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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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None indicated
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9.0
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Description:
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* Applications: Acoustic instruments, bass and keyboards.
* Inputs: ¼” Active and Passive jacks with gain LED level indicators, Mini Stereo In with volume (CD, tape)
* Controls: Input Volume, EQ In/Out, Master Volume, DI Level, Speaker On/Off, DI Output On/Off
* EQ: Lo, Lo-Mid, Hi-Mid, and Hi: all with boost/cut and variable frequency controls (Lo-Mid and Hi-Mid have Half/Full Octave Q switch)
* EQ Presets: Deep, Contour 1, Contour 2, and Bright
* Effects Loop: Series and Parallel Post EQ with independent level controls
* Outputs: Two Speakon speaker, 1/4" Stereo Headphone, 1/4" Tuner/Line Out, XLR balanced DI
* Frequency Response: 20Hz to 20kHz ± 3dB
* Line Voltage: Selector switch located on rear panel
* Power Output: 350 watts @ 8 ohms, 500watts @ 4 Ohms & 2 Ohms. 800watts peak
* Size: 3.5"H x 14"W x 9"D
(rackmountable with optional rack ears)
* Weight: 13 lbs. (5.9 kg)
* Other Features: Onboard Limiter
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Author
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boogiebass
Registered User
Registered: August 2000
Posts: 3578
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Review Date: Mon May 16, 2005
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Light, loud and clean with powerful, intuitive EQ
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Cons:
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Requires hot passive output to drive adequately
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GIG/RIG:
1. Small/medium room with raised, wooden stage. Cabs were EA Wizzy and EA CXL110 on Gramma pad. Fender 1997 American Standard Precision, stock pickups.
2. Outdoor patio with astroturf stage on concrete. Cab was EA CX310. Hanewinckel Artist Fusion 7 with 9v Bartolini preamp and Bartolini soapbar pickups.
On gig #1, EQ was set flat with Countour II punched. The sound was warm, fat and satisfyingly punchy. In other words, just what you expect out of a P bass with flats! The amp was set at about 7.5 on the input and 4 on the output. I never needed to turn the bass full up.
On gig #2, EQ was once again flat but Countour I was selected instead of II. I boosted bass on the instrument to get enough low-end. Sound was extremely detailed with great upper register snap and firm, rather lean low-end. Nothing over-emphasised. A pretty good definition of clairty, in fact. Input was 12 o\'clock (5) and output was the same. Bass volume was maxed.
FEATURES:
I regularly use an iAMP 350, 600 and 800 (I know, I\'m crazy!) so I\'m pretty familiar with the control layout. EQ is powerful and versatile but frankly, these amps sound great to me flat so, with the exception of a fondness for the Contour presets, that\'s how I run them most of the time: dead flat.
I usually jack a Korg tuner out of the tuner output on the front and found this amp very gig friendly as to features. The speaker on/off button is an effective mute switch for tuning.
COMPARISONS:
iAMP 350 & 600: These amps are sonically similar and tend to be more analytical than the 500. The low-end is tighter and less \"warm\" sounding while the upper register is squeaky clean. Some call this sound \"sterile.\" I don\'t.
iAMP 800: More headroom, otherwise, I couldn\'t tell much difference in the sound of this and the 500. A characteristic warmth in the low register but still quite tight and controlled.
Eden WT400: Eden\'s best-sounding amp, IME. Way more colored than the 500 but the Eden is colored in a musical way. Sounds great flat. The iAMP is more detailed and I find the EQ more intuitive. I would imagine the WT550 would be closer in terms of headroom to this amp but I haven\'t used one so I can\'t really comment.
CONCLUSIONS:
The iAMP 500 is the little brother of the 800, both sonically and physically. In applications where the extra headroom/wattage is not needed and the lesser weight is desirable, the 500 will get the job done. It excels, as does all EA gear I\'ve owned and used, at conveying the sound of your basses without adding much of its own coloration. For clarity nuts like me, that\'s its greatest virtue. It will also be the main reason why those who want a particular \"flavor\" from their amps should look elsewhere.
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Hanewinckel basses and Thomastik-Infeld strings
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