Guitar Gear Forum

I caved...



My amp of the year last year out of all the units I reviewed and took on stage and the one amp that I couldn't get out of my head when taking any other amp on stage (yes even the Mark VII).

There's just something about the voice and structure of this amp that works SO well on stage. The top end cuts clearly and cleanly but not harsh or abusive, the low end is full and fat but clear and not boomy and not thin or lacking and it's REALLY quiet on stage with hardly any hiss and no feedback even when pushed extremely hard. For the style of music we play and my own tonal preferences, for a multi-channel amp, it sits in this Goldilocks area of sound.

The cleans are big and open with tons of headroom and can be squeaky clean or gritty/crunchy. The crunch channel can cover anything from blues to high gain modern rock, takes a boost pedal really well and the lead channel has tons of great modern high gain metal sounds on tap without being harsh or abrasive.

The tiny size and carrying case is great for gigs too .

I loaded it with a pair of KT77's and got it biased up and it made the amp sound even better. It's more open and a bit clearer at stage volume and also a bit louder as well when comparing the factory 6L6's recordings back to back. The 77's are about 2dB's louder.

Anyways, I've got the 50w 5153 (non stealth) and the Kraken V4 pedal amp hopefully coming soon to review and compare with this. Really interested in how that comparison goes.

I agree this is a great sounding amp. The size is great too. I wouldn't mind having one.

I wasn't crazy about the pedal amp version though. It sounded awesome at home but it didn't hold up at band practice. But the head is great. I've been wanting to try the Super Kraken too.

Can't go wrong with the 5153!!

I have not had a chance to give the Kraken a try, but I played a Sheriff and the RK50 a few months back and was floored at how good they sounded. Now I need to go try the Kraken. HNAD.

I had the Sherrif and it continues to haunt my dreams. Great choice!

congrats, Victory stuff sounds great from everything ive heard

You make us proud

I recall a video from when the first version of the Kraken was released, in which Rabea mentioned that its voice was designed to resemble two of his favorite amplifiers: the DSL on the crunch channel (though I'm not certain about the mode) and the 5150 Block Letter on the lead channel.

heath wrote: ↑Wed May 07, 2025 12:38 am I recall a video from when the first version of the Kraken was released, in which Rabea mentioned that its voice was designed to resemble two of his favorite amplifiers: the DSL on the crunch channel (though I'm not certain about the mode) and the 5150 Block Letter on the lead channel.

No wonder I like it

heath wrote: ↑Wed May 07, 2025 12:38 am I recall a video from when the first version of the Kraken was released, in which Rabea mentioned that its voice was designed to resemble two of his favorite amplifiers: the DSL on the crunch channel (though I'm not certain about the mode) and the 5150 Block Letter on the lead channel.

Yeah they dance around what the "inspiration" was in the official Victory videos but in comment sections, he's said as much.

The crunch channel on the amp is absolutely incredible and can literally do anything from a fat clean~ish sound all the way to high gain modern rock.

I could easily play an entire show with just that channel and a boost in front.

I've got a video coming hopefully this weekend of the new Chase Bliss BrothersAM pedal that I used the kraken with. I think it turned out really great. That pair ripped pretty hard on stage last weekend.

When I compared the Kraken preamp into my EVH 50s, they sounded pretty similar. I like the Kraken.