NAD: Ceriatone Chupacabra 50w (pink & blue)

[TheTrueZoltan!]

How your ears can deceive you! Today I compared the Chupa with a few of my recordings that I really like the sound of. And to my surprise, I realised that contrary to my initial impression that the amp is a bit on the harsh side and lacks body, I even had to turn down the resonance control a good deal to match the sound of the recordings. I think I now have the amp 99% where I want it. I did a matching EQ test with a recording I made with the JVM OD2 Orange channel. Mid and treble regions are almost identical now, low end is a little bit fuller (but in a nice and punchy way).

 

[TheTrueZoltan!]

After a little more time with the amp, I learned the importance of the Gain II knob to adjust the voicing. Turning it up takes away some of the Chupacabra's aggressive high-highs and also adds some nice compression to the low-end. You could say the knob adjusts the balance between sharpness and sweetness. Higher settings make the amp sing more and also bring out the lower midrange, which I previously found lacking compared to the Powerball II (where it was almost too prominent). Lower settings, on the other hand, tend to produce a more sharp and percussive sound.

 

[2dor]

Lower settings, on the other hand, tend to produce a more sharp and percussive sound.

True, true. If you have the bright switch engaged it'll be even more pronounced. The Bright switch's effect is still noticeable, if engaged, until ~ 7 on the dial.

 

[TheTrueZoltan!]

Stick with it. I know what you are feeling. It took me several weeks to get a handle on my King Kong 50. I eventually had to turn off my brain and just use my ears. […]

I was already convinced that I wanted to sell the amp. However, as no buyer had yet been found, I gave it another chance every day - rather reluctantly - and was finally rewarded. The Chupa didn't make it easy for me, but in the end I found out that the Gain II Bright switch was responsible for my displeasure. Without it, the amp sounds much more balanced. The slightly shrill highs that bothered me before have disappeared, and the mids now come into their own much better. It wasn't love at first sight, that's for sure, but I'm now really impressed.