Marshall DSL5CR

First a got a faulty one, stoped playin after a couple of hours. Thomann, exchanged it, and paid for all shipping fees, which is nice. The second works flawless.

Its my first tube amp, so i can compare only with my old MG50, which had a very dark "punk like" sound. This one has a nice bright crystal sound. The clean channel sounds very nice, with a touch of gain when pushed hard.

What i don´t like is the ultra-gain channel, which does not really sound like in many youtube reviews. Fortunatelly it works just great with my EHX Soul Food, which alters the sound more to my likes, to a crispy lead with tons of gain and tops.

The build-in reverb is decent, but not very prominent, and has no versatility.

Great for home playing, even on 0.5W is loud enough. Overall i´m happy with it.

The Marshall DSL-5CR is a great little amp for home and studio use, offering that classic Marshall tone in a compact package. The clean channel is especially impressive — warm, articulate, and full of character, making it perfect for blues, classic rock, and general practice.

However, the stock speaker does hold it back a bit. It’s serviceable, but tends to sound a little thin and lacks the tight low end that heavier genres like metal really need. Swapping in a higher-quality speaker can make a big difference if you’re chasing more aggressive tones.

Overall, it’s a solid amp for rock, blues, and lighter styles — just don’t expect it to deliver the crushing punch that metal players often look for straight out of the box.