Bergantino B/Amp at NAMM

[Doug Parent]

That is a nice compressor, isn't it? It seems like the deeper I dig into the B|Amp's capabilities, and the more I compare it to other (really good) bass heads, the more it impresses.

for example?

 

[Kirk Bryant]

Soooooooo, Tom, what newer heads would you put in the same class with the Bamp and can you give us some comparisons between them. I kind of thought the B was in a class by itself because of the features not the least of which is the upgrade ability of it. Which has already been shown to be pretty revolutionary. I.e. New cab patches and grind/dirt patches.

 

[rodl2005]

I had the Magellan 800 Great amp but somehow seemed a lil "processed" for want of a better word. ..got me. Certainly nothing wrong with it. ..just didn't 'float my boat "
The B-Amp just DOES. .. I woulda/coulda been happy with it, but with the B-Amp out there. ..it just seemed to fit ME better.
Very technical description I know

 

[tombowlus]

Soooooooo, Tom, what newer heads would you put in the same class with the Bamp and can you give us some comparisons between them. I kind of thought the B was in a class by itself because of the features not the least of which is the upgrade ability of it. Which has already been shown to be pretty revolutionary. I.e. New cab patches and grind/dirt patches.

Well, the first inclination is to lump all the heads using the same newer 700w ICEpower module together. This would include the B|Amp, Genzler MG-800, Mesa/Boogie Subway 800/800+, Darkglass MT900, EBS Reidmar 750 (I think), Aguilar AG700, and possibly a few more. However, when you compare them all side by side, it's really interesting how much variation there is in the overall tone, even when you dial them each in to be relatively "flat." Obviously, they all have different feature sets and form factors, as well. In addition to these heads, there are a slew of other class-D heads using different output sections, but which offer performance that is more of less in the same ballpark, as far as output power is concerned. In this group, I would consider the GK MB800/MBF800, Peavey MiniMega, Ampeg SVT-7Pro, Glockenklang Blue Soul/Sky/Rock, Quilter BB800 and some others I am not thinking of at the moment.

While I have done head to head comparisons of most of those heads listed, above, I'd rather comment on some of the characteristics of the B|Amp which have stood out when going up against the competition. First off, it is the "smoothest" amp of the bunch. Nothing sounds harsh. The transitions from lows to low-mids, middle to upper-mids, upper-mids to highs, etc. are seamless. Yet, the B|Amp does this will a high degree of clarity and articulation from top to bottom. It's not "smooth" because it's "dulling the edges" or casting a "blanket" over the tone. It's super clear, but also super rich, full and smooth. Some other heads can match the fullness, some other heads can match the balance, some other heads can match the clarity, and some of them can even do all of those things just about as well as the B|Amp, but none of them are as smooth. The Acoustic Image Clarus-SL does deserve an honorable mention as coming the closest in the full/clear/balanced/smooth category, though (but it can't match the B|Amp's output power).

In terms of the overall tone/performance of the B|Amp (with tone controls, etc. set "flat"), it has a slightly warmer and slightly more rich tone than some of the competition (the Peavey and Quilter might get the closest, I think, in this regard; Mesa and Ampeg definitely have a good degree of warmth and richness, as well, but it seems that they do so more in an "intentional voicing" kind of way, whereas the Berg/Peavey/Quilter have a more "unvoiced" kind of tone, which just happens to be slightly more warm/rich than some of the competition). While I know it's dangerous and potentially misleading to think of different amplifier topographies as sounding different, I will say that the B|Amp reminds me more of some of my favorite class-AB heads (than do these other class-D heads - again, with a few exceptions).

Considering that many of these bass heads are using the same output section, and considering that many of these bass heads can be dialed in to produce a very balanced frequency response, the fact that they don't all sound the same reminds me that there are still a lot of different tricks up various designers' sleeves. Things like signal path, gain structure, physical layout, thermal handling, etc. definitely make a difference, and I think that the quality and type of opamps, circuits and other components is also a factor.

