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Boss Katana Bass ...

#41
Redbrangus said:
For the price & weight, I'd doubt it was Class A/B. Their guitar amps are 100% SS.

I guess my question is what the hey does your post mean? The manufacturer states plainly in their marketing literature that the amp is Class AB, so there isn't any cause for doubt. But Class AB is an amplifier topology -- it can be implemented in both vacuum tube and solid state designs. That is, presuming that solid state is what you meant by referring to the guitar amps as being "SS" and not "Super Sport". :D
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I say 100% solid state because as far as I know there are no tubes in a Katana. Both preamp & power sections are solid state.

As far as the weight comment, maybe you've noticed the term "lead sled" for high wattage tube amps heads. Boss is making a combo amp, so it would be heavier yet.

Cheers!
 
#42
?? :confused:

Again, no one suggested anything about tubes. The amp uses Class AB circuit topology, which has nothing to do with it being a tube or solid-state amp. The conjecture, as I understand it, is that the possible reason it's heavier than some of its competitors is that it's Class AB (yes, solid-state AB) rather than Class D circuit topology. What they're probably referencing, I presume, is the weight savings gained in Class D amps by using switching-mode power supplies, which is actually something different yet again. My own theory -- admittedly without having seen the actual product -- is at that power rating, there probably isn't a significant weight difference in the implementation of the two circuit types.
 
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#43
I’m definitely curious about the class AB thing. That’s hardly a feature these days, and the only benefit I can see is for cutting costs. But these aren’t like especially inexpensive, so I’m confused as to why they’re marketing it as a feature.
 
#44
I just pre ordered a 210 Katana combo from Sweetwater so when I get it I will post my thoughts on it.Like I said on an earlier post Boss could have made it cheaper and lighter going class d but they didnt so like some of us feel on here that class ab just sounds better.Obviously Boss must feel the same way.No debate here.If you like your class d amp that is all that matters,not what I think.But for me it was somewhat of a selling point.So to each their own and play bass.
 
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#47
I’ve played class AB amps that aren’t great, and class D amps that sound huge. And vice versa. I think the myth of “class D = bad” has been pretty much busted at this point.

I’m definitely not saying this amp will sound bad, I’m sure it’s going to sound great. I’m just surprised, and a little confused is all. I find class AB to be the opposite of a feature FOR ME personally. Obviously the real test will be this it sounds and feels to play, so I’m holding out judgment until I get to play one. I’m just wondering if there’s any other benefits to class AB I’m not thinking of other than potentially and arguably sounding better.
 
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#49
PrimitiveMan said:
Hope they come out next month as predicted, my combo has been having issues, but want to wait to try these first.

I was contemplating saving more for a Mesa or Genzler setup but I generally don't need that much volume is the truth.

Plus I want the effects.
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Agree. Looks like Cream City Music in Wisconsin has them on the soonest, March 31st.
 
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#50
Class AB "amp on a chip" are pretty much an obsolete product these days, so I guess there must be savings on a bulk purchase of these chips.

The Katana is very much DSP preamp/effects and classic solid state power amp.
It gives you a load of effects to choose from, and each of the 6 channel/patches can use two effects + drive, compressor, EQ, preamp.
It also has an adjustable Send/Return loop, D.I. with cabinet simulation options.
Also can use the optional GAFC foot controller to switch the 6 channels and toggle effect on/off, and also plug in a couple of extra footswitches or expression pedals for control of any parameter settings.
Also has optional Bluetooth plug in module for audio and midi in/out.
 
#52
If you go to the Boss website where it talks about the 210 combo,open up where it says guides/articles,then where it says Bass amp applications,recording practice and live click on read more.They go into detail on why they chose class ab output over class d and the benefits of doing so and go on to say that the 210 combo has an all analog class ab power amp and how they say it sounds better than class d amps of much higher power.Boss could have used a class d amp and most certainly would have been cheaper and lighter but they didnt.
 
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#53
BruceG63 said:
If you go to the Boss website where it talks about the 210 combo,open up where it says guides/articles,then where it says Bass amp applications,recording practice and live click on read more.They go into detail on why they chose class ab output over class d and the benefits of doing so and go on to say that the 210 combo has an all analog class ab power amp and how they say it sounds better than class d amps of much higher power.Boss could have used a class d amp and most certainly would have been cheaper and lighter but they didnt.
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I just read that article. Unfortunately I disagree with Boss about many of the points they make. My Class D amps are all louder than any AB amps I’ve owned, so their claim about “class D not being as loud as you’d think” isn’t true in my experience.

Another thing they talk about is class D sounding worse when it’s clipping than class AB. That could be true, but I don’t like pushing the power section of a head into clipping regardless of the class of amp it is, so I’d prefer to have more watts.
Plus they way they talk about the dynamic feel, the rich tone, and the power section sounding better when pushed kind of makes me feel like they’re tempering expectations for an underpowered amp.

