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Recommended By
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Average Price
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Average Rating
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100% of reviewers
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$550.00
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10.0
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Description:
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The US made EA iAMP Micro 300 is a 3 pound, 300 watt, dual channel, Class D musical instrument amplifier. The 4” by 4” Switching Power Supply features Power Factor Correction from 100-240 volts and from 50-60 Hz. The Class D power amp section of the iAMP 300 has no need for a cooling fan or external heat sink. The control circuit of the Micro 300 was designed to be scalable. EA envisions the possibilities of Micro series amps of up to 1,500 watts.
Specs:
Inputs: Two channels with Intelligent Input Switching with optional footswitch
Controls: Channel switch, Input gain, 3-Band EQ, Master Volume, Mute switch, Effects loop blend
EQ: Low, Mid, and High for each channel
Effects Loop: Parallel effects loop with blend control
Outputs: Speakon speaker, tuner, effects send, 1/4" stereo balanced DI out
Frequency Response: 20Hz to 20kHz ± 3dB
Power Output: 300 watts @ 4 ohms
Size: 2.1"H x 8.5"W x 5.4"D
Weight: 2.3 lb
MSRP: $795.00
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Author
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ad9000
Registered User
Registered: March 2004
Location: Laguna Beach, CA
Posts: 267
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Review Date: Sun February 24, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $575.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Super practical, fantastic sound, great for upright and electric
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Cons:
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None
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I was very intrigued when I first saw and played through the Micro 300 and Wizzy 110 cab at the NAMM show in Jan. 2007. I missed out on the first run, which may have been a good thing as EA chose to stop production to correct a couple of minor bugs. When they started shipping them again in Jan. 2008 I jumped on one and have been very happy that I did. In fact, I don't think I've ever been as excited about an amp (my 1976 Alembic F2-B preamp rates a distant second), and I have been through more amps than I could possibly count, going all the way back to 1971!
I have some past experience with the EA iAmp 800, an amp with many great qualities that ultimately proved to be a bit too sterile sounding for my taste. In comparison, and I noticed this the second I plugged into it, the Micro 300 has a similar neutral quality that really allows each bass to maintain its individual personality, but with the perfect amount of warmth added. It also has a nicely extended and transparent (but not overly "hi-fi" top end. I would also describe the Micro 300 as "punchy," which was a pleasant surprise as I was not particularly expecting it to be.
One of my initial concerns with the Micro 300 was that it might be underpowered. 300 watts into 4 ohms doesn't sound like a tremendous amount of power, especially for a guy that often uses a QSC power amp that puts out 800 wpc into 8 ohms! However, I have been pleasantly surprised by how gutsy the Micro has proved to be so far. On a moderate volume gig with drums I didn't have to turn it up past about the 1 o'clock position, and there was a feeling of plenty of headroom at that level. This was with an EA CXL-112L cabinet, meaning that the amp was only putting out about 180 watts into an 8 ohm load. A couple of days ago I used the Micro in a slightly louder R&B/rock rehearsal situation, in series into my Bergantino HT 210S and 112 EX cabs. In that instance I didn't have to turn the amp up much past the halfway point. In my own experimentation at home, I couldn't get the amp to break up with the volume maxed, also into the Bergantinos. This is similar to my experience with the iAmp 800. Where most amps on 10 they sound like they are huffing and puffing, the iAmps, reportedly due to the Class D power amp design, don't sound like they are breaking a sweat at all when turned up all the way. If you are going to hear any distortion at all, it is more likely to be from overloading the input stage.
Before I got hold of it, I had hoped that the Micro would be a good amp for upright bass (Maybe that was subconscious, as the Micro is similar in size to a Walter Woods head). I have found that my German upright (with a Fishman Full Circle pickup) sounds really good plugged straight into the Micro (through the EA 112) - definitely the best amplified sound I've gotten with that bass, without any assistance from a preamp or other front end device.
Feature-wise, you wouldn't expect the Micro 300 to offer much with it's tiny footprint, but what is included is impressive and very well thought out. The two channels with independent input gain and tone controls, and the ability to switch channels via a momentary footswitch plugged into the front panel jack, make it very easy to use two instruments, especially if they require different input gain settings. The top panel input gain trim pots are a welcome addition for dealing with instruments with an especially weak or unusually hot signal. The tone controls (3-band, treble mid and bass cut and boost) are very musical, though I haven't found that they need to be used except for slight variations to compensate for room acoustics. The stereo 1/4" direct out is brilliant, as I was expecting any kind of DI to be sacrificed for lack of space. A single Speakon jack and an effects loop with dry/wet mix knob (the effects send doubles as a tuner send) complete the package.
I should add that the Micro 300 seems to be voiced to pair up with the Wizzy 110. Even though it sounds great through the aforementioned cabinets, I did notice that it sounds especially good with the 110, which is as impressive for its small size/big performance as the Micro is. Both items are designed to fit in a soon to be available padded carry bag that is about the size of a medium-sized picnic cooler.
So, if you want a reasonably priced real-world amp that sounds great, that can fit in the front pocket of a bass gig bag or stashed away in your carry-on luggage, you can't go wrong with the Micro 300. Even if space-saving is not a consideration, this is still an amp worth checking out. As an additional news flash, I heard that EA is panning to develop subsequent higher-powered versions of the Micro, possibly up to 1500 watts. Sign me up now!
POSTSCRIPT:
This week I used the Micro on a pair of gigs and some rehearsals, through a SWR Goliath III cab provided by the sound company that was supplying some other gear for the artist. Basses used: Lakland DJ5 and Skyline Hollowbody. I was kind of prepared for this rig to suck, especially because the Goliath 410's are known to require a lot of power. But amazingly, the Micro, pumping out a mere 185 or so watts (into an 8 ohm load), was a champ and I only needed to turn it up a bit past halfway once again. The Goliath sounded great, by the way. Sometimes it is good to keep an open mind..
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beggar98
Registered User
Registered: January 2007
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 1339
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Review Date: Mon April 21, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $525.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Clarity of tone, great price...oh yeah, and size!
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Cons:
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only one speaker out
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I've had this head for about a month now, and I am very impressed. While I have heard amps that sounded better, they have all been in a significantly higher price range. The fact of the matter is that the Micro 300 would be a great sounding amp at an amazing price if it were four times the size. The fact that it slides into the pocket on my gigbag with room for cables makes it unbeatable.
As with most EA products, what strikes about this amp is the transparency. What you put in is what you get out. This actually took some getting used to, but I found that if I make my tone adjustments from my bass/effects and just use the amp for slight tweaking I get some great results. The sound is clean and hi-fi, but with a slight overdrive box (OLC Flipster) in front the amp warms up nicely.
I initially ran the 300 through an Avatar SB112 Neo, which sounded great. However, the cab I had was 8ohm, meaning the most I could get from the head was about 160W. Fine in the bedroom, not enough for a funk/rock jam session. My plan had been to pair two SB112s for larger gigs, but alas, the Micro only has one speaker out. If you want to get the full 325W from this head, you need to use a 4ohm cab. A quick switch to a 4ohm Avatar 210 Neo and I'm good to go.
All in all, this is a great head. Not a great head "for the price", or great "for the size", but just flat great. EA talks about Micro heads of up to 1500W, which means I hope to be in Micro heaven for a long time coming!
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Now they have banging guitar and no bass and call it rock, but that's not what I call rock.- Little Richard
Read my thoughts...
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