PRS Paul Reed Smith HDRX 20 Guitar Amplifier Head (20 Watts)

zZounds Gear Experts Say...

Sear through the mix like a hot knife through butter with this refined, British-inspired amp, designed to bring unprecedented clarity to your highs!

Overview

The PRS HDRX 20 captures the flexibility, power, and balance of late '60s British-inspired tone in a lower wattage package. The PRS HDRX 20 features an "Authentic Hendrix" Touring Circuit. This circuit is heavily inspired by one of Hendrix's personal amps, purportedly used at Woodstock, which Paul Reed Smith and PRS Amp Designer Doug Sewell were able to study in 2018.

Designed to push the high-end so it is very clear, but not so much that it's harsh, the PRS HDRX shines without glaring and allows for aggression that can be backed off for smooth, sweet tones. The PRS HDRX 20 is driven by two 5881 power tubes. Chosen for their lower power, smaller size, and organic voice, the 5881 tubes bring thick but articulate tone that drives well and breaks up beautifully in this lower-wattage amp.

The PRS HDRX 20 features a 3-band TMB tone stack, 2-way bright switch, high-mid gain switch, and presence controls. These features mirror the historic amp and give players flexibility and increased control of their tone. The PRS HDRX 20 is also designed with internally bridged channels with individual treble and bass volume controls. This eliminates the need for a jumper cable (historically used on the outside of the amp) and allows players to dial in their distortion level and tone more easily by blending the lead and bass channels' individual volume controls, bringing more modern convenience to the amp. The addition of a Master Volume control on the HDRX 20 is another modern convenience. Players… read more can use the Master Volume to control the power amp section of the HDRX, making it more user friendly for players who do not want to add a volume attenuator to their setup.

Specs

-Wattage (nominal): 20
-Power Tubes: 5881
-Preamp Tubes: 3x 12AX7
-Preamp Positions: V1- Input, V2- Cathode Follower, V3- Phase Inverter
-Front Panel Controls:
- Channel 1 Controls Bass Volume
- Channel 2 Controls Treble Volume, Bright (off/bright)
- Common Controls Presence, Master Volume, Bass, Middle, Treble,
- Mid Gain (off/on)
-Back Panel Features:
- Inlet IEC w/ integrated fuse
- Output Jack
- Configuration/ 2x4, 2x8, 1x16 Ohm Selection
- Bias Adjustable (accessible bias monitor jacksand adjustment potentiometer)
- Channels 2, Internally-Bridged B+ Fuse Holder T500mAL/500V fuse
-Covering: Black Tolex
-Piping: Black
-Trim Panel: Black Tolex
-Amp Width: 17.25"
-Amp Depth: 9"
-Amp Height: 9"
-Amp Weight: 27.6 lbs

Dimensions and Weight in Packaging
Base Item: Shipping Weight: 28.25 lbs; Shipping Dimensions: 23 x 15 x 14 in; Manufacturer Part Number (MPN): 108456::ST--:

Documents and Manuals

For support or warranty questions, please contact the manufacturer:
Phone: 410-643-9970
Email: custserv@prsguitars.com
Web: https://prsguitars.com/support

Reviews

(4 ratings)

Submitted November 6, 2022 by a customer from icloud.com

"PRS hit it out of the park"

Overall:

(see rating details)

Verified Purchaser zZounds has verified that this reviewer purchased this specific product from us.

When the 100 and 50 watt versions of this amp came out I was intrigued, but didn’t need the power. With the 20 watt and a master volume PRS have checked all the boxes. I own a Marshall SV20H which is an amp that I’m sure most anyone considering the HDRX20 will also be looking at. In my opinion the HDRX20 is what the SV20 should have been. PRS is known for fixing small quality of life issues and they’ve done it here as well. If you’ve ever tried a SV20, you’ll know that it sounds great in it’s sweet spot, but that it can take some wrangling to get it there. The HDRX on the other hand sounds great straight out the gate and at pretty much any point on the dials. It’s much more intuitive to dial in sounds on the HDRX, and with the mid and bright switch can dial it for any guitar. Something about the HDRX that I really like is that it has the top end sheen of a plexi but unlike the SV20 it never seems to get out of control. Likewise on the bass end, while there is no shortage of lows, it handles my typically muddy neck humbucker with uncommon grace, lifting it into usable territory. It really is like refined plexi. The amp is very dynamic, tons of touch sensitivity and the transition to breakup is very pleasing. The amp handled a variety of guitars, letting each unique voice shine through. The HDRX also seems to take pedals well, at least as well as the SV20. I can’t speak to the internal build, but the outside is very well put together. Hopefully it will be a durable… read more amp. Owning both this and an SV20, it’s my opinion that the HDRX is hands down the better choice. It does the plexi thing, but with much more versatility. Given the price point, PRS is going to sell a ton of these.

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