Picked up an RH450 about two months ago, and have been doing weekly band practice since that time.
I have to say that I really like this amp. While I was in the process of waiting for it to arrive I stumbled upon some of the posts regarding the "actual" wattage of the amp, and I have to say I was somewhat concerned. I had previously been using a Tubeworks 300 Watt head with matching 4x10 cabinet (I had been borrowing the rig at the time) which kept up with my drummer and guitarist just fine at about 10 O'Clock on the master volume. I figured, even if the RH450 was only 236 Watts, it should be fine, so I didn't cancel my order.
I coupled the amp with an Avatar 4x10 Neo, and if anything setting it at 9 O'Clock was almost too loud, and definitely had way more bass response (I would assume that this is a result of being a ported cab, but I would guess that speaker sensitivity/type and overall cabinet construction is also a variable)
I took the advice of the TalkBass community and set my "preset volume" at about noon, thus requiring the master volume to be cranked to about 11 O'Clock to reach the perfect mix with my drummer and guitarist.
We play a sort of progressive sludge metal, ala Mastodon, so the guitarist goes for a very full range, super-saturated sound. Even at a volume that doesn't trounce on the drummer, it is a very oppressive sound.
In such a setting I don't really crank the mids a whole lot, rather I put emphasis on lows and low-mids, and try to get a really punchy and percussive sound that will complement the guitars when they are in play, and provide a very large fundamental when he switches to cleans or soloey bits. I put just enough high-mids and "tubetone" to add some girth and grind while he's doing cleans/soloes so that the huge, saturated sound doesn't just disappear.
I have to say, that there was some skepticism that a small, super-modern "techy" kind of amp would fit into such a mix, but it does so very well. I'm very glad I didn't break the bank buying an Ampeg.
Which brings me to my next point, which is that I think the DI is fantastic, and the ability to use it in the studio (which is where I do most of my playing) was the main reason I got this amp rather than some tube amp that would have been more *obviously* suited to stoner/sludge.
Also, built-in-tuner and user presets are awesome, especially for switching between live and studio work.
I like the SpectraComp, and think it exceeded my expectations.
I have my opinions about TC and their wattage ratings, and if I decide to upgrade amps in the future, I may go with GK because of the general way in which TC handles their marketing, but I have no complaints whatsoever about the product or how it performs. I meets or exceeds any expectations I had, and my bandmates are also pleased with the results so what's not to love?
8/10 (minus 1 because I find the TubeTone to be really lousy sounding in the studio, and sub-par sounding in a live setting. I will most likely invest in a Darkglass B3K in the near future. And minus another point for the mere fact that there's always room for improvement on mid-level gear. Maybe in the future I'll get an RH750 and it'll get that point in the end)
