Summit TD-100 - Not a Fan

Phantasm · #1 06-29-2010, 10:54 PM

EDIT: This appears to be fixed... the culprit was a faulty power cable. See post #19.

Well, after reading around on Talkbass for the past week, I decided that it was time to give a Tube DI a shot. After considering the REDDI very heavily I saw lots of great reviews of the Summit TD-100 and I pulled the trigger.

I wish I hadn't. Seriously, this thing sounds awful. Poor signal levels going in and it's picking up a radio station loud and clear as a bell. I have to turn the gain up past half way to get the green signal light to come on and full blast I have to hit the bass hard to get the drive light to come on - at which point it sound beyond disgusting.

I've got a $29.95 ART Tube MP and it sounds head and shoulders cleaner and clearer than this thing. This is so bad I've even thought about recording sound clips to show how terrible. It's actually to the point that I'm wondering if the Summit is defective.

The Summit will be packed up and on its way back to Musicians Friend by week's end if I can help it. Once again, the tubes torment me and tease me with the dreams of good sound, only to be rewarded with pure misery and lost shipping charges.

$450 pieces of gear should NOT sound like this... and for the record, I'm using a Sadowsky bass and I've changed my strings and the battery this week.

Phantasm · #2 06-29-2010, 10:55 PM

After re-reading that, sorry if it sounds like sour grapes... but I've just spent a very depressing few hours testing this all out and really being bummed about the experience.

nataku · #3 06-29-2010, 10:57 PM

Sound clips would be cool

D.A.R.K. · #4 06-29-2010, 11:17 PM

i had a less than stellar experience with the tla 50, even ended up sending it back to summit to be tested. the unit was just too noisy to use.
in the end, i got a refund.
maybe there's an inconsistency in the build quality, a lot of rave reviews have been given here, one of the main reasons i tried the tla...

mulchor · #5 06-29-2010, 11:27 PM

Sorry it's not working out for you.

What is it about the ART that made you want something else?

Phantasm · #6 06-30-2010, 07:49 AM

The ART has an adapter instead of a power cord and doesn't have a ground lift. I was trying to, in my mind, get something more robust that would have a better sound to it.

The more I mess with the Summit something's got to be wrong with it. Thank God for the MF 45-day return policy.

**Joshua** · #7 06-30-2010, 08:19 AM

Not sure if you would have liked it had it been working 100% (no piece is perfect for everyone), but I sure like mine!

Bassflute · #8 06-30-2010, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joshua

Yup, you got a lemon. Not common around here for the TD-100, but it's bound to happen.

Not sure if you would have liked it had it been working 100% (no piece is perfect for everyone), but I sure like mine!

Yeah, what you are describing is NOT right...check to make sure the tube hasn't fallen partially out, ad wouldn't hurt to take it somewhere and have the tube tested...open up the top...careful in there, though...high voltages...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phantasm

Well, after reading around on Talkbass for the past week, I decided that it was time to give a Tube DI a shot. After considering the REDDI very heavily I saw lots of great reviews of the Summit TD-100 and I pulled the trigger.

I wish I hadn't. Seriously, this thing sounds awful. Poor signal levels going in and it's picking up a radio station loud and clear as a bell. I have to turn the gain up past half way to get the green signal light to come on and full blast I have to hit the bass hard to get the drive light to come on - at which point it sound beyond disgusting.

I've got a $29.95 ART Tube MP and it sounds head and shoulders cleaner and clearer than this thing. This is so bad I've even thought about recording sound clips to show how terrible. It's actually to the point that I'm wondering if the Summit is defective.

The Summit will be packed up and on its way back to Musicians Friend by week's end if I can help it. Once again, the tubes torment me and tease me with the dreams of good sound, only to be rewarded with pure misery and lost shipping charges.

$450 pieces of gear should NOT sound like this... and for the record, I'm using a Sadowsky bass and I've changed my strings and the battery this week.

no, this unit blows the doors off the ART, sorry, not even close...and it should be DEAD SILENT. You've got a faulty unit, could have been damaged in shipping. Get it seen to. The Summit sounds INCREDIBLE.

Cheers,
Cameron

chadds · #9 06-30-2010, 11:58 AM

Dude must be defective. All these folks can't be raving about a noisy POS. I find it to be the sweetest fullest richest sounding DI out there. It sounds real! The loading knob is like taking 5 different Fender basses to a gig or session.

I'm sure yours is sick. Eric and his company make hi-end gear for studios. Their rep is built on this quality. It's unbelievable that the TD-100 sounds as good as it does for the price.

