Euphonic Audio

[calypsocoral302]

I hear a lot of "buzz" about MarkBass, GK, GB, Carvin, and Aguilar when it comes to lightweight, Class D + Switchmode type amplifiers.

But I can't help but notice that EA, who has been doing these types of amplifiers for as long (or longer) than anyone else, rarely ever gets mentioned in this forum.

They don't appear to be much pricier than most of their competitors (Carvin excluded, of course). Are they simply tougher to get a hold of?

For those of you who own one, has it been a positive experience, and what styles of music would you recommend them for?

[MysticMichael]

Don't infer too much from what does - or does not - generate much buzz on TalkBass...

MM

[anonymous02282011]

I've owned some EA stuff over the years

Most of it great (wizzy12 M line, the doubler, the micro, the VL208)

some it fell kinda short IMHO (wizzy10, iamp800)

they have great customer service

[bottomzone]

I'm really liking my Micro 300!!!! And as mentioned previously, EA's customer service is outstanding!!!

A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste!

[Ukiah Bass]

I love my iAMP Pro. Total flexibility in tone sculpting and 600 watts per 8 ohm channel. About 9 pounds. Perfect for these, which are LDS "nEarful" 15/6 and 12/6 cabs. They are well suited for the wide lows capable with this amp. It includes a control to vary the Q bandwidth and tighten that up if desired.

[iualum]

Originally Posted by adbass

I've owned some EA stuff over the years

Most of it great (wizzy12 M line, the doubler, the micro, the VL208)

some it fell kinda short IMHO (wizzy10, iamp800)

they have great customer service

...my experience with the iAmp 800 has been nothing less than terrific, super tone shaping ability and to top things off, 2 ohm stable...

[silky smoove]

I really enjoyed the iAmp Pro I demo'd at BassNW last summer. That amp through a Bergantino AE410 was like the voice of god. It is definitely an amp that needs the right cab to sing. I can see that amp into something like an Epifani UL410 being a horrible combination.

[MysticMichael]

Originally Posted by silky smoove

I really enjoyed the iAmp Pro I demo'd at BassNW last summer. That amp through a Bergantino AE410 was like the voice of god. It is definitely an amp that needs the right cab to sing. I can see that amp into something like an Epifani UL410 being a horrible combination.

Care to expound? What would be the "right" kind of cab for the iAmp Pro? What would be the "wrong" kind? And why?

MM

[Jazzdogg]

I've been very happy with my iAmp800 and EA cabs, and I can understand why cabinet matching can be a high priority.

Cab matching/compatibility is important to me because I'm one of those oddballs who's been known to engage the deep switch (especially on ballads), which has been known to cause some cabs to fart and threaten to self-destruct; the deep switch must be used judiciously IME (I prefer the variable low bass knob on my B1500).

My EA VL208 (relatively heavy for its size) and Wizzy 12M (lightweight) are good cabs, especially with DB; but combining the deep switch with a 5-string electric bass can cause the speakers to move in ways that can be panic inducing.

I'd love to find a "does it all" cab that can handle any imaginable gig with the deep switch engaged. I'd also like to find a millionairess nymphomaniac who loves bass, woodworking, and single-malt scotch.

[silky smoove]

Originally Posted by MysticMichael

Care to expound? What would be the "right" kind of cab for the iAmp Pro? What would be the "wrong" kind? And why?

MM

The voicing of the amp is extremely deep. The low end rolloff on these seems to extend very deep compared to most amps. It's similar to the voicing on the Tecamp Puma stuff (my absolute favorite) and vintage SWR stuff.

In addition to that, I couldn't get the low end control to really tighten up the bottom end. There is plenty of midrange control through the low-mids on this amp, but the super deep low end was basically there to stay no matter what I did.

To balance out that kind of voicing it often works best to either have a cab that's pretty tight on the bottom (Bergantino AE or possibly the NV610, most of the Schroeder gear, a lot of the Bag End lineup, etc.) or a cabinet that's really built to utilize that deep low end extension (Greenboy's fEarful designs and all of their variants that utilize the 3015LF driver, Acme B series, BFM, etc.).

YMMV

[silky smoove]

Originally Posted by Jazzdogg

I'd love to find a "does it all" cab that can handle any imaginable gig with the deep switch engaged. I'd also like to find a millionairess nymphomaniac who loves bass, woodworking, and single-malt scotch.

fEarful 15/6 or one of its variants. I frequently use mine with a Tecamp Puma1000 (which was stolen... ugh...). The Puma stuff has a similar low end extension to the iAmp stuff and the 15/6 really makes good use of it. I'll occasionally be tuned down to D and really pounding that cab with super deep low end. It's never so much as grunted at me. Handles it beautifully and provides more than sufficient stage and non-PA practice volume.

[Jazzdogg]

^ Stop it! You're making me drool!

[silky smoove]

Originally Posted by Jazzdogg

^ Stop it! You're making me drool!

I was really surprised at how well the cab has worked out for me. Everybody seems to rave about how wonderful these cabs are... and for once... They weren't lying.

I'm sure there are some TB'ers around San Diego with a fEarful variant that you could try.

[fisheric]

We used to carry alot of EA stuff in our shop, but people seemed to prefer more of the Genz, Aguilar and Berg stuff.


