I live on the second floor of an apartment building and am surrounded by neighbors. I have to keep the volume low. I often use headphones. As of now I have an Eden EC8jr (discontinued) that is 8" w/ a tweeter and 25w, and it's nice...but I'm wondering if I can get better sound/more features in a similar size. I'll living in an apartment for at least a few more years, so I'm willing to invest some money in the best I can get.
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Absolute best 8-10" combo amp for bedroom use only? No $ Limit
- Thread starter MMiller28
- Start date
I totally misread the title as asking for an 8x10 combo for bedroom use! 
Just be careful bc bass frequencies travel through walls even when its not loud and can disturb neighbors easily.
Btw - you can always get a decent 12" combo and just keep the volume down, but still use it for jams.
Just be careful bc bass frequencies travel through walls even when its not loud and can disturb neighbors easily.
Btw - you can always get a decent 12" combo and just keep the volume down, but still use it for jams.
No limit budget huh? Always fun to spend your money. 
Custom Crazy8 with your choice of amp inserted.
Custom Crazy8 with your choice of amp inserted.
Is this the combo that you're talking about, the E8jr? Dimensions 17 1/2 " tall x 14 1/2 " wide x 13 " deep, 19 lbs.?
Eden E8jr E Series Bass Guitar Combo Amplifier - 1x8, 25W | ActiveMusician
For Sale - EDEN 112XLT 8 OHM CAB | TalkBass.com
Do you really mean what you've posted? Because if you do, the ticket is a Gallien-Krueger MB200 (1.75" tall x 7" wide x 8" deep, 2 lbs.) & a Crazy 8 cab (13.25" tall x 10.5" wide x 12" deep, 14-17 lbs.). The MB-200 can be had, used (excellent to mint), for ~$175-200, shipped. The cab, however, is almost impossible to find used. A new one starts @ $430 + shipping.
If that isn't what you really meant, I'd still highly recommend the MB200 & then the small cab of your choice. Although you don't state a real budget, sounds like you have decent bux available. But why throw any money away on some piece of shyte? Get something you can actually gig with in a small setting (or larger if FOH support) with guys who understand that ear-piercing volume doesn't equal good music.
Here's a 12" cab possibility. For Sale - Hartke HyDrive 112 Cabs | TalkBass.com
Or another 12" possibility (2 actually, but you could talk to the seller about just 1 or buy both & either keep both or just keep 1 & sell the other). For Sale - GK MB 112 II and MPB 112 | TalkBass.com
Or another option, a nice 12" GK combo for small green. And not too far away, maybe. For Sale - EDEN 112XLT 8 OHM CAB | TalkBass.com
Oh, & a lightweight, folding hand truck can come in super handy, too.
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I have no input based on actual experience. But...
How about an all-tube guitar amp? In the range 5 to 15 watts, dual channel. Maybe a Vox Night Train. Lovely, lush, warm all-tube tone at a decent price. Because it's a guitar amp, you would need to limit the volume when using a bass or risk blowing it up. Perfect for living in an apartment.
(I've often thought about doing this for living room practice)
How about an all-tube guitar amp? In the range 5 to 15 watts, dual channel. Maybe a Vox Night Train. Lovely, lush, warm all-tube tone at a decent price. Because it's a guitar amp, you would need to limit the volume when using a bass or risk blowing it up. Perfect for living in an apartment.
(I've often thought about doing this for living room practice)
Low volume? I like my early '90's Peavey Microbass, just because I can toss it around and not worry about it..but really for low volume, some small open back guitar amps could be good, surprisingly. Say like one of those Epiphone tube models. For new bass amps, the GK MB108 is real fine.
Gallien-Krueger MB108 1x8" 25-Watt Bass Combo | Sweetwater.com
Gallien-Krueger MB108 1x8" 25-Watt Bass Combo | Sweetwater.com
I suggest something else... I would definitely, no question, look into a studio monitor setup. Find whatever preamp or bass head you prefer and run the line out into one or two active studio monitors. Much flatter response, deeper bass, better resolution and with a much wider range of applications than any bass combo I have seen. I find it equally challenging and inspiring to jam through my Yamaha HS-80 monitors and a somewhat different experience than through my "regular" (fairly high level) bass rigs.
Jbl master reference monitor. You can play tunes around the house with world class clarity as well. Use a small USB interface like the focusrite Scarlett series to mix computer audio with your bass or any other instrument if you'd like.
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Edit: Thought these were active like the cheaper ones. Studio monitors is where it's at for the home environment.
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Edit: Thought these were active like the cheaper ones. Studio monitors is where it's at for the home environment.
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I'm going to vote as well for active monitors. I found some M-Audio AV-40 on sale for $89/pr. You can basically use them as a three channel powered mixer. I have used the RCA, 1/4" and 1/8" aux simultaneously. As long as all of your audio sources are preamped and have their own volume controls you're good.
I actually don't even ALWAYS preamp my bass. I have a 1/4" mono male to 1/8" stereo cable I use to run straight in the front AUX input. I do have actives (maybe my p/u's sit high, too) and find that I often can use power amp and mixer inputs that you'd expect to require a pre'd signal. Of course it doesn't sound as robust this way, but isn't that one of the purposes of the OP? Good sound that isn't going to disturb the neighbors?
