More preamp-with-a-Berg-IP reviews by a cranky old opinionated bugger..

Took my IP to L&M today and tried out a variety of pre's of all price levels, from several hundred to $2800.00. Here's my findings, and all IMHO:

1) SWR Marcus Miller Pre - very thin sounding, without any real bottom end unless you do serious eq'ing immediately. Added a bunch of missing bass back, then it was actually quite good, the compressor was OK, nothing earth shaking, had a slight tendency towards hissy-ness. Looked nice, but I got the impression that it was sloppily put together, as several of the indented pots did not line up to 12:00, some at 11:00 or 11:30 - just unacceptible. If they are that sloppy at putting things together on things that are easily noticed, imagine how sloppy they have probably been at things you can't see. For $1,200.00, no thanks. It's worth about half that. But even at that price I wouldn't buy one.

2) Eden Navigator - beefy and fat, but kind of dark and 'slow'. Unlike the SWR, it was beefy right out of the box, no EQ really neccessary, my bass sounded like a bass, not a bass through a telephone like the SWR did. Kind of 'slow' in response, definitely sounded like an Eden, like my old WT800. Much better than the SWR, significantly better, more ins and outs, full stereo, multiple effects loops, $200.00 cheaper, but with their recent track record of customer abuse, lying, and verbal bashing and assaults, and TERRIBLE breakdown rates, I wouldn't wish one on my worst enemy. A great preamp 10 or 12 years ago - there's far better now.

3) EBS Microbass - blew the SWR away for 1/3 of the price. Better sounding in every respect but one - headroom. If you turned up the boost knobs at all on either of the channels, it would distort with the slightest provocation. A nice pre, convenient, lots of features, battery power, headphone outs for practice, but read on...

4) EBS Valve Drive - really nice. Sounds better than the Microbass, a bunch of different distortion levels, smooth, quiet, but read on...

5) Sansamp Bass Driver Deluxe - plugged this in and tried a few 'presets', and it sounded absolutely ******* horrible, one of the worst POS you could possibly imagine. Unbelievably bad, made a Boss EQ pedal sound like a Millenia SST; but then, something magical happened...

I was about to rip it out of my signal chain, but something made me reach over and turn a few knobs, got rid of all the cheezy digi FX, and this thing actually sounded GREAT! I liked it better than ALL the EBS stuff, and I would actually prefer it over both the Eden and the SWR. Sounded absolutely great - fat, warm, rich, deep, punchy, really quiet, great headroom, really great EQ, a perfect pocketable match for the IP cabs. Incredible. I don't know what kind of drugs they were on when they did the programming for the 'presets' on this thing (and yes this was brand new, untouched, straight out of the box, so nobody had messed with them), but whoever did that at Sansamp should be immediately assigned to other duties, maybe stamp licking and stuff.

This is a truly great preamp, with easily programmable presets and for LESS THAN 1/3 of the price of the SWR. Blows it away totally. And it's funny because I've tried lots of Sansamp stuff before, in lots of situations, live, studio, etc., and have never liked ANY of it. Their amps are simply awful, at least the ones I've tried, and I must admit I haven't tried their newest stuff. But this preamp with an IP sounds simply amazing - great for a small setup, but perfect for gigs for all but the most demanding freaks (like me). If you try one, just IGNORE THE PRESETS; maybe somebody got fired and they were trying to screw the company up or something, I can't believe ANYBODY would want a bass to sound like that EVER; what are they thinking? But I am getting one of these for rehearsals and stuff where I don't want to carry my rack. An amazing little thing. At about $300.00, an incredible bargain. Just reset those presets immediately.

