BBE Bmax and BBE Bmax-T: Has Anyone A/Bed Them?

[bassjam]

has anyone compared a ss version to the demeter.from what i can tell it seems more along the demeter vibe-which i love.i tried the tube version but cant seem to track down the ss to try.

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

The one thing hardly talked about. The compressor.

Is it even worth a damn? And I just noticed, they don't have a tuner out. That really sucks for those of us with rack tuners. But I guess we could just pass through them. Still seems they leave out a rather widely used option such as that.

Anyways, the reason I ask about the compressor, is I've considered ditching my current 2 space config for this. That being a bbe maxcom, and an svp-bsp. I want to use a stomp box for distortion instead of the dirty channel on the svp anyways, so it's not all that useful. And in the process downsize my rack a bit. But I wonder if it would be worth it. Or just leave my current compressor, and get a different pre that just gives me a tube and better eq section (which is mostly why I want to switch anyways).

Thoughts?

Troll

I thought the compressor worked well and was "musical" (as in it didn't seem to color the tone or artificially mute it), but I only use compression in small doses-your results will vary depending on how much and how often you use it I imagine. I haven't tried the units you have, so I can't compare them. If you're considering changing your whole setup over it, I'd try one first-even buy one and then ship it back if it doesn't have the suitable EQ and compression you're looking for.

 

[John D Harris]

has anyone compared a ss version to the demeter.from what i can tell it seems more along the demeter vibe-which i love.i tried the tube version but cant seem to track down the ss to try.

Between the clips on BassTasters (yeah, I know -- mp3 clips through a computer sound card, but my other PC which is now non-functional has a pretty good sound card, I downloaded the clips to the harddrive and listened with some good Sennheiser headphones) and the concensus of what I've read of people's impressions, the SS BMax has a lot more bass available (even before any bass boost), a bit overall quicker response to transients, and a dryer sound (less dimensional than good tube preamps or great SS preamps -- not sure how much the latter means in a live music setting, probably still something, but maybe not as much as in a studio setting -- where that effect could probably be added in anyway).

I'm still having an internal debate over which I would go with between the 'T' and the SS version.
I think they are both very good preamps, especially for the money.

I still want more exposure and tweaking time with the Read Purity (of course, more $$$; still pretty reasonable, considering the $2k to $3k preamps out there).

All in all, I really do like the sound I get with my re-tubed Dem 201S in my system.

 

[John D Harris]

...
Your other impressions match the consensus, but I've never read that bit about the bass. All I've read, about either unit, is that the EQ is so hot you can barely turn it up. I have the "t" and once the bass is at "3" it's about all you're likely to use. Supposedly that's only one step up from "flat" which they claim is at "2" and itself is pretty bassy - many have said their "flat" ain't really "flat" and I agree, thinking that something closer to "0.5" is flat on the bass knob.

The "Lo Contour" on the maximizer I find to be much more musical and usable if you want added lows.

What I meant by "before any bass boost" was at the (supposed) flat setting, it still has a lot of bass presence there.

I could have expressed it a bit more clearly.

 

[bassjam]

Between the clips on BassTasters (yeah, I know -- mp3 clips through a computer sound card, but my other PC which is now non-functional has a pretty good sound card, I downloaded the clips to the harddrive and listened with some good Sennheiser headphones) and the concensus of what I've read of people's impressions, the SS BMax has a lot more bass available (even before any bass boost), a bit overall quicker response to transients, and a dryer sound (less dimensional than good tube preamps or great SS preamps -- not sure how much the latter means in a live music setting, probably still something, but maybe not as much as in a studio setting -- where that effect could probably be added in anyway).

I'm still having an internal debate over which I would go with between the 'T' and the SS version.
I think they are both very good preamps, especially for the money.

I still want more exposure and tweaking time with the Read Purity (of course, more $$$; still pretty reasonable, considering the $2k to $3k preamps out there).

All in all, I really do like the sound I get with my re-tubed Dem 201S in my system.

we should zip over to pete's.he has a t over there.along with some cool basses.

 

[troll]

If you're considering changing your whole setup over it, I'd try one first-even buy one and then ship it back if it doesn't have the suitable EQ and compression you're looking for.

I'd love nothing more, but at this point, I'd be selling the current setup to fund it.

GAS and unemployment don't go together well. I guess I should just be happy with what I have until I get some cash rolling again eh?

Sounds like it's doable. The only pre's on the list are this, and a read purity, which well, is a bit pricier

Troll