I do understand Boss is stating that the “feature” they put in their amp makes it sound better than other amps, but every manufacturer says that about their own amp, and their amps are lighter and louder that the Boss. The Fender Rumble 500 Combo (which seems to be a fairly direct competitor) is the same price, more than double the wattage, can power an extension cab for even more watts/volume, AND is doing all of that weighing 13 lbs less than the Boss.

It probably seems like I’m coming off as anti-Boss, but I’m not. I’m a big fan of their pedals, and think the Katana guitar amps are the best entry level guitar amps, hands down. I’m just skeptical of their decision to use what is becoming an obsolete power amp technology and calling that a feature, when it more than likely is a cost-saving measure.

But I’m not counting this amp out until I hear it. Maybe class AB watts will be louder in this instance.
 
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#54
I'd think that for the MSRP they want this thing to sell at, and who is actually building it for them and their capabilities, are the reasons for whatever choices they made under the hood. I doubt a combo amp is the ground on which to battle over Class this or Class that discussion. Built to a price, as always.

Aside from Roland/BOSS' secret sauce in terms of effects, programmability, etc., this is meant to compete with Rumbles and Rocket Bass combos. Are the general spec outlines similar? I'd be surprised if they're not to be competitively priced.
 
#55
Everybody please take a moment to understand watts,speaker sensitivity and decibels.If you take a pair of 10" bass guitar amp woofers that are say 98 db sens together at 1 watt 1 meter.Then its going to take 10 watts to be twice as loud as 1 watt and 100 watts to be as twice as loud as 10 watts and a 1000 to be twice as loud as a 100.So with that in mind a pair of 10s at a 160 watts is going to take 1600 watts to be twice as loud!In other words the Fender Rumble at 500 watts pushing a pair of identical 10s as the Boss at 160 watts you would lucky to hear a 3 to 4 db increase in volume between the 2 which is barely noticeable and if the 10s in the Boss amp were higher sensitivity there would most likely be almost no difference at all.Now on to the class d class ab debate.Like all amps not all class d amps are built alike some better than others.I understand the alure of class d with its light weight,cost,efficiency being a able to carry in one hand etc.But after hearing a good number of times class d bass amps vs class ab whether it be solid state or tube those of you that dont hear that difference all I can say is to each their own.Stop and think about it.Dont you think Roland/Boss have the ability to use any type of power amp they so desire in those amps.I guarantee it most certainly would have been cheaper and lighter with more profit for them to use one of many available class d modules but they didnt.They chose class ab because it sounds better to them and their engineers period and if want argue that with them so be it.And if it makes their amp a couple of pounds heavier so what.So if you want nothing more than light weight and convenience be happy with your class d and play on.Boss thought they would try to appeal to those of us that wants to sound good above all else and I think they are off to a good start.
 
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#56
I was waiting for this product to come from Boss since a long time. My Kustom Deep end 115 bass is amazing, but I have a bad back.

As a guitarrist I already have the Mk2 artist which is perfect but at the limit of weight.

The bass amp I look for needs to be a 1x15" and these are diffrent and look too heavy for what it is.

To be honest, I will most likely be using my Mk2 artist guitar combo amplifier as a pre and poweramp for an external lightweight bass 1x15" cabinet.
Even better solution would be a Boss Mk2 head feeding two different cabs. One for guitar and another for bass. I´ve made a quick test and it sounded just nice for my orchestra environment with plenty of controls in the software for effects, EQ and whatever.
 
#57
I'm not buying their marketing on class A/B being more efficient per watt and/or it sounding better. The two competing amp lines both are about double the wattage and weigh considerably less. We are at a point that even if it sounds better the weight and power difference will pretty much be a non starter for alot of players. The only thing I could see swaying some players back to possibly buying it would be if it cost significantly less and at the moment it looks to cost the same as the competition if not more. I'm sure some guys with no restraint ie have to try new stuff just to try it or that are uneducated, inexperienced ect. will still buy this but I have no pity on them making such a rash purchase "a fool and his money are soon parted"
 
#58
I never said anything about class ab being more efficient than class d because it is not.Better sounding to a lot of players yes.To others no.My Mesa Bass 400+ is finally needing some repair after owning it since 94.Around 27 years of faithfull service without even changing a fuse and on the same set of tubes.Yea it weighs around 45 lbs but I would rather struggle with a little bit of weight on setup and sound excellent for a gig than be able to set it up on top of my cabs with one hand and have average sound for the night as with a class d product.Ive had other bass players come up to me at multiple band events and really comment on my tone that were using Bergantino,Fender Rumbles,Ampegs,GKs to name a few that were all class d but liked what I had better and wondered how I got such a tone.Now Im 65 and I need to lighten the load a little but still try to get that class ab tone and I feel/hope that Boss amp will do it.One of my friends that was an old bandmate