My Glockenklang Soul driving the HDN210 had been my favorite upright & doubling rig. Since I got the B|Amp, a shootout was inevitable.
For the home practice test w/ electric bass the sonic differences weren't so drastic. No compression or distortion to play with on the Glock, just a friendly but defeatable 5-band EQ. (Love that feature, wish more heads would let you bypass EQ with a switch.)
A/Bing on the gig, the B|Amp won by a country mile. I had liked the Glock for its overall musicality & presence - I thought the old-school heavy power section might yield some subtle extra impact. Maybe at some specific moderate volume level (this gig was a mellow winery duo). (I've already been avoiding the Soul amp for louder stuff, ever since it clipped and put out an alarming "hot electronics" smell when I dug in too hard.)
The B|Amp just had a whole lot more natural clarity - and latitude in the mix. (That wonderful thing where you can go a little soft & still hear yourself, or get louder without drowning out the others.) By comparison the old Glock suddenly seemed boxy and fussy. Wow...
The difference was definitely more pronounced with the upright bass, but I think I like the B|Amp better for electric as well in this setting. (I like how the compression can thicken up the electric bass response - my favorite setting for upright is completely flat with no compression.)
The B|Amp did have an unfair advantage, being paired with the same brand cab, complete with a digital speaker profile. Am I going to go looking for a Glockenklang 2x10 just so I can be a little more scientific? Uh... no.
For the home practice test w/ electric bass the sonic differences weren't so drastic. No compression or distortion to play with on the Glock, just a friendly but defeatable 5-band EQ. (Love that feature, wish more heads would let you bypass EQ with a switch.)
A/Bing on the gig, the B|Amp won by a country mile. I had liked the Glock for its overall musicality & presence - I thought the old-school heavy power section might yield some subtle extra impact. Maybe at some specific moderate volume level (this gig was a mellow winery duo). (I've already been avoiding the Soul amp for louder stuff, ever since it clipped and put out an alarming "hot electronics" smell when I dug in too hard.)
The B|Amp just had a whole lot more natural clarity - and latitude in the mix. (That wonderful thing where you can go a little soft & still hear yourself, or get louder without drowning out the others.) By comparison the old Glock suddenly seemed boxy and fussy. Wow...
The difference was definitely more pronounced with the upright bass, but I think I like the B|Amp better for electric as well in this setting. (I like how the compression can thicken up the electric bass response - my favorite setting for upright is completely flat with no compression.)
The B|Amp did have an unfair advantage, being paired with the same brand cab, complete with a digital speaker profile. Am I going to go looking for a Glockenklang 2x10 just so I can be a little more scientific? Uh... no.