But their stuff sounds good IMO.

[bassdoubler]

I've always wondered why EA gear seems to be difficult to find. I live in NYC (which isn't even far from where EA is located) and I've never seen ANY of their products in any of the bass shops around the city (except for a used IAmp600 I found recently at Main Drag in Brooklyn). Had I not gone out on a whim and just bought my IAmp Pro blind, I may have never had an opportunity to try any of their stuff.

Now I'm pretty sure I'm an endorsing artist now so I have to watch what I say here ....but what I love about the IAmp Pro is how well it adapts to different basses and cabs. Part of the reason I replaced my LMII with the Pro is because even though the LMII sounded insane through the right cabs, it's EQ voicing could really clash with some of the crappier house cabs in NYC venues and I didn't always have the luxury of bringing a cab with me. I've heard some say the Pro is voiced too low or the low end is too wide but that's only if you want it that way. You can set everything flat on the amp and just hear your bass but loud! I've done a LOT of experimenting with the Pro through my EA cabs (Wizzy 10, VL-210B, and Rumble Seat) and my Epifani cabs (T-215UL, and UL-310) and each cab definitely requires different settings to sound the best but it's really amazing how consistently great my bass tone can be out of all these different cabs. It's really a chameleon of an amp. All of this is IMHO of course!

[Kirk P Brosius]

Hey ukiah,

Do you truely have, as you state, an EA Pro with "600 watts per channel"? This would lead readers to assume that there is more than a single channel!

Still liking my somewhat "hissey" iAmp800.

Kirk

[Kael]

IME, EA cabs kick major bootay. The preamp section on the IAMP 800 I had was phenomenal. The power section was... disappointing. Didn't really feel like a full 800 watts playing into a 4 ohm load (EA cxl12/nl210stack).

Additionally, for some unknown reason, I was getting a very faint distorted tone under the clean signal out of the power section. Running the preamp section into an external power amp was uber clean, so the problem wasn't there. I've encountered a couple other people who've reported a similar issue but we definitely seem to be in the minority. I sent my IAMP back to the manufacturer and they replaced the power section although they stated that the old one tested out fine. I experienced the same issue with the newer power section. Moved my IAMP for a thunderfunk and couldnt be happier with the 'funk. They aren't the flavor of the month these days, but tonally I prefer them over the micro amps that are the rage these days. Timbre knob = magic.

[silky smoove]

Originally Posted by bassdoubler

I've heard some say the Pro is voiced too low or the low end is too wide but that's only if you want it that way. You can set everything flat on the amp and just hear your bass but loud!

I'm one of those people. Now, my experience with the Pro is limited to one trial at BassNW, but it was extensive, the amp appeared to be functioning correctly and I feel like I got a good impression of what the head has to offer. No amount of adjustment to the bottom eq (freq and level... Or whatever EA labels those controls) could seem to dial out the sub content in the signal.

For me it's a non issue as my cab (LDS nEarful 15/6/1) could handle anything the Pro could throw at it. Quite frankly, I would love to have one. I just think that someone with a more conventional can that wasn't voiced tightly on the bottom might find this amp to be a bit too much down low.

I would really like to see EA add a switchable sub/rumble filter to this amp... Then again... More controls might be tough to squeeze into that already full chassis

[bassdoubler]

Originally Posted by Kirk P Brosius

Hey ukiah,

Do you truely have, as you state, an EA Pro with "600 watts per channel"? This would lead readers to assume that there is more than a single channel!

Still liking my somewhat "hissey" iAmp800.

Kirk

no, that's correct....it has 2 outs, and does 1200 watts @ 4 & 2 ohms, 600 watts @ 8 ohms so essentially it's putting out 600 watts per side if using 2 cabs at 8 or 4 ohms each....

[bassdoubler]

Originally Posted by silky smoove

I'm one of those people. Now, my experience with the Pro is limited to one trial at BassNW, but it was extensive, the amp appeared to be functioning correctly and I feel like I got a good impression of what the head has to offer. No amount of adjustment to the bottom eq (freq and level... Or whatever EA labels those controls) could seem to dial out the sub content in the signal.

For me it's a non issue as my cab (LDS nEarful 15/6/1) could handle anything the Pro could throw at it. Quite frankly, I would love to have one. I just think that someone with a more conventional can that wasn't voiced tightly on the bottom might find this amp to be a bit too much down low.

I would really like to see EA add a switchable sub/rumble filter to this amp... Then again... More controls might be tough to squeeze into that already full chassis

Did you play through it with the EQ turned off and all the contours and Q controls off? To me, it's the sound of my bass with just about 0 coloration. At that point there's no voicing at all to make anything too low or too wide at any frequency. But even if you still feel the natural sound of your bass is too low, you can use the EQ section to select literally ANY frequency along the spectrum and EQ it out. I really never understand when people say they find the voicing too deep....just don't make it so deep! haha ....Sure, using the EQ and most definitely with that deep button that adds 6 db @ 50hz the low end may be too much for a lot of cabs to handle but again, the greatest part of the Pro is that it can really sound however you want it to....unless you're going for like a crunchy tube kind of sound....then you're definitely using the wrong amp