Plus, like already mentioned, multi-purpose. You're only input-limited by the size mixer you use, but even without a mixer, you have three options for input. No amp needed, and you can use them for prerecorded music.
The Cons: Unless you have a pedal or pre, you have no tone control; except maybe a bass boost or contour feature. You can't just grab-and-go-jam; they don't usually have handles. Mine are an active unit and a passive unit that connect via spring-terminal standard consumer wire. Very inconvenient to move and set up often.
They sound good at low volume, though, which I cant say imo lots of combos can. Small combos may be low-powered, but you have to get a little juice in them to sound very good.
I actually don't even ALWAYS preamp my bass. I have a 1/4" mono male to 1/8" stereo cable I use to run straight in the front AUX input. I do have actives (maybe my p/u's sit high, too) and find that I often can use power amp and mixer inputs that you'd expect to require a pre'd signal. Of course it doesn't sound as robust this way, but isn't that one of the purposes of the OP? Good sound that isn't going to disturb the neighbors?
Plus, like already mentioned, multi-purpose. You're only input-limited by the size mixer you use, but even without a mixer, you have three options for input. No amp needed, and you can use them for prerecorded music.
The Cons: Unless you have a pedal or pre, you have no tone control; except maybe a bass boost or contour feature. You can't just grab-and-go-jam; they don't usually have handles. Mine are an active unit and a passive unit that connect via spring-terminal standard consumer wire. Very inconvenient to move and set up often.
They sound good at low volume, though, which I cant say imo lots of combos can. Small combos may be low-powered, but you have to get a little juice in them to sound very good.
Unfortunately, given the lower sensitivity of human hearing to low frequencies as compared t higher ones, very low volumes simply do not lend themselves to audibly pleasing bass. If I understand correctly, you want a phones out feature. I also assume aux in is a bonus, and that space is not at a super premium. IMHO you need considerable eq because what pleases at bedroom volume will not please at band volume. The MB200 lacks this, although it's a great, tiny head for the money. Without considering $$, I'd opt for an Eden WT550 head, which is toneful, has flexible, powerful eq as well as phones out and aux in features. It's also powerful enough to gig with, but has a smallish footprint and isn't too heavy. For a cab, if you want to hear real bass at ultra low volume there's not much issue, but if you want any bass when you eventually turn up I would opt for a 10". The best would be a fEarless F110. You'd actually have a small setup good and loud enough for a small gig, packed with features, that will sound as good at very low volume as anything, but will cost a bundle. If you want a combo with very similar features (including the full eq) and are willing to consider a 12" combo, Hartke has one available on eBay for 399 with a fairly elaborate eq. If you truly insist on a micro combo, then I'd go with a Markbass 108.
I like iualum's suggestions. Just to add to those, how about an Acme B-1 with the micro amp of your choice? They're small, full range, and sound good.
Just get a PJB Briefcase and be done with it. You won't do any better. They sound phenomenal. The only downside is their low output (but that's not really a downside in your application).
Phil Jones also, without $$$$ limit, it's your best choice
I have no idea what this Ashdown costs, but it is way cool and of course expensive.
Ashdown Engineering
Then there are the usual expensive offerings from Phil Jones, and AER. Then there is the very affordable yet great sounding Fender Rumble 40 1x10 combo for $200.
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Fender Rumbles Don't Cost A Million Dollars. They Just Sound Like They Do
Ashdown Engineering
Then there are the usual expensive offerings from Phil Jones, and AER. Then there is the very affordable yet great sounding Fender Rumble 40 1x10 combo for $200.
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Fender Rumbles Don't Cost A Million Dollars. They Just Sound Like They Do 
Right -- plus, I think you're caught in a Catch-22: Even if you could find an amp that produced a deep, fat bottom end at low volume, you'd have to turn the volume down even further because those are precisely the frequencies that will travel most efficiently through walls and floors. I don't think this problem can really be solved satisfactorily as a matter of principle, no matter how much money you throw at it. I say keep what you have, and save your dough for shopping when you aren't subject to the constraints of apartment living.
Markbass Micromark 801 50W 1x8 Bass Combo Amp
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I have a PBJ double four which ticks all your boxes. It is quite sensitive to any defect in grounding/shielding on the bass, or grounding of your electric installation (but that maybe because of the 230 V/50 Hz thing around here).
And how about one of these from ashdown?
OOOOppps, just saw Linnin beat me to it ! (Thought he was just pushing' the Rumbles !)
And how about one of these from ashdown?
OOOOppps, just saw Linnin beat me to it ! (Thought he was just pushing' the Rumbles !
)
Yeah, but I didn't have photos. I think the Ashdowns are dynamite just on general principle. If you like spending other people's money (and I doI have a PBJ double four which ticks all your boxes. It is quite sensitive to any defect in grounding/shielding on the bass, or grounding of your electric installation (but that maybe because of the 230 V/50 Hz thing around here).
And how about one of these from ashdown?
OOOOppps, just saw Linnin beat me to it ! (Thought he was just pushing' the Rumbles !
).
