I've owned a Mesa Boogie 50 Caliber, a Marshall JCM 800 - 100W full stack, a Marshall Silver Jubilee (got stolen), and a Fender Musicman all of which were great amps and had their place. With the Egnater 40 watt stack, I can "tweak it " to give me the Boogie and Marshall Vintage sounds plus I can get the full tone out of the amp in my house without having to be in a concert hall setting like you do with a dual or triple rectifier boogie. Just my opinion. It's powered by two 6L6 power tubes, but can be swapped out with EL34's with re-biasing. Has an effects loop for those who need the addedeffects. I you haven't tried one - you should take the opportunity. The 40 watts is big enough for the club scene. Anyway I agree that amps and taste are subjective.