Arkham Sound Club

[labeledbass]

The power supply transformer, the one on the far right of the Zephyr pic above, is not in the oracle. There's an equivalent transformer in the "wall wart" power supply, as well there's one inside the PSU if you go the Cioks ect. route. This has to be the reason for the size reduction. There's a benefit of doing it both ways, if you have the room I'd say keep it mains powered, but this little guy will fit perfectly on a board as is.

There still will be a transformer for the DI balanced line, the power supply for the tube had to be changed to do this though

 

[IvanMike]

Arkham Oracle vs Caveman BP1 Compact ~ Bass Preamp Comparison

 

[57pbass]

 

[Smokey P]

View attachment 5251573

Amazing rig!!!

 

[57pbass]

Tonight in Foxborough

 

[moorebass]

V2 Oracle just came in today. Looking forward to testing it out this weekend.

 

[Verticos]

Oh man, that new Oracle design is calling my name. I could ditch the Noble and be good to go.

I do wish the HPF was variable though. I love my Broughton one that I park at either off/40hz/60hz/80hz, but I never go as high as 120 as on the Arkham stuff.

 

[SteveFromBerlin]

Oh man, that new Oracle design is calling my name. I could ditch the Noble and be good to go.

I do wish the HPF was variable though. I love my Broughton one that I park at either off/40hz/60hz/80hz, but I never go as high as 120 as on the Arkham stuff.

+1

I always use HPF but very seldomly at 120 Hz. Still, that new Oracle looks SO tempting! Love my Zephyr in the studio!

 

[Verticos]

+1

I always use HPF but very seldomly at 120 Hz. Still, that new Oracle looks SO tempting! Love my Zephyr in the studio!

It is definitely tempting. I'm thinking about my list of wants and needs for a tour-worthy DI that would also let me pare down my board by a pedal or two. I know Micah has extensive experience building custom projects, so I'm thinking maybe I'd ask him to do an Oracle with some mods.

-Variable HPF, selectable to affect the DI, line out, or both
-Independent level control for DI and Amp outs (for how many times I've gotten "Do you have a level control on your Noble? It's really hot." [No I don't, don't you have a pad or gain at the board?] "Yep, I have it padded on my mixer and it's still too hot." from an engineer)
-extra credit for a variable LPF too.

The standard 9v power supply is HUGE deal though. One Cioks DC7 will power the whole board with no funny business, no double IEC cables. Also great for when I tour overseas as I won't need to get a dual voltage version.

Oh, and my jimmies won't be rustled by a sideways unit on the board like the V1 Oracle.

 

[bigmikebass]

V2 Oracle just came in today. Looking forward to testing it out this weekend.
View attachment 5254721 View attachment 5254722

How are you going to power the Oracle and Shure unit with the Cioks? My little board has these same two pedals. That’s all I need for my setup. Just got my small Oracle today too, and I’m unsure with the total of 1500mA it needs.

 

[moorebass]

How are you going to power the Oracle and Shure unit with the Cioks? My little board has these same two pedals. That’s all I need for my setup. Just got my small Oracle today too, and I’m unsure with the total of 1500mA it needs.

Via the Crux - provides up to 2700mA @ 9v. The DC7 + Crux is not a cheap option, and normally would be total overkill for a small board like this, but it does keep everything fairly tidy.

 

[bigmikebass]

Via the Crux - provides up to 2700mA @ 9v. The DC7 + Crux is not a cheap option, and normally would be total overkill for a small board like this, but it does keep everything fairly tidy.

That is awesome. Thanks! I might go the poor mans approach and just get a taller board and put a small surge protector underneath and use the wall warts that came with the units since it’s only two pedals. Will still be neat, just not as elegant.

 

[MarkA]

Oh man, that new Oracle design is calling my name. I could ditch the Noble and be good to go.

I do wish the HPF was variable though. I love my Broughton one that I park at either off/40hz/60hz/80hz, but I never go as high as 120 as on the Arkham stuff.

@Arkham Sound can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that the HPF activated by the switch at the front of the Zephyr/Oracle is a pretty gentle 6 dB/octave. Several players have mentioned employing it with a healthy boost on the bass control for a more vintage-feeling but still juicy low end. I don't often do that (Zephyr) but I've tried it and, in that context, don't find the higher rolloff point a hindrance.

I believe that the Broughton HPFs roll off at 12 dB/octave. The fDeck HPF3 is 24 dB/octave (12 dB/oct. @ 35 Hz + 12 adjustable). The sFx micro-thumpinator is an aggressive 36 dB/octave down at 25 Hz.

