I've heard some rumours that the internal makeup of the BBE BMax-T is fairly similar to Trace Elliots and thus the sound is pretty similar. Can anyone attest to this? Does the BMax-T have that Trace-like smooth low end?
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BBE like Trace Elliot?
- Thread starter gratt
- Start date
Hmm, I guess it might depend on what Trace Elliot preamp you are comparing it to. V series, SMX, SM, Series6, or MkV?
If you've ever heard the Alembic F2B, It's based on the same design, so obviously it sounds similar. Interactive tone stack. The original EQ design for both preamps is copped from the Fender Dual Showman (Blackface).
Difference between the Alembic and the BBE being the BBE has a built-in compressor that I don't find particularly useful, and a built-in sonic maximizer, which I find quite useful. But I imagine the basic tube preamp is pretty much the same, depending on what tube you're using. The BBE comes stock with a Groove-Tubes 12AX7. I replaced mine with a Groove Tubes 5751M ($20 ripoff!).
I haven't heard enough trace stuff to compare it to that. It's possible one or more of the trace preamps were taken from the same EQ circuit design as the Alembic and BBE, but I'd need to research it more before I could actually give you an answer.
Difference between the Alembic and the BBE being the BBE has a built-in compressor that I don't find particularly useful, and a built-in sonic maximizer, which I find quite useful. But I imagine the basic tube preamp is pretty much the same, depending on what tube you're using. The BBE comes stock with a Groove-Tubes 12AX7. I replaced mine with a Groove Tubes 5751M ($20 ripoff!).
I haven't heard enough trace stuff to compare it to that. It's possible one or more of the trace preamps were taken from the same EQ circuit design as the Alembic and BBE, but I'd need to research it more before I could actually give you an answer.
That is why I was hinting at finding out what type of Trace he was wanting it compared to. It helps if people are a little more helpful with giving these little details with their questions.
I'd like to thank the OP for bringing this preamp to my attention. Before this topic, I wasn't aware of the qualities of the BBE BMAX-T. Also thanks to this archived thread, I was able to read the history of how the BMAX line came to production. Very interesting.