Now for the REALLY GOOD STUFF:

6) API 7600 strip - OMFG - I've died and gone to heaven. Not a tube in site, but thick, rich, deep, warm, punchy, one of the best compressors in the history of mankind, incredible EQ, headroom forever, serious serious freaking gear. And some serious dough @ $2800.00 Cdn; but it sounds like $2,800,000.00. One of the best preamps in the history of this world and many others. I think the lunchbox separates are perhaps just slightly better, but we're talking Lamborghini Murcielago VS. Ferrari F60 here. At this level, the performance parameters are unbelievable. And it just shows how simply SPECTACULAR the Berg IP system is - stunningly good; no, sorry, startlingly great. Jim Bergantino is right up there with all of these guys, and has finally put bass amps where they should be, RIGHT UP THERE WITH ALL OF THE TOP GUNS IN THE PRO AUDIO INDUSTRY. God bless you, Jim! This API stuff does your rig proud, man.

7) Great River ME-1NV mike pre - 1/2 rack space. Surprizingly heavy for its small size - must be PACKED with big transformers. Clean, clean, clean. Dynamic range simply startling. Frequency range out of this world. Fast response, the fastest of anything I have tried. No tone controls, no compressor, about $1100.00 USD. The cleanest of clean, top end for days, endless bottom end, stunningly great. Fantastic. I would LOVE to try this with their EQ unit, and rumour has it they are working on a compressor. Amazing gear. Not tubey, or warm, or anything like that, just super duper clean and fast as the speed of light - faster than the Millenia. Can hardly wait to try out more of their stuff. Well worth the price of admission. Makes the SWR and pretty much everything sound like a walkie-talkie - not even close! The response time is startlingly quick, so fast that you immediately notice it, that speed is a MAJOR part of this unit's amazing sound; it's a profound experience playing through something so startlingly clean and realistic. Makes you again think how great the IP cabs are. They are as good, bad, or stunningly GREAT as what you plug into it.

8) Millenia TD 1 - sheer sonic sorcery. Musical magic. I played through this the longest, and did NOT want to stop. Not lacking in ANY performance parameter. Almost as fast as the Great River, wide EQ flexibilty (no compressor), clean clean clean, rich, deep, huge frequency range, and it is a profoundly beautiful unit of exquisite fit and finish, almost mystically beautiful to behold or to be priveledged enough to turn one of its stunningly finished potentiometers or press one of it's buttons that feels like they will last several lifetimes. Absolutely a joy and a priveledge to play through, a true match for the IP cabs, and if you can afford one get one - your basses will have never sounded so good. The standard by which all other pre's are judged in every respect, including stunning physical beauty - they are drop dead super-model-girlfriend gorgeous! A tube and a solid state section, so you can have it clean and rich or warm it up considerably with the tube pre. Incredible amounts of ins and outs, it is its own DI, just an astonishing piece of kit. Expensive, but pretty much state of the art. Just like the IP cabs. My MTD's finally had a worthy input and output section. Absoutely ******* wonderful - as good as it gets.

The fit and finish is like the stereo system in a Rolls-Royce or a Maybach or something. So gorgeous, it feels like you should make your butler put on white gloves just to crank it up a little and bathe in deep bassy sweetness. The Millenia SST channel strip is the best there is, period, IMHO; this a very close second. The TD1 is about $600.00 Cdn more than the SWR, and you can't even speak of it in the same room. If you're thinking of an SWR Marcus Miller and you have an IP system, my advice - buy a Sansamp for $300.00 and SAVE SAVE SAVE till you can afford a Millenia. The SWR was actually the worst of all these pre's, IMHO. I don't know why SWR did this thing so anaemically in need of bass that you have to immediately add 12-15 dB of bottom end just to get you back to flat; there's not a lot of EQ flexibility left after that. Maybe they're bringing out some powered cabinets that have a TON of inherent bottom end or something, so they had to get rid of some in this preamp, but man, my MTD's sounded like they were coming through a CB radio from 1974 till I added 15 dB of bottom end to the rig, and the Berg IP cabs are certainly NOT lacking bottom end by any STRETCH of the imagination. With this thing, it sounded like a biamp system with the subs turned off.

