 DR103 also sounded fantastic through it though

I used to run them together, the Hiwatt DR103 halfstack & the Marshall JTM100 halfstack. 

sounded really, really good

so I guess I'd vote for both


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I liked the Hiwatt. Both sounded good, but in a mix I think I’d prefer the Hiwatt.


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## pckpat (Aug 19, 2009)

I've always loved the sound of them both...to me it's like trying to choose between Fender and Gibson.


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