Orange Crush 20W Review vs 20RT

In this article, I’ll review the Orange Crush 20W High Gain 2 Channel CabSim and compare it with the 20RT. Orange is a renowned company founded and owned by Cliff Copper who started it back in 1968 when solid-state amps were gaining traction after the invention of transistors and circuit boards.

Alongside is an image of the CTI-branded amp that Cliff Copper created in 1966 before he even launched the Orange brand. The CTI stood for ‘Cooper Technical Industries’.

You can read more about the story of Orange and its founding here.

Orange Crush 20W Review

I won’t dwell further on the company’s origin but will focus the next section on discussing the features of the Orange Crush 20W which was released to the market in 2015.

The Orange Crush 20W High Gain 2 Channel CabSim is a great little amp for those who want a high-gain sound without having to lug around a huge amplifier. It’s also perfect for those who are looking for an amp that can simulate the sound of a cranked-up tube amp. This is thanks to the CabSim feature which is built into the amplifier.

The Orange Crush 20W High Gain 2 Channel CabSim features two channels, clean and dirty. The clean channel is based on the company’s popular Micro Terror amplifier while the dirty channel is based on the Tiny Terror amplifier. The CabSim feature is what sets this amplifier apart from other solid-state amplifiers on the market. This feature gives the amp the ability to simulate the sound of a 4×12″ speaker cabinet. You can read our reviews of the best solid-state amps here.

The Orange Crush 20W High Gain 2 Channel CabSim also has a built-in tuner and a headphone jack for silent practice. It’s a great little amp for those who want a high-gain sound without having to lug around a huge amplifier.

The video below gives details of the CabSim technology by Orange;

The top panel has the following from right to left; Instrument Input, Clean Volume, Dirty Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble, Dirty Volume, Channel Selector Switch, Aux In and Phones Output.

The rear-panel has a Footswitch Jack (Footswitch optional) which turns the CabSim on/off. The Power Switch is next to that and finally, the Power Supply Input.

Orange Crush 20W vs 20RT

Now let’s take a look at how the Orange Crush 20W High Gain 2 Channel CabSim compares with the 20RT.

Below is an image of 20RT;

The Orange Crush 20W High Gain 2 Channel CabSim has a few more features than the 20RT. They both have two channels, clean and dirty. The 20RT doesn’t have a CabSim feature either so it can’t simulate the sound of its speaker cabinet.

The Crush 20RT adds to the tones of the Crush 20 with even more features owing to its inclusion of a lush onboard reverb and an integrated chromatic tuner. The Crush 20RT is a more ‘stripped-down’ version of the popular, Pro Series amp. It has foot-switchable Clean and Dirty channels, as well as our new four-stage preamp design, which delivers a broad range of overdriven and distorted tones with harmonic overtones.

Both models go for less than or around $200 making them qualify in our list of the best guitar amp under $200. The Orange Crush 20W is also more versatile thanks to the built-in tuner and headphone jack. The 20RT doesn’t have either of these features.

So, if you’re looking for an amp that can give you a high-gain sound and also has the ability to simulate the sound of a cranked-up tube amp, then the Orange Crush 20W High Gain 2 Channel CabSim is the amp for you.

Orange Crush Series of Amps;

Pros and Cons of Orange Crush 20 W

Pros:

• CabSim feature gives the amp the ability to simulate the sound of a 4×12″ speaker cabinet
• Built-in tuner and headphone jack for silent practice
• Very budget-friendly selling for under $200 and is actually on offer now for $149, a 25% discount. You can check its price on Amazon today here.

Cons:

• Some reviewers have found that the CabSim feature doesn’t work as well as they had hoped
• It doesn’t have an effects loop. However, this is not a deal-breaker as the amp still sounds great without one.

Who is this amp for?

If you are looking for an amp that can handle both practice and gigging, this Orange Crush 20W is a great option. This amp is foot-switchable, so you can easily go between clean and overdriven sounds. The analog signal path gives you a warm, natural tone, while the CabSim-loaded headphone output lets you practice in silence. The new high gain preamp design provides plenty of power for your pedals, and the 4 stage preamp lets you dial in your tone just the way you want it.