So, if I think this way, why did I buy the Summit Audio gear? Well, it is stunningly good gear, very clean, but not as clean as the Millenia or the Great River, fatter and warmer than the API, flexible as hell (can I say that?) as I can get a HUGE range of sounds, from the distortion of the EBS Valvedrive (almost), to the clean deep rich fast and warm Millenia sounds (almost) and a whole lot of stuff in between that nothing else can do. Actually, it's warmer than the Millenia, and that little compressor, man, the TLA 50 from Summit - that is a MAGICAL and ADDICTIVE little device, a bass player's best friend - it's so warm and musical it's almost human, you expect it to talk back to you. The API is probably a technically 'better' compressor - more settings, quieter, faster, more accurate - but this little TLA is just so 'musical', for lack of a better word, and so user friendly, as I have said before, there is not a bad sound in the thing.

The Summit gear, the smaller 1/2 rack stuff that I have, is in the same league as the Millenia, and the API, for about 1/2 the price; its much smaller and lighter than the Millenia stuff, and it just has such a distinct 'personality' to it, it's own warm and friendly sonic footprint, that it makes my think I'm 18 again and playing my old Fender Jazz through my Ampeg B15S and thinking I am the hottest, bass-playinest cat IN THE WORLD! Only now, with the Summit's warm tubes and with Jim Bergantino's feat of absolute bass cab wizardry, I have 1,000 watts and a frequency range from (it sounds like) 20 hz to infinity. The Summit stuff just really turns my crank - it's funky, kind of old school but actually really high tech, inexpensive for what it is, and simply marvelous. In the words of our illustrious leader, Tom Bowlus, the Summit gear is 'a different flavour of great'.

It's truly a great time for bass gear - the best EVER - I only wish the music industry wasn't so sick and totally unhealthy. I hope it heals and comes back somewhat to it's former glory, because it sure is an absolute mess right now.

But in spite of that, have a great Christmas, or Hanukah, or whatever you celebrate this time of year, everybody. Lots of gigs and great music to all for the New Year.

Cheers,
Cameron

Jefenator said:

I appreciate your candor and your insight. A lot of reviews I see I don't trust when it's obvious the reviewer is being too bubbly and hasn't compared a bunch of stuff. This is obviously not one of those. So, thanks!

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chadds said:

It is so exciting owning the IPs.
They are a test bed for all these great Pres and channel strips.
I tell you I love my little Joe Meek for vocals with our PA but as a pre on the IP you can hear that the Joe Meek is 3" wide in sonic width and the IP is 6' wide in capability.
Again, I repeat, I love the Summit.
I love the Glock. SS warm, analog, German quality and engineering. Gets musically wonderfully grindy when torqued.
The Kern speaks for itself. NOS Sylvanias make it like "buttah" and still hifi.
The Great River is intriguing. I'd get the MEQ-1NV which is the one tested above with an eq section. OH YEAH!

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Joelc73 said:

Nice review - fun read!

I've tried everything with my IP310. The ones that have bubbled to the top are the Millennia STT-1 and TD1, the Kern, and the Ampeg SVP-Pro.

For gigging, I tend to grab the TD-1 as it has an amazing DI on it. The STT-1 just isn't practical or necessary on a two set cover gig. At home though I tend to leave the STT-1 plugged into it about 90% of the time. It is one of my all time favorite pieces of gear but, to be fair, it's hard for many of us to justify that kind of money on a "bass amp." I use mine all the time for recording vocals, bass, etc so I can absolutely justify the cost.

The Kern is pretty magical too - if you can find one.

JC

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I know the kind of consternation I had to go through to take the plunge and get the IP's initially, and then the 'what preamp' conundrum. I have no vested interest in promoting anything, I'm not sponsored by or endorsed by anyone, so I just wanted to get my opinion out there for others in the same troubling boat. Some things I can tell you:

1) If you're thinking of getting an IP system, just do it immediately. They are MORE than all the hype you have heard. This is a whole new ballgame that Jim has started. Get one; you'll be sorry you waited so long.

