SM-400 or 350x

[yaiser42]

Hello All,

Just wanted to hear everyone's opinion about these two heads and which would sound better on a SWR Goliath 4ohm cab. I am looking to purchase one of these amps very soon.

Thanks for your thoughts.

[Alex1984]

The 350X from what I've read is SWR's take on a more modern rock bass amp. The SM-400 is a classic though, and will have a place in my stable (pretty much the only hybrid I have after going tube). Very clean sounding amp and it's one of the amps that defined the SWR sound.

[BigOldHarry]

350x. I found the SM400 to be under power and over complicated.

[chadds]

I found the 350x to be gritty and not smooth like my two SM-400s.
If you have the money and it may not be much more try a Bass 750. Mono watts front end of Redhead. Much louder than 400 or 350x.
It will give you the 750 watts @ 4 ohms.

[grendle]

SM-400, It's what SWR is all about. It's the classic with the tone SWR is known for. If i'm not mistaken Eden had a hand in designing the sm-400 (and all the rest of the original swr stuff) just another reason to go that way.

[Edward G.]

What I found with my experience with both amps is the 350x has a fuller sound, and the SM-400 was truly the first really hi-fi head as we know it. I owned an SM-400 for years and played thru a 350x for may months in a rehearsal space.

For my tastes, which lean vintage, the 350x really gives a big bouncy sound right out of the box, but it's not versatile. The SM400 could be tweaked to perfection, but you have to really work with it. It's got its own thing. Sometimes I wish I had mine back, but then I remember how much it needed tweaking. It always cut through the mix.

Power-wise they're about equal. The SM400 needs bridging to deliver full power into one cabinet. On the other hand, it can run two 4-ohm cabinets with no trouble, which is no small thing.

Overall, the SM-400 is more versatile, but the 350x is more user-friendly.