Another thing that stands out is the transparency of the various controls/features. Some tone controls can be either too powerful, or else have a Q that is either too narrow or too wide, such that when you use them to correct for a room or mix, or to adjust for the tonal differences between instruments, etc., it can be very frustrating, as making one EQ tweak to fix one problem creates several other problems which need fixing. The B|Amp EQ, right from the first software version I tried, seemed very good at letting you make that first "fix," without creating obvious other problems, and without throwing the overall tone out of whack. Similarly, the compressor is really transparent (all the way up to controlling some fairly significant peaks/valleys), but you can dial in some "obvious compression" if you want it. The overdrive/distortion/fuzz can be used as an "obvious effect" (obviously!), but you can also use them to just add a bit of grit/hair/color, if you feel like the B|Amp is too clean or pristine for a given song/band/gig/etc.

There are features which I keep forgetting about, but which make so much sense and are really nice to have when you need them. Such as the variable feedback filter, the ability to reverse the phase of the signal going to the speaker(s) - which can be a mandatory feature for upright players - and even the tuner! Yes, I regularly forget that it has a tuner... I think it's super cool that Jim can make tweaks and improvements, and instead of creating a glut of used B|Amps in the classifieds and making a lot of us pony up for the "latest and greatest," we get to download the update to a thumb drive and our "old" B|Amp becomes the "new" B|Amp! That is so cool! The high degree of tweakability is very cool, but it also just works great, right out of the box, with no tweaking. Having multiple memory save options is super cool, so that when you get it dialed in just right for your P-bass, but then you switch to your J-bass, or ABG, or upright, you can quickly switch to the ideal settings for that instrument.

And guess what? All of this is without even talking about the profiles for Bergantino cabs! I think of them as an added bonus to an already killer head. They help you to get the most out of your Bergantino brand cabs, and if you have Berg cabs, you are going to want to at least try out the profiles. However, even without them, and even through various other brands of cabs, the B|Amp kills.

This is all IME/IMHO, of course, and YMMV.

 

[husky123]

Well, the first inclination is to lump all the heads using the same newer 700w ICEpower module together. This would include the B|Amp, Genzler MG-800, Mesa/Boogie Subway 800/800+, Darkglass MT900, EBS Reidmar 750 (I think), Aguilar AG700, and possibly a few more. However, when you compare them all side by side, it's really interesting how much variation there is in the overall tone, even when you dial them each in to be relatively "flat." Obviously, they all have different feature sets and form factors, as well. In addition to these heads, there are a slew of other class-D heads using different output sections, but which offer performance that is more of less in the same ballpark, as far as output power is concerned. In this group, I would consider the GK MB800/MBF800, Peavey MiniMega, Ampeg SVT-7Pro, Glockenklang Blue Soul/Sky/Rock, Quilter BB800 and some others I am not thinking of at the moment.

While I have done head to head comparisons of most of those heads listed, above, I'd rather comment on some of the characteristics of the B|Amp which have stood out when going up against the competition. First off, it is the "smoothest" amp of the bunch. Nothing sounds harsh. The transitions from lows to low-mids, middle to upper-mids, upper-mids to highs, etc. are seamless. Yet, the B|Amp does this will a high degree of clarity and articulation from top to bottom. It's not "smooth" because it's "dulling the edges" or casting a "blanket" over the tone. It's super clear, but also super rich, full and smooth. Some other heads can match the fullness, some other heads can match the balance, some other heads can match the clarity, and some of them can even do all of those things just about as well as the B|Amp, but none of them are as smooth. The Acoustic Image Clarus-SL does deserve an honorable mention as coming the closest in the full/clear/balanced/smooth category, though (but it can't match the B|Amp's output power).

In terms of the overall tone/performance of the B|Amp (with tone controls, etc. set "flat"), it has a slightly warmer and slightly more rich tone than some of the competition (the Peavey and Quilter might get the closest, I think, in this regard; Mesa and Ampeg definitely have a good degree of warmth and richness, as well, but it seems that they do so more in an "intentional voicing" kind of way, whereas the Berg/Peavey/Quilter have a more "unvoiced" kind of tone, which just happens to be slightly more warm/rich than some of the competition). While I know it's dangerous and potentially misleading to think of different amplifier topographies as sounding different, I will say that the B|Amp reminds me more of some of my favorite class-AB heads (than do these other class-D heads - again, with a few exceptions).

Considering that many of these bass heads are using the same output section, and considering that many of these bass heads can be dialed in to produce a very balanced frequency response, the fact that they don't all sound the same reminds me that there are still a lot of different tricks up various designers' sleeves. Things like signal path, gain structure, physical layout, thermal handling, etc. definitely make a difference, and I think that the quality and type of opamps, circuits and other components is also a factor.

