Better amp for power pop Ac10 vs Origin 20h

[Dsav54]

Hey Y'all!
I'm in the market for a new amp, for 70s power pop/punk crunch tones. Bands like The Nerves, Undertones, Buzzcocks and Exploding Hearts. I'm torn between the Ac10 and Origin 20 head. Ive tried both, and they both sounded good at lower volumes and I could always mic for live use. I have a blonde bassman clone with master volume and a bassbreaker 007, which both get me kind of close to the marshall sound, but there's just something special about how that head looks. I also have a 2x12 slant cab with scumbacks I could use with either the ac and origin.

What's everyone's experience with those? I've read endless reviews, hoping you all could help me settle the score

Thanks!
Dave

 

[KC]

Never played an AC10 but own an AC15c1 and and Origin 20c. Origin combo has a Greenback 10 in it. AC15 is a stronger gigging amp but the Origin is really versatile; the head with a 2x12 cab would hold its own in a lot of gigs. I would also consider the Origin 50 head as it's a great all-rounder, a little stiffer than the 20 but lots of authority & enough power to handle any gig, while still being able to throttle it down for smaller occasions. Doesn't cost or weigh much more than the 20.

But I keep coming back to the AC15 -- great-sounding amp that will hold its own on most any gig. I think the decent-size cab and the 12" speaker have a lot to do with why it sounds so good, though.

 

[Cyberi4n]

Big fan of the Origin. I have the 50H and it’s just great for pretty much everything I throw at it. Hugely loud too, I have to run mine through a PS1 Power Soak for home use. I tend to use that power soak as the master volume and it has an XLR out too, so you wouldn’t even need to mic up for gigs.

 

[Marc Morfei]

I actually have both these, and they’re both good. But way different. The AC10 is as simple as it gets. Turn it on, point all the knobs to noon, and it sounds good. Perfect straightforward crunchy rock sound.

The Marshall is more. Much greater variety of tones, with presence, tilt, boost. You can really shape your tone. Much louder than the AC10. Has a direct line out, but does not have reverb. (The Vox does.)

Both amps are classic sounding, but the Marshall sounds Marshally and the Vox sounds Voxy. Both amps can crunch at low volume. The Origin gets louder than the AC10 - much louder.

So it kinda depends on which sound you like better, and what you plan on doing with the amp.

 

[codamedia]

IMO... both amps are great, but the Marshall will be more flexible and provide more power when needed.
The AC10 is a little light on power for some stages... I think for live use you need to look at the AC15 as a starting point.

 

[Jakedog]

I never liked the AC10 when I tried them. Just too harsh and bright for what I’m after. Impressive little box from a volume standpoint, though. They definitely scream.

I’m a huge fan of the Origin 20. Huge. Just so ridiculously versatile. Many times more useable than the AC15 I used to have. Between the expanded EQ options (especially that Tilt control!) and the on-board boost, power scaling, and all the different speaker output options, plus separate gain and master, it’ll just do so much. It’s also got much more useable clean headroom than the little vox models, should that be needed. It was a huge plus for me. I could never get a clean sound at gig volumes with an AC15 or AC10. It was doable with the Origin. That may or may not matter for what you’re after.

It doesn’t have reverb, but the loop is fantastic. I just stuck my HOF mini in that loop and it was perfect.