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Bass Metaphors Question

iamthebassman

iamthebassman

Feb 24, 2004
4,103
643
68
Austin,Texas
Disclosures
Endorsing Artist: Phantom Guitars, Eastwood Guitars
#1
I've got one one the way, and was reading the manual online which says:

The output of the Bass Metaphor is balanced/unbalanced and conveniently accessed by 1/4” TRS jack and by a standard XLR on the side of the unit. Please note that using a standard 1/4” unbalanced plug will bypass the balanced output for BOTH connectors.

What exactly does the bold sentence mean?
I wanna run the 1/4" out to my amp and the XLR to the board, is that do-able?
 
#3
OK, I don't guess I know what balanced output is.
On my M-80 and my SansAmp BDDI I can run both outs at once, with a normal guitar cord and a mic cord, can I do the same with the Metaphors?
 
#4
Let me first say, that I don't own a Metaphors. But I guess you can make it work with both outputs if you use a stereo jack on the Metaphors side, with the 'ring' part of the jack not connected. That way, there won't be a shortcut between the '-' and ground and you will have fooled the Metaphors ;)
This will probably require you to make or mod your own cable, though.
 
#5
I had one of these and I have to say that "feature" is one of the few things that bothered me.

You can definitely use both outputs. What this means is that if you use a standard instrument cable for the 1/4" output, it defeats the ground pin on the XLR out. Frankly, I can't imagine why they'd design it like this, but then I'm no engineer.

Depending on your amp, you may be able to run a balanced (TRS) patch cable from the Metaphors without any trouble, especially if you have a "preamp in" jack, however, that may very well bypass your bass amp's preamp, which might not be ideal for you. I'm not sure what, if any, the ramifications are of running a TRS cable into a standard instrument input jack. Anyone?

It's not necessarily a problem to run a ground-lifted XLR to the board if you're using a standard 1/4" cable, but my guess is you'll be more likely to experience RF interference and the like.
 
#7
Firstly, I'm no electronics wiz, and I think that EH probably had a reason for doing what they did with this box. But, I had my Metaphors opened up today to tame the compression circuit and got a look at the 1/4" jacks. It looks to me like bending back the "ring" tang on the output TRS jack would allow the unit to send balanced output through the XLR and unbalanced through the output simultaneously. This would eliminate the balanced 1/4"-out capabilities, but would be a benefit to most people using this box with an amp and PA.

What say you, TalkBass?
 
#9
Reopening this case! :) I just today got a Metaphors, so I have not had time to explore any solutions, but I have already had to open it up. The XLR jack was not screwed or bolted on! I went to insert a mic cable plug, and the whole works just sank back inside the box with no resistance. Turns out the mounting "ears" of the XLR jack are not threaded at all, so the screws were not doing anything but sitting there. So now I have to either get some very small bolts and nuts, and try to tighten them in an very tight cramped space; or stuff some thread-repair strips into the ears of the jack and hope that the screws will bite in. Or maybe just fill the ears with epoxy and then tap some appropriate small screw holes. Whatta PITA.

I'd love to know which trim pot was used to "tame" the compression circuit! Guess I can just start adjusting and see what I get.

Ultra-short first impressions: The distortion is not bad at low settings; the EQ is pretty good sounding, but very non-intuitive to use; without compression, there is no noise. The compressor is identical to the reissue Soul Preacher: a super noisy heavy squasher.
 
#10
bongomania said:
I'd love to know which trim pot was used to "tame" the compression circuit! Guess I can just start adjusting and see what I get.

Ultra-short first impressions: The distortion is not bad at low settings; the EQ is pretty good sounding, but very non-intuitive to use; without compression, there is no noise. The compressor is identical to the reissue Soul Preacher: a super noisy heavy squasher.
Click to expand...

The one in the middle of the unit adjusts the compression amount (or so it seems) and another near the bottom of the unit controls the volume. I was able to tone the noise down slightly by making adjustments to the compressor, which is definitely the source of the noise. It's still slightly noisy but only when the compressor is on, but at least the compressor is now tolerable with the trim pot all the way down.
 

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