Another thing that stands out is the transparency of the various controls/features. Some tone controls can be either too powerful, or else have a Q that is either too narrow or too wide, such that when you use them to correct for a room or mix, or to adjust for the tonal differences between instruments, etc., it can be very frustrating, as making one EQ tweak to fix one problem creates several other problems which need fixing. The B|Amp EQ, right from the first software version I tried, seemed very good at letting you make that first "fix," without creating obvious other problems, and without throwing the overall tone out of whack. Similarly, the compressor is really transparent (all the way up to controlling some fairly significant peaks/valleys), but you can dial in some "obvious compression" if you want it. The overdrive/distortion/fuzz can be used as an "obvious effect" (obviously!), but you can also use them to just add a bit of grit/hair/color, if you feel like the B|Amp is too clean or pristine for a given song/band/gig/etc.

There are features which I keep forgetting about, but which make so much sense and are really nice to have when you need them. Such as the variable feedback filter, the ability to reverse the phase of the signal going to the speaker(s) - which can be a mandatory feature for upright players - and even the tuner! Yes, I regularly forget that it has a tuner... I think it's super cool that Jim can make tweaks and improvements, and instead of creating a glut of used B|Amps in the classifieds and making a lot of us pony up for the "latest and greatest," we get to download the update to a thumb drive and our "old" B|Amp becomes the "new" B|Amp! That is so cool! The high degree of tweakability is very cool, but it also just works great, right out of the box, with no tweaking. Having multiple memory save options is super cool, so that when you get it dialed in just right for your P-bass, but then you switch to your J-bass, or ABG, or upright, you can quickly switch to the ideal settings for that instrument.

And guess what? All of this is without even talking about the profiles for Bergantino cabs! I think of them as an added bonus to an already killer head. They help you to get the most out of your Bergantino brand cabs, and if you have Berg cabs, you are going to want to at least try out the profiles. However, even without them, and even through various other brands of cabs, the B|Amp kills.

This is all IME/IMHO, of course, and YMMV.

Gas attack!!!

 

[bucephylus]

Well, the first inclination is to lump all the heads using the same newer 700w ICEpower module together. This would include the B|Amp, Genzler MG-800, Mesa/Boogie Subway 800/800+, Darkglass MT900, EBS Reidmar 750 (I think), Aguilar AG700, and possibly a few more. However, when you compare them all side by side, it's really interesting how much variation there is in the overall tone, even when you dial them each in to be relatively "flat." Obviously, they all have different feature sets and form factors, as well. In addition to these heads, there are a slew of other class-D heads using different output sections, but which offer performance that is more of less in the same ballpark, as far as output power is concerned. In this group, I would consider the GK MB800/MBF800, Peavey MiniMega, Ampeg SVT-7Pro, Glockenklang Blue Soul/Sky/Rock, Quilter BB800 and some others I am not thinking of at the moment.

While I have done head to head comparisons of most of those heads listed, above, I'd rather comment on some of the characteristics of the B|Amp which have stood out when going up against the competition. First off, it is the "smoothest" amp of the bunch. Nothing sounds harsh. The transitions from lows to low-mids, middle to upper-mids, upper-mids to highs, etc. are seamless. Yet, the B|Amp does this will a high degree of clarity and articulation from top to bottom. It's not "smooth" because it's "dulling the edges" or casting a "blanket" over the tone. It's super clear, but also super rich, full and smooth. Some other heads can match the fullness, some other heads can match the balance, some other heads can match the clarity, and some of them can even do all of those things just about as well as the B|Amp, but none of them are as smooth. The Acoustic Image Clarus-SL does deserve an honorable mention as coming the closest in the full/clear/balanced/smooth category, though (but it can't match the B|Amp's output power).

In terms of the overall tone/performance of the B|Amp (with tone controls, etc. set "flat"), it has a slightly warmer and slightly more rich tone than some of the competition (the Peavey and Quilter might get the closest, I think, in this regard; Mesa and Ampeg definitely have a good degree of warmth and richness, as well, but it seems that they do so more in an "intentional voicing" kind of way, whereas the Berg/Peavey/Quilter have a more "unvoiced" kind of tone, which just happens to be slightly more warm/rich than some of the competition). While I know it's dangerous and potentially misleading to think of different amplifier topographies as sounding different, I will say that the B|Amp reminds me more of some of my favorite class-AB heads (than do these other class-D heads - again, with a few exceptions).