So again trusting your fellows here who would rave about a piece that sounds like you describe? We'd all have to be clazy!

chadds · #10 06-30-2010, 12:02 PM

.....that being said I don't use it as a pre on my Bergantino IPs cause there is no eq function to reduce the low end freq. But in my rack recording I hear myself and can play with wild abandon while recording like I've never been able to before.
It's 12ax7 is given a much higher voltage than is offered to pretubes in most gear. This give it this fat and airy tone.

Phantasm · #11 06-30-2010, 12:47 PM

One of the reasons I had picked it was because I've got a Bergantino IP310 coming later this week. To derail my own thread, what do you use with your Bergantino IP?

Erik Papp · #12 06-30-2010, 01:27 PM

Hi,

Clearly I am concerned to see a problem like this. It sounds like a problem unit. Assuming it was purchased new, we listened to it in the studio right before it shipped. The most likely answer is a dislocated Tube. Regardless of the status of the unit, new/used, we can help. Mike Terry or Erik Papp here at Summit are the best people to talk to. We are each aware of the complaint and standing by to help get that unit fixed replaced or whatever gets you satisfied.

My Best,
Erik P Papp
President
Summit Audio Inc
775-782-8838
408-858-0545 mobile

dmusic148 · #13 06-30-2010, 01:31 PM

^ well, there you go. Excellent.

bongomania · #14 06-30-2010, 01:35 PM

^^^ Awesome, good to see your presence here for service. Noted.

To the OP, while I agree that the unit you received must have had a defect or a dislodged tube, there's one fundamental usage point I have to mention:

It is not intended to overdrive, ever. And it will not get super fatty-thick-wooly-tubey ever. So when you mention having to crank it up to get the drive light on, and it sounding bad... Sounds to me like you might have had some unrealistic expectations.

What it is supposed to do is provide clean, clear sound, with a variable amount of smooth subtle warmth from the tube. It's a lot more "hi-fi" than most bassists would expect.

BartmanPDX · #15 06-30-2010, 02:05 PM

FWIW, I've used mine for a few years as both a DI and as a pre for my IP310 (mine has the "Berg mod.")

I've never had the slightest issue with noise but I do agree with Bongomania that it's not designed to get that overdriven tube tone. It's just clean clear hifi tube bliss.

I'd use mine all the time as a pre for my IP because it sounds so good, but I do like to have some EQ available and thus I use my Brunetti most of the time, with the Summit as a DI and as a backup pre.

Good to see the folks at Summit standing behind their product, though I'd expect nothing less given their reputation.

**nostatic** · #16 06-30-2010, 02:12 PM

I used a TD-100 and TLA-50 for years when recording. Awesome stuff. But as noted here, it will give you a pristine clean tone with just a hint of warmth. It is not an overdrive unit in any way, shape, or form.

TLA-50 is the only compressor I've ever really liked - and that includes the Markbass and Aguilar that recently went through my hands. Ymmv...

Phantasm · #17 06-30-2010, 02:21 PM

Guys, I do not want an overdriven tone. I am saying the signal is low and it's picking up a radio station.

Erik,

Thanks for the personal response. I will take another look at it tonight when I get home and I'll contact you to discuss the options you've kindly offered. The unit is new from Musician's Friend.

**Joshua** · #18 06-30-2010, 05:06 PM

I use my TD-100 with an IP112/EX112 stack and think it rocks. 'Tis true no eq, but that wonderful tone...

And my apologies to Mr. Papp. In my above post I place the blame on the unit (ie a lemon) when there is no proof of that. It certainly could have been damaged in shipping (heck, I worked at UPS; I know what goes on there!). I have edited the post.

Mine has been bulletproof, and I use it almost daily!

Phantasm · #19 06-30-2010, 08:40 PM

I spent more time with the unit tonight and the problem appears to be the power cable was faulty. That's a first for me, but now the unit is working fine without signal problems or distortion/radio stations.

The tone is a lot wider and fuller as many people explained. This really doesn't make a lot of sense until you try to mix the signal in with other instruments or a full band... at which point it's filling in a lot more spaces than I was before. Things overall are a lot more even and certain notes/frequencies aren't jumping out at me like they were. Now it sounds like it was well worth the money and the proof is in mixing the sounds in with other things and seeing the extra fortitude that it gives the tone.

I did not have to call Erik at Summit, but I'd like to recognize that he made the offer to make things right immediately. Thanks so much!

anonymous02282011 · #20 06-30-2010, 08:49 PM

so, you just swapped out for another power cable?

weird.

I wonder if you didn't jostle something into place when you were switching cables.

If you go back to the original 'faulty' cable, does it sound ****** again?