Aguilar 924 volume issue

[honeyboy]

I have a new Aguilar 924 outboard pre-amp. I noticed the volume with the bass plugged in is noticably lower than the volume of the bass plugged directly into the amp when the knob is pointed at 12:00. The only way to exceed the normal volume of the bass is to turn the volume knob to the next to the last position. Is this normal or is there a problem I need to investigate? I've used 2 sets of batteries and results are the same.

[niftydog]

Originally Posted by honeyboy

...next to the last position.

Is the volume control a rotary switch or am I just missing something?

If you can achieve unity gain (ie; 1:1) then I would think it's doing what it's supposed to do. Having a volume control at the 12:00 position doesn't mean that it's set to any sort of 'standard' gain setting - the gain required will vary depending on which bass you use.

[honeyboy]

Originally Posted by niftydog

Is the volume control a rotary switch or am I just missing something?

If you can achieve unity gain (ie; 1:1) then I would think it's doing what it's supposed to do. Having a volume control at the 12:00 position doesn't mean that it's set to any sort of 'standard' gain setting - the gain required will vary depending on which bass you use.

Yes it's a rotary switch. It ranges from no volume at 7:00 to straight up 12: 00 to max volume at 5:00- I'm talking corresponding hour hand positions on a clock) So when I rotate it clockwise from the straight up position to around 4:00 or the next to the last click available, it reaches the same volume as the passive regular volume of the bass as plugged directly into the amp. I was under the impression an active pre-amp should cause the bass to sound louder than a passive bass, as both of my active/passive basses with onboard active pre-amps do-my Carvin and G&L 2000, for example.So you think if the volume is the same as my normally passive bass is, it is normal? I have a Sans-amp guitar pre amp that significantly boost the volume of my guitars when I use it, so I thought this should boost the volume as well above the normal levels.

[pedroferreira]

Unity Gain. With volume max and controls flat (min) you get the same volume and sound as if it was bypassed. This preamp doesn't boost your gain, unless you use the EQ.

I know this isn't the answer you wanted to hear, but it's the truth.

Pedro

[NKUSigEp]

If I remember right it's a boost-only preamp so setting the bass and treble to "0" and the gain to 12:00 should be the same as a direct bass signal. If you have the bass and treble boosted though and you're at 12:00 and it's the same volume, that makes me think there's a bad gain pot.

Email Aguilar...they get back to me usually within a day and are actually helpful. You don't get the "what's the manual say" or "take it to a dealer" that you get elsewhere.

[JustOpenYourMind]

I have that preamp, it is a boost only Eq so for bass and treble, completly to the left is flat.

For the volume, the DB924 does not boost the signal, if you have the volume at 12:00 it's like having your volume knob on the bass halfway. On the preamp with the Eq set flat and the volume cranked to max, you will get the same sound as if you had no preamp, at the same volume.

The volume knob is really there to cut your signal if you get too crazy with boosting low frequencys.

So yours works perfectly like it is supposed to.

[honeyboy]

Thanks for all the replies- I'll have to get back to it and try some new approaches.

One last thing- how long did your batteries last in yours? Mine seemed to go after about 4 hours of playing yet the website says 300 hours!

[honeyboy]

Originally Posted by JustOpenYourMind

I have that preamp, it is a boost only Eq so for bass and treble, completly to the left is flat.

For the volume, the DB924 does not boost the signal, if you have the volume at 12:00 it's like having your volume knob on the bass halfway. On the preamp with the Eq set flat and the volume cranked to max, you will get the same sound as if you had no preamp, at the same volume.

The volume knob is really there to cut your signal if you get too crazy with boosting low frequencys.

So yours works perfectly like it is supposed to.

Well, it works just as you described. Now it is easy to dial in the right tone and keep a good volume. Thanks for the clarifications. I've never dealt with a pre-amp that works on this "unity gain' approach. It would have helped if the unit came with instructions.
Also, if you could let me know how long your batteries lasted I'd appreciate it. Thanks