Considering that many of these bass heads are using the same output section, and considering that many of these bass heads can be dialed in to produce a very balanced frequency response, the fact that they don't all sound the same reminds me that there are still a lot of different tricks up various designers' sleeves. Things like signal path, gain structure, physical layout, thermal handling, etc. definitely make a difference, and I think that the quality and type of opamps, circuits and other components is also a factor.

Another thing that stands out is the transparency of the various controls/features. Some tone controls can be either too powerful, or else have a Q that is either too narrow or too wide, such that when you use them to correct for a room or mix, or to adjust for the tonal differences between instruments, etc., it can be very frustrating, as making one EQ tweak to fix one problem creates several other problems which need fixing. The B|Amp EQ, right from the first software version I tried, seemed very good at letting you make that first "fix," without creating obvious other problems, and without throwing the overall tone out of whack. Similarly, the compressor is really transparent (all the way up to controlling some fairly significant peaks/valleys), but you can dial in some "obvious compression" if you want it. The overdrive/distortion/fuzz can be used as an "obvious effect" (obviously!), but you can also use them to just add a bit of grit/hair/color, if you feel like the B|Amp is too clean or pristine for a given song/band/gig/etc.

There are features which I keep forgetting about, but which make so much sense and are really nice to have when you need them. Such as the variable feedback filter, the ability to reverse the phase of the signal going to the speaker(s) - which can be a mandatory feature for upright players - and even the tuner! Yes, I regularly forget that it has a tuner... I think it's super cool that Jim can make tweaks and improvements, and instead of creating a glut of used B|Amps in the classifieds and making a lot of us pony up for the "latest and greatest," we get to download the update to a thumb drive and our "old" B|Amp becomes the "new" B|Amp! That is so cool! The high degree of tweakability is very cool, but it also just works great, right out of the box, with no tweaking. Having multiple memory save options is super cool, so that when you get it dialed in just right for your P-bass, but then you switch to your J-bass, or ABG, or upright, you can quickly switch to the ideal settings for that instrument.

And guess what? All of this is without even talking about the profiles for Bergantino cabs! I think of them as an added bonus to an already killer head. They help you to get the most out of your Bergantino brand cabs, and if you have Berg cabs, you are going to want to at least try out the profiles. However, even without them, and even through various other brands of cabs, the B|Amp kills.

This is all IME/IMHO, of course, and YMMV.

Thanks, Tom. Outstanding post. You just left off the QED at the bottom. LOL.

 

[SCT1422]

Tom, spot on !!! I just love the simplicity in the fact I'm not constantly tweaking like the amps I've owned previously..

 

[bikeplate]

Yea. I thought it was going to be a complicated, tech kinda amp. Not at all. Rather simple to work in fact. Jim talked to me on the phone about it for nearly an hour in the fall. He was right!!

That is a nice compressor, isn't it? It seems like the deeper I dig into the B|Amp's capabilities, and the more I compare it to other (really good) bass heads, the more it impresses.

 

[Dragonlord]

I'm more or less convinced to try one out, I only have one concern left: How about noise? There were some posts about excessive hiss, and I saw in the Bass Player review that one of the mentioned "small gripes" is "more self-noise than other amps". I'll be using this as a home practice amp as well, so this could get annoying...

 

[mwbonsall]

I'm more or less convinced to try one out, I only have one concern left: How about noise? There were some posts about excessive hiss, and I saw in the Bass Player review that one of the mentioned "small gripes" is "more self-noise than other amps". I'll be using this as a home practice amp as well, so this could get annoying...

I can hear some hiss if I crank the gain way up and set the input to 'lo gain instrument'. At normal levels it is dead quiet, and I have never heard any fan noise.

Mark

 

[bucephylus]

I'm more or less convinced to try one out, I only have one concern left: How about noise? There were some posts about excessive hiss, and I saw in the Bass Player review that one of the mentioned "small gripes" is "more self-noise than other amps". I'll be using this as a home practice amp as well, so this could get annoying...

Mine is dead silent.