2) There's great preamps starting from $300.00 brand new. There's bad preamps costing $2500.00 or more. Get cosy with a retailer you trust who will lend you gear to try out, or keep the stuff immaculate so you can return it. I was most amazed at the Sansamp stuff - I had never had any respect for that company for some reason; guess for years I just listened to their presets and thought 'YUCH!' That company need to change their approach to this stuff - that little Sansamp device, even running on a 9 volt battery, sounded as good or better than BOTH the Eden and the SWR, full sized, two rackspace units. AND quieter. It was quite shocking. Almost as shocking at how unbelievably HORRID the factory presets are. What are they DOING?

3) At the recording level, there is a LOT of good stuff, but you can spend a lot of money really fast, and get not a lot of gain. It is more a question of what flavours you like; it's like going to a really good East Indian Restaurant, then a really good Greek one, then, Korean, Japanese, etc. Which one is the best? WHO KNOWS! They're all great. In the recording stuff, I've tried Summit, Millenia, Great River, Vintone, API, Avalon, Universal Audio, Joe Meek, Presonus, TLA, Solid State Logic, and the Focusrite stuff.

The Joe Meek and Presonus stuff are significantly cheaper than the others, and possibly because of that are not really in the same league. I really liked all of the stuff, but what really stood out FOR ELECTRIC BASS USE IN A LIVE RIG was the Millenia, Summit, Great River, and the API stuff. The rest was good, really good, but not as good in tis particular application, and IMHO.

The Millenia and the Summit are opposite ends of the spectrum, totally.

The Millenia and the Great River are bretheren, uber-über, massively, clinically clean and powerful on a scale not available (yet) in the bass world. Startlingly accurate, with absolutely breath-taking dynamics and frequency response, you-can-hear-the-ridges-of-your-fingerprints-scraping-across-the-wraps-of-the-strings kind of clean - totally nuts. You will hear stuff coming from your bass that you have never heard before, most of it good, but some...well, that's why I bought the Summit. The bad stuff you can EASILY EQ out, and it quickly turns into really really good stuff. The Millenia, either of them, has a LOT more features, but I'm talking about what does it sound like flat, plugged straight in, no EQ or compression. I would LOVE to hear that Great River stuff when they finally come out with a full-on channel strip - they ARE working on a compressor, and they have EQ out already. That preamp was simply astonishing - cleaner, hotter, and deeper than the Millenia if you can believe it. But the Millenia won for me by just by the sweat on the end of the nose.

Similarly, the API and the Summit are bretheren, but take opposite approaches. Think thick, rich, warm, big, deep, sweet, punchy, they just envelope you in a gigantic gooey chocolatey mass of everything you LOVE about the bass. Are they flat? Nope. Accurate? Not really. Clean? Well, yes, but... Do they sound good? Un-freaking-believably so. Like nothing that currently exists in the bass world. These things make an Aguilar DB 680 preamp sound like a toy - I had them side by side at my house for several days or so A/B'ing them. Think Jaco kind-of warm on his first album - Portrait of Tracy - big, rich, thick compression, almost too much, you-can-hear-it-but-it-is-so-great-you-want-more kind of sound. The Api does it with resistors and circuit magic; the Summit with big fat, warm tube wizardry. They are both stunningly marvelous. I just happened to take the Summit. By the time you add the FEQ 50, they are within a couple of hundred bucks of each other. The API is expandable and linkable into a full-on recording desk.

And all of these units show you just how good the IP's really are. Jim Bergantino has truly taken this to a whole new level. Get one as soon as you can. Or two. And then this wonderful world of world-class flavours opens up to you. Your bass never sounded SO good!

And by the way, to our American friends, you can save about 25% on everything you buy in Canada because of the currency. It may be in your interests to check out some Canadian retailers for a change - we have been buying from you guys for the last few years to save a few bucks, now it's your turn! Club Bass in Toronto (Invalid Link Removed) has the Berg stuff, and are really good guys to deal with. You should check them out, and you might just save some dough.

Merry Christmas (or *.* celebration) everyone.

