Archon 50W Combo
High-Gain Hero
Greek for “ruler” or “lord,” the PRS Archon is a commanding 2-channel amp with versatile overdriven tones and sparkling cleans with plenty of headroom. Designed with five gain stages before the master volume, the Archon’s lead channel is voiced to cover everything from Classic Rock to Metal with full, lush distortion. The clean channel provides rich tones that retain clarity even at high volume, and there is ample headroom, creating an excellent platform for pedals. The Archon has remarkably responsive tone with incredible note separation, whether you’re playing on the clean channel or chugging on the lead.
The PRS Archon is powered by 6L6 tubes, offering full, articulate tone with smooth high end and tight low end. They chug, distort, and get heavy without over-saturating, and they sing without becoming harsh. The 1x12 combo features a single Celestion V-type speaker, offering full, extended lows and sweet midrange. The compactness and portability of a “grab and go” combo design is also great for players who bring their amp along to rehearsals, studio time, and gigs.
Utilizing a ‘no flash or trash’ approach, the Archon’s control layout allows for detailed and intuitive tone shaping. Each channel features volume, treble, middle, bass, and master volume controls as well as a bright switch. The 3-band EQ lets players better dial-in their desired tone, while the volume and master controls work together to command the amp’s distortion and loudness. The bright switch acts almost as a treble boost, putting a shine on the amp’s high-end without going into icepick territory. The global presence and depth controls in the Archon’s power amp section both work to modify the feedback network of the amp to unleash the potential of the high- and low-end respectively. Turning up the Presence control releases more high- mid and treble frequencies, bringing the amp’s tone forward. Depending on the tone stack and volume settings, the Presence can change the gain/ texture and loudness of the high-end, making your tone wilder and more 3-dimensional (or more “present” sounding). In addition to adding low-end, Depth adds a resonance to those frequencies that more 3-dimensionally shapes the Archon’s tone.
Bottom Line: The Archon 50 delivers full, lush gain, a remarkable clean channel, and a versatile control layout that players of all genres will appreciate. Available as a 50-watt head or 1x12 combo.
Specifications
| Electronics | |
| Wattage | 50 |
| Tubes | |
| Power Tubes | 2x 6CA7 or 6L6GC |
| Preamp Tubes | 6x 12AX7 / ECC83 |
| Front Panel Controls | |
| Lead Channel | Master Volume, Bass, Middle, Treble, Bright Switch, Volume |
| Clean Channel | Master Volume, Bass, Middle, Treble, Bright Switch, Volume |
| Global Controls | Presence, Depth |
| Back Panel Features | |
| Inlet | Fused Power Inlet (IEC) |
| Effects Loop | Series - tube driven |
| Extension Speaker Jacks | 5 |
| Ohm Switching | (2) 4 ohm & (2) 8 ohm parallel, (1) 16 ohm |
| Bias | Adjustable with Monitoring Jacks |
| Hardware | |
| Covering | Black Textured Vinyl |
| Grill Cloth | Black British-Style Knitted Weave |
| Piping | Black Embossed Welt |
| Panel | Brushed Black Metal |
| Speakers | Celestion V-Type 70W |
| Handle | Stitched Black Faux Leather |
| Measurements | |
| Amp Width | 21.5” (54.61 cm) |
| Amp Depth | 10” (25.4 cm) |
| Amp Height | 18” (45.72 cm) |
| Amp Weight | 42.8 lbs (19.41 kg) |
| Included Accessories | |
| Included Accessories | 1-Button Footswitch, for Channel Switching |
| Preamp Tube Positions & Functions | |
| V1 | Common Input |
| V2 | Clean Channel |
| V3 & V4 | Lead Channel |
| V5 | Effects Loop |
| V6 | Phase Inverter |
| General | |
| Available Configurations | 1x12 Combo, Head |
| Channels | Lead & Clean |
Accolades
“With most amps, I have a “learning to love it” phase that can sometimes take weeks; but as soon as I tried the Archon 50, both channels felt right at home.”
- Ben Eller
“The new Archon 50 does that really musical saturation in every frequency band that you want. It takes any boost and still stays nice and composed without losing its original character. Then a there is a shockingly wide and full frequency clean channel. Slam dunk on all accounts with this amp.”
- Wes Hauch (Alluvial / Devin Townsend)
“I love the Archon series! Insane clarity, punch and tightness in all aspects, high gain, and clean tones alike! Very impressed and stoked on this amp!”
- Jason Richardson (All That Remains)
“The new Archon 50 watt brings the perfect amount of punch, low end and gain I need to get a great sounding metal tone!”
- Chris Cain (Bad Wolves)
“The Archon has been a mainstay in my rig since it first released years ago and still remains, and I’m stoked that it’s back! It’s a palatable 50w, with lush gain and a crystal clean channel that will appease style.”
- Seth Morrison (Skillet)
“If you’re thinking about getting another combo amp, think again. With a crunchy rhythm tone, crystalline cleans, and presence/depth knobs to help sculpt your perfect sound, the PRS Archon has it all. I’ve got one and I can’t say enough good things about it.”
- Ben Savage (Whitechapel)
“I am lucky to own and work with some of the finest amps in the world, and the Archon 50 hangs with the best. At $999 street, its price to performance ratio is unmatched at this point. Not only is this thing hanging with my boutique amps, but I’m choosing it over them pretty often. I love this thing, and I’m excited for the public to hear it. This isn’t hype, it’s real. Congrats to PRS for this amazing amp and thank you for your continued support.”
- Mark Lewis (Producer/Engineer/Mixer)
"Now overall, comparing this Mark II amp to the original Archon, I have to say I prefer this version, it's more useable, more refined and more updated. It feels good and sounds incredible."
“The big signature of any high gain amp is articulation, and that is present in both channels…getting great lead tones was just plain easy, with plenty of gain for sustain and thickness across the board…versatile enough for both studio and stage, we heartily recommend it.”
- Performer Magazine