 

[SCT1422]

I've also never heard any noise...

 

[Doug Parent]

you forgot to mention the built in espresso maker.

Well, the first inclination is to lump all the heads using the same newer 700w ICEpower module together. This would include the B|Amp, Genzler MG-800, Mesa/Boogie Subway 800/800+, Darkglass MT900, EBS Reidmar 750 (I think), Aguilar AG700, and possibly a few more. However, when you compare them all side by side, it's really interesting how much variation there is in the overall tone, even when you dial them each in to be relatively "flat." Obviously, they all have different feature sets and form factors, as well. In addition to these heads, there are a slew of other class-D heads using different output sections, but which offer performance that is more of less in the same ballpark, as far as output power is concerned. In this group, I would consider the GK MB800/MBF800, Peavey MiniMega, Ampeg SVT-7Pro, Glockenklang Blue Soul/Sky/Rock, Quilter BB800 and some others I am not thinking of at the moment.

While I have done head to head comparisons of most of those heads listed, above, I'd rather comment on some of the characteristics of the B|Amp which have stood out when going up against the competition. First off, it is the "smoothest" amp of the bunch. Nothing sounds harsh. The transitions from lows to low-mids, middle to upper-mids, upper-mids to highs, etc. are seamless. Yet, the B|Amp does this will a high degree of clarity and articulation from top to bottom. It's not "smooth" because it's "dulling the edges" or casting a "blanket" over the tone. It's super clear, but also super rich, full and smooth. Some other heads can match the fullness, some other heads can match the balance, some other heads can match the clarity, and some of them can even do all of those things just about as well as the B|Amp, but none of them are as smooth. The Acoustic Image Clarus-SL does deserve an honorable mention as coming the closest in the full/clear/balanced/smooth category, though (but it can't match the B|Amp's output power).

In terms of the overall tone/performance of the B|Amp (with tone controls, etc. set "flat"), it has a slightly warmer and slightly more rich tone than some of the competition (the Peavey and Quilter might get the closest, I think, in this regard; Mesa and Ampeg definitely have a good degree of warmth and richness, as well, but it seems that they do so more in an "intentional voicing" kind of way, whereas the Berg/Peavey/Quilter have a more "unvoiced" kind of tone, which just happens to be slightly more warm/rich than some of the competition). While I know it's dangerous and potentially misleading to think of different amplifier topographies as sounding different, I will say that the B|Amp reminds me more of some of my favorite class-AB heads (than do these other class-D heads - again, with a few exceptions).

Considering that many of these bass heads are using the same output section, and considering that many of these bass heads can be dialed in to produce a very balanced frequency response, the fact that they don't all sound the same reminds me that there are still a lot of different tricks up various designers' sleeves. Things like signal path, gain structure, physical layout, thermal handling, etc. definitely make a difference, and I think that the quality and type of opamps, circuits and other components is also a factor.

Another thing that stands out is the transparency of the various controls/features. Some tone controls can be either too powerful, or else have a Q that is either too narrow or too wide, such that when you use them to correct for a room or mix, or to adjust for the tonal differences between instruments, etc., it can be very frustrating, as making one EQ tweak to fix one problem creates several other problems which need fixing. The B|Amp EQ, right from the first software version I tried, seemed very good at letting you make that first "fix," without creating obvious other problems, and without throwing the overall tone out of whack. Similarly, the compressor is really transparent (all the way up to controlling some fairly significant peaks/valleys), but you can dial in some "obvious compression" if you want it. The overdrive/distortion/fuzz can be used as an "obvious effect" (obviously!), but you can also use them to just add a bit of grit/hair/color, if you feel like the B|Amp is too clean or pristine for a given song/band/gig/etc.

There are features which I keep forgetting about, but which make so much sense and are really nice to have when you need them. Such as the variable feedback filter, the ability to reverse the phase of the signal going to the speaker(s) - which can be a mandatory feature for upright players - and even the tuner! Yes, I regularly forget that it has a tuner... I think it's super cool that Jim can make tweaks and improvements, and instead of creating a glut of used B|Amps in the classifieds and making a lot of us pony up for the "latest and greatest," we get to download the update to a thumb drive and our "old" B|Amp becomes the "new" B|Amp! That is so cool! The high degree of tweakability is very cool, but it also just works great, right out of the box, with no tweaking. Having multiple memory save options is super cool, so that when you get it dialed in just right for your P-bass, but then you switch to your J-bass, or ABG, or upright, you can quickly switch to the ideal settings for that instrument.

