Amp Recomendation - Aguilar DB751 but smaller?

[socialleper]

I love the Aguilar DB751 I bought a few years ago. It is so clear, articulate, fast, and punchy. It is also phenomenally loud. Much louder that I need.
I'd really like the exact same performance and EQ in a smaller package, but I don't know if that exists. When I try to go back to a Mesa D800+ I can't find the tone or the assertiveness my DB751 has with it.
Any suggestions?

 

[SJan3]

Tonehammer 700

 

[socialleper]

Tonehammer 700

From what I've read in the past, the TH series eq is different from the DB751. My personal experience with them is that they get hairy very quickly.

 

[pisces_bass]

Is this a similar quest for the folks looking for an SVT+810 sound in a small package? What’s Aguilar’s holy grail cabinet…the DB412, maybe? With the success of the SGT-DI and OE Bassrig maybe Aggie will get into the amp simulation game.

The current Class D amp that I’ve seen compared to the DB751 is the AG700.

 

[drewphishesp]

i happen to have an ag700 for sale also

 

[Flog]

Ampeg SVT-7PRO. ? Def punchy and loud (1000 Watts)

 

[socialleper]

Ampeg SVT-7PRO. ? Def punchy and loud (1000 Watts)

Not a fan of the Ampeg EQ.

 

[SJan3]

From what I've read in the past, the TH series eq is different from the DB751. My personal experience with them is that they get hairy very quickly.

Not if you keep the Gain below 12 o'clock and Drive no more than 9 o'clock is my experience with my TH350. The 700 has much more clean headroom, so I'm told.

 

[SJan3]

i happen to have an ag700 for sale also

If you want clean, the AG700 is a great choice.

 

[Barticus]

I think the AG700 is a better choice, for that tone in a class D.

 

[bertthebassist]

If you like the heft and the slam of the DB751, you still need to wait for a light head.
IMO, none of them match the DB.
The light heads have come closer and go loud, but none of them match the slam of the DB751.
The light heads low end sounds castrated by comparison. IMO
The closest light heads that I have found, so far, are the Aguilar AG700, Eich T-900, GK MB800 fusion, and the GR Bass ONE 800.
For medium weight, the Mesa M6 at 26 lbs was respectably close.
I've been trying to find a light DB751 for over 7 years.
After you have a DB751 and it is the sound that you like, it is difficult to find anything like it in a light package.

 

[Wasnex]

Ultimately I think you will either have to continue dealing with the size and weight of the DB751 or accept compromise. IMHO you are unlikely to find another model of amp that does what the DB751 does, regardless of size and weight.

 

[socialleper]

If you like the heft and the slam of the DB751, you still need to wait for a light head.
IMO, none of them match the DB.
The light heads have come closer and go loud, but none of them match the slam of the DB751.
The light heads low end sounds castrated by comparison. IMO
The closest light heads that I have found, so far, are the Aguilar AG700, Eich T-900, GK MB800 fusion, and the GR Bass ONE 800.
For medium weight, the Mesa M6 at 26 lbs was respectably close.
I've been trying to find a light DB751 for over 7 years.
After you have a DB751 and it is the sound that you like, it is difficult to find anything like it in a light package.

You feel that there is something particularly unique about the build of the DB751 that gives it a tone that can't be reproduced by a class D? It isn't just the EQ?

 

[J.Wolf]

Arkham Beast of Both Worlds

 

[bertthebassist]

Call me crazy, but all of the light heads that I have tried, do not go as deep as the older heads. They will push bass, but not the real deep bass that you normally hear through an audio subwoofer.

Whether that is from damping, transformer, mosfets, HPF cutoff set at 30 hz vs. 25 or 20 hz, something else, or a combination, I don't know.

To my surprise, many bassists don't care for the heft and use HPF filters set between 50-100 hz to remove it.
IDK, why play bass if you are going to remove the best part? I am in the minority though.
Not all cabinets can produce the depth properly either, which may be why some cut those frequencies.

Some bassists prefer a "piercing" bass vs. a full bass too.

 

[Jeremias Paul]

I’ve never played a DB751, but the three 12AX7 tubes in there struck me right off the bat as having something to do with the difference between it and the AG700. Maybe a Noble Preamp into a power amp would be similar?

 

[oranje]

Agree with @J.Wolf, the Arkham BOBW utilizes a James tone stack and can be dialed in nicely. I use Arkham preamps and love them. If you don’t mind a power amp/pre combo, the old Demeter VTBP-201 is very clean, punchy and stays that way at all volume levels.

 

[BassPilot]

I did this on my TH700 and I think it is more DB751 like than SVT like:

Aguilar - Official 'Tone Hammer 500' 3.8lbs 500w Megathread!

 

[Grinderman]

How is the DB751-level assertiveness or slam compatible with a lighter-weight, lower output amp?

If the DB751 is much too loud--although we have to guesstimate how much that is--why consider a TH700 instead of a TH500?

 

[Wasnex]

IMHO the sound and feel is more related to designer intent than anything else. IMHO, my 30W Ashdown LB30 Mk2 has huge lows and massive slam, so huge power reserves are not necessarily a requirement.

I think the contour of the frequency response and how the amp reacts and recovers when dealing with transients are the primary factors. How the amp reacts and recovers is essentially the shape of the compression envelope. One other factor is damping...I.E. how tightly the amp's output section controls speaker excursion. Tube amps tend to have lower damping than solid state, but the designer has some control over this factor.