Cheers,
Cameron

emjazz said:

Cameron, thanks for taking the time. By any chance, are you considering checking out an outboard pre from Mike Pope? I really want to know how it compares to the TD-1. The TD-1, to me, is my dream preamp....but the Pope pre seems so well tailored (of course) to bass guitar. One of those preamps through an IP112ER and ex112ER stack is what I'm shooting for.

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I'll give him a nudge and get him to chime in here, even though he's a TOTAL WANKER!



Cheers,
Cameron

Holy ****! I thought you'd have liked my Holy **** review better (I'll have to post that one!). But thanks, it means a lot coming from you guys.

I heard a lot of people really liking the Bass Buddies. I'll have to try one of those before I decide on a small portable practice preamp thing. It's got a compressor, too, which would be nice, and a headphones out; does it run on batteries for riverside walking-the-dog practice sessions?

And sorry if you were offended by my Marcus Miller pre evaluation. I guess I could have been gentler, kinder, but I wasn't thinking about the owners' of the products, or their feelings, I was thinking more about how much I HATE big corporations who lie about everything - wattage, specs, reliability, and who market us into believing the BS and falling for their hype. And who take over small companies and turn great innovative musical gear into absolute ****, and all innovation stops. Gibson is the worst at this by far; US Music probably second; Kaman was bad but is now mercifully gone, swallowed up by the third worst offender of all time, Fender, who enveloped SWR a while back. They are claiming to have turned over a new leaf, to stop putting out crap, at least as far as the Fender guitars and basses goes, which have been beyond AWFUL since the mid-70. We'll see. As far as the preamp review goes, sorry, but... that's the way I heard it.

And far as this whole hype about tubes go, tubes don't really matter in a way - the API sounded much more 'tubey' than the Millenia does in the 'tube' mode, and it has absolutely none, completely filled with transistors, resistors, capacitors, and transformers. Warmth is what your after, regardless of how it's achieved. The API has that in droves.

The units I would really like to try are the A Designs channel strips and pre's, based on a very rare 'non-Neve' board from the 70's whose name escapes me. Their DI sure sounds marvelous, just judging from the on-line clips I've heard.

And, concerning the Kern preamp, I sure wish...

A) The original guy would start making them again

or

B) He or someone would post the schematics so we could build clones

or

C) He would pass them on or sell them to someone who will build them for us (the schematics, that is).

It's a shame just when we really need a good preamp that those are gone.

And the Pope does sound interesting, esp the 2 channel unit. I've asked for a quote on a stereo unit with stereo FX loop...



I'm just hooking my Lexicon back into my rig now (that's one of those rare and magical units that just sounds GREAT in your signal chain, even when it's on bypass); I can't even fathom the musical orgasms that will be induced when I get my second IP rig and go back to running Lexi-verb in stereo with the fretless MTD - I have a patch I've been working on for 10 years entitled 'Chartres Cathedral' that is total fretless bass heaven - one note is all you need. I'm gonna do it man - 2 x IP112ER's with the HT extensions - 4x12's - 2,000 watts stereo, 1,000 watts a side, all-tube front end...

BRING IT ON, GUITARDS! I'm FINALLY ready for you! Marshall stack? Hiwatt? WHO CARES! MWAH-HA-HA!!!! TAKE THIS, SUCKER! KA-*******-BLAMMO!!! they won't know what hit them!

Anyway, all the season's best to everybody. I'm TOTALLY snowed in up here off Mountain Highway in North Vancouver - very rare around here. Nice and quiet. And for the first time in 40 years, the entire country of Canada is about to have a White Christmas - from Coast to Coast. Even Victoria's got snow - amazing! Hasn't happened since 1969!

Cheers,
Cameron

tombowlus said:

Great job, Cameron! Very nice job.

And +1 to Joel's recommendation of the Kern IP-777. My buddy Cheezewiz called this out as one of the best combinations with the IP cabs, and it has proven to be one of my all-time faves, for sure.

And speaking of surprisingly affordable preamps that sound like they should cost many times more, check out the [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]. This is not the prettiest looking preamp out there, but for a street price of under $500 (I think), it's an unbelievable bargain.

Tom.

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