And guess what? All of this is without even talking about the profiles for Bergantino cabs! I think of them as an added bonus to an already killer head. They help you to get the most out of your Bergantino brand cabs, and if you have Berg cabs, you are going to want to at least try out the profiles. However, even without them, and even through various other brands of cabs, the B|Amp kills.

This is all IME/IMHO, of course, and YMMV.

 

[gregbackstrom]

I'm more or less convinced to try one out, I only have one concern left: How about noise? There were some posts about excessive hiss, and I saw in the Bass Player review that one of the mentioned "small gripes" is "more self-noise than other amps". I'll be using this as a home practice amp as well, so this could get annoying...

Noise is a big concern for me, and one of the reasons I've cycled through so many amps over the years. The B|Amp may be the least noisy amp I've used. (Except for the noise I create with it, of course!!)

 

[Dragonlord]

Great, thanks everyone for the quick feedback! Hopefully I'll add my own first-hand experience review here soon enough!

 

[Edgar]

Well, the first inclination is to lump all the heads using the same newer 700w ICEpower module together. This would include the B|Amp, Genzler MG-800, Mesa/Boogie Subway 800/800+, Darkglass MT900, EBS Reidmar 750 (I think), Aguilar AG700, and possibly a few more. However, when you compare them all side by side, it's really interesting how much variation there is in the overall tone, even when you dial them each in to be relatively "flat." Obviously, they all have different feature sets and form factors, as well. In addition to these heads, there are a slew of other class-D heads using different output sections, but which offer performance that is more of less in the same ballpark, as far as output power is concerned. In this group, I would consider the GK MB800/MBF800, Peavey MiniMega, Ampeg SVT-7Pro, Glockenklang Blue Soul/Sky/Rock, Quilter BB800 and some others I am not thinking of at the moment.

While I have done head to head comparisons of most of those heads listed, above, I'd rather comment on some of the characteristics of the B|Amp which have stood out when going up against the competition. First off, it is the "smoothest" amp of the bunch. Nothing sounds harsh. The transitions from lows to low-mids, middle to upper-mids, upper-mids to highs, etc. are seamless. Yet, the B|Amp does this will a high degree of clarity and articulation from top to bottom. It's not "smooth" because it's "dulling the edges" or casting a "blanket" over the tone. It's super clear, but also super rich, full and smooth. Some other heads can match the fullness, some other heads can match the balance, some other heads can match the clarity, and some of them can even do all of those things just about as well as the B|Amp, but none of them are as smooth. The Acoustic Image Clarus-SL does deserve an honorable mention as coming the closest in the full/clear/balanced/smooth category, though (but it can't match the B|Amp's output power).

In terms of the overall tone/performance of the B|Amp (with tone controls, etc. set "flat"), it has a slightly warmer and slightly more rich tone than some of the competition (the Peavey and Quilter might get the closest, I think, in this regard; Mesa and Ampeg definitely have a good degree of warmth and richness, as well, but it seems that they do so more in an "intentional voicing" kind of way, whereas the Berg/Peavey/Quilter have a more "unvoiced" kind of tone, which just happens to be slightly more warm/rich than some of the competition). While I know it's dangerous and potentially misleading to think of different amplifier topographies as sounding different, I will say that the B|Amp reminds me more of some of my favorite class-AB heads (than do these other class-D heads - again, with a few exceptions).

Considering that many of these bass heads are using the same output section, and considering that many of these bass heads can be dialed in to produce a very balanced frequency response, the fact that they don't all sound the same reminds me that there are still a lot of different tricks up various designers' sleeves. Things like signal path, gain structure, physical layout, thermal handling, etc. definitely make a difference, and I think that the quality and type of opamps, circuits and other components is also a factor.