The Beast of Both worlds employs, in addition to the front-panel HPF, a fixed, 24 dB/octave HPF at, I believe, 30 Hz. I don't know whether it affects the power section, merely, or the DI as well.

Awhile back, I asked Micah about the possibility of building such into a Zephyr and it seemed it could be done. Don't know about an Oracle.

 

[Joshua]

I discussed the hpf in the Oracle v1 with Micah shortly after I got mine, and while I'm sure to incorrectly convey the technical terms, there is an always on hpf at 30hz. The switch hpf simply engages at 100Hz. I primarily play vintage style 4 string basses and leave the hpf switch off. The 30Hz is perfect for my needs.

And I have to add a little bit more love for the Oracle (again, v1). I have a pretty cool LB-100 and paired with the Oracle, I cannot imagine a better P bass tone. Thank you, Micah!

 

[MarkA]

I discussed the hpf in the Oracle v1 with Micah shortly after I got mine, and while I'm sure to incorrectly convey the technical terms, there is an always on hpf at 30hz. The switch hpf simply engages at 100Hz. I primarily play vintage style 4 string basses and leave the hpf switch off. The 30Hz is perfect for my needs.

And I have to add a little bit more love for the Oracle (again, v1). I have a pretty cool LB-100 and paired with the Oracle, I cannot imagine a better P bass tone. Thank you, Micah!

Hunh - I was unaware of a 30 Hz HPF in the Oracle. I wonder if more recent Zephyrs employ them as well. I don't believe that the earliest ones did.

 

[Joshua]

Hunh - I was unaware of a 30 Hz HPF in the Oracle. I wonder if more recent Zephyrs employ them as well. I don't believe that the earliest ones did.

And with my memory being completely unreliable I did dig through some old emails just now and can verify that I remembered the discussion correctly.

 

[MarkA]

And with my memory being completely unreliable I did dig through some old emails just now and can verify that I remembered the discussion correctly.

Cool - thanks for checking that. I learned something. I should ask Micah about my Zephyr - I had one of the earlier ones (with two tubes), sold it, then, eventually, picked up a later one (with one tube).

I remember some posts from Micah and Mike Arnopol about the 30 Hz HPF in the Beast of Both Worlds, but didn't realize it had made its way to the Zephyr (?) and Oracle.

I don't think that the earlier Zephyrs had an HPF - and I think that I asked Micah about that, back then - but perhaps I should have a look through my old emails, as well!

I should note that, HPF or no, my old Zephyr sounded great - it was one of the few pieces of bass gear I've owned that made an impression on my brother.

 

[Joebone]

Hello, All - I've just learned of Arkham -- if anyone is thinking to sell a Beast of Both Worlds, I hope they can send me a PM. Deeply lusting after this amp. Thanks!

 

[Verticos]

@Arkham Sound can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that the HPF activated by the switch at the front of the Zephyr/Oracle is a pretty gentle 6 dB/octave. Several players have mentioned employing it with a healthy boost on the bass control for a more vintage-feeling but still juicy low end. I don't often do that (Zephyr) but I've tried it and, in that context, don't find the higher rolloff point a hindrance.

I believe that the Broughton HPFs roll off at 12 dB/octave. The fDeck HPF3 is 24 dB/octave (12 dB/oct. @ 35 Hz + 12 adjustable). The sFx micro-thumpinator is an aggressive 36 dB/octave down at 25 Hz.

The Beast of Both worlds employs, in addition to the front-panel HPF, a fixed, 24 dB/octave HPF at, I believe, 30 Hz. I don't know whether it affects the power section, merely, or the DI as well.

Awhile back, I asked Micah about the possibility of building such into a Zephyr and it seemed it could be done. Don't know about an Oracle.

This is really informative! Thanks to you and @Joshua both for chiming in. The difference between implementations across these is interesting. I like the idea of having an always-on one at say 30hz or 40hz to cut the mud and sub-audible stuff and then a separate variable HPF for tone shaping.

Hello, All - I've just learned of Arkham -- if anyone is thinking to sell a Beast of Both Worlds, I hope they can send me a PM. Deeply lusting after this amp. Thanks!

I hope you can find one - they're truly an incredible amp.

 

[Stubb]

Anyone playing one of the all-tube jobs, the 40w or 70w? Anyone gigging with one? For the longest time I wanted a Beast, but my band is direct so I don't need it. I've always wanted a B-15 for home, but then I thought why not just get an Arkham version since I love my Oracle so much? And then I thought maybe the 70w could serve as a club amp, too, if ever I end up back in a band using amps.