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I guess I failed the test in a way, because I consistently thought that the B3n samples in the first group were the raw bass.
OTOH, the fact that I got it 100% wrong suggests that I must have been hearing something.
I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. With the latest firmware, the sound from my Zooms is consistent with a decent buffer preamp- the signal is strong, but doesn't sound amped up or artificial.
Besides, any differences are subtle enough to get drowned out by other analogue gear. For example, I can pick out my Tech 21 Fly Rig at the drop of a hat, because of the hiss from the Sansamp...
OTOH, the fact that I got it 100% wrong suggests that I must have been hearing something.
I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. With the latest firmware, the sound from my Zooms is consistent with a decent buffer preamp- the signal is strong, but doesn't sound amped up or artificial.
Besides, any differences are subtle enough to get drowned out by other analogue gear. For example, I can pick out my Tech 21 Fly Rig at the drop of a hat, because of the hiss from the Sansamp...
In the later test the audio source was a B3's looper. Some recordings went direct to my audio interface and other recordings went through a B3n that was configured not to change the sound at all.
The consensus seems to be that yes, a sensitive ear can tell the difference, and no, it doesn't matter on stage.
You put the B3n in BYPASS by engaging the TUNER, specifically set in the main menu to send the DRY, unprocessed signal through the B3n's output. There are two other modes: MUTE bypass (no sound), or with the tuner engaged but all of the effects stay active (no change to the sound you have with your preset engaged).
of course you are right, I just forgot about that!
I use a patch with no effects in it. That's one tap instead of a long press on the right-most switch and then tapping the left-most selector. I haven't noticed any differences in sound between the two approaches.