Another thing that stands out is the transparency of the various controls/features. Some tone controls can be either too powerful, or else have a Q that is either too narrow or too wide, such that when you use them to correct for a room or mix, or to adjust for the tonal differences between instruments, etc., it can be very frustrating, as making one EQ tweak to fix one problem creates several other problems which need fixing. The B|Amp EQ, right from the first software version I tried, seemed very good at letting you make that first "fix," without creating obvious other problems, and without throwing the overall tone out of whack. Similarly, the compressor is really transparent (all the way up to controlling some fairly significant peaks/valleys), but you can dial in some "obvious compression" if you want it. The overdrive/distortion/fuzz can be used as an "obvious effect" (obviously!), but you can also use them to just add a bit of grit/hair/color, if you feel like the B|Amp is too clean or pristine for a given song/band/gig/etc.

There are features which I keep forgetting about, but which make so much sense and are really nice to have when you need them. Such as the variable feedback filter, the ability to reverse the phase of the signal going to the speaker(s) - which can be a mandatory feature for upright players - and even the tuner! Yes, I regularly forget that it has a tuner... I think it's super cool that Jim can make tweaks and improvements, and instead of creating a glut of used B|Amps in the classifieds and making a lot of us pony up for the "latest and greatest," we get to download the update to a thumb drive and our "old" B|Amp becomes the "new" B|Amp! That is so cool! The high degree of tweakability is very cool, but it also just works great, right out of the box, with no tweaking. Having multiple memory save options is super cool, so that when you get it dialed in just right for your P-bass, but then you switch to your J-bass, or ABG, or upright, you can quickly switch to the ideal settings for that instrument.

And guess what? All of this is without even talking about the profiles for Bergantino cabs! I think of them as an added bonus to an already killer head. They help you to get the most out of your Bergantino brand cabs, and if you have Berg cabs, you are going to want to at least try out the profiles. However, even without them, and even through various other brands of cabs, the B|Amp kills.

This is all IME/IMHO, of course, and YMMV.

I know I said this to a few people after my initial purchase of Jim's B|Amp but I don't think I did on Talkbass.

My POV is that this head is a game-changer. Think about 10 years ago when Apple introduced the iPhone.

Yep, that impressive.

I might be wrong but, lets see where the bass head market will be in 5 years. Let's see how many B|Amp clone/influence products will be out there.

It might not be the amp for you but, it's one amazing piece of gear that can please (get the work done) most of you.

I see a lot of people catching up and in some cases, adding a Noble or a Jule Amp Monique in front (input/fx return) of the unit but, all of them are unanimous. It's a great amp and, it's hassle free, great tones, lightweight, reliable and the upgrades are always a plus, whether you use them or not.

Is it dead silent, no it's not.

It's more quiet than a great tube head and depending on your cabs configuration/how hard you drive it, the fan rarely turns on.

 

[Kirk Bryant]

Yea great, I'm a little ticked off you guys don't have to dump your amps to buy an upgraded version so we could have a second hand market for these things. Lol Jim may have shot himself in the foot on that front costing him sales. Oh well, I don't have the money anyway so I thought a little sour grapes were in order. Haha

 

[Doug Parent]

Yea great, I'm a little ticked off you guys don't have to dump your amps to buy an upgraded version so we could have a second hand market for these things. Lol Jim may have shot himself in the foot on that front costing him sales. Oh well, I don't have the money anyway so I thought a little sour grapes were in order. Haha

Maybe Jims foot has a hole in it but he's also pushing his line in a direction that makes sense and answers a real need. It just keeps getting better.

 

[Edgar]

Yea great, I'm a little ticked off you guys don't have to dump your amps to buy an upgraded version so we could have a second hand market for these things. Lol Jim may have shot himself in the foot on that front costing him sales. Oh well, I don't have the money anyway so I thought a little sour grapes were in order. Haha

I always felt that his various cabs series (AE/NV/HD/HDN/REF/...) were replaced a bit faster than other high end brands so, you might have to take the initial buyer hit on a new B|Amp and get a great deal on an "end of the product line"/used cab(s).

 

[kjones]

Well, I just got done another gig playing mine for another four hours. The shine hasn't worn off yet!

Man, that HDN 112 sounds pretty darn good too. Now, all I gotta remember when I wake up an hour earlier than I'm supposed to tomorrow is to change the cabinet setting to HS 410, and put the Overdrive back in before I start playing.

Yeah, I know, both together will take less than a minute, it's the remembering when I'm still sleepy as heck that matters!

Roger Sadowsky should buy a B|Amp to put in his shop. You want to hear what your new bass will sound like? This is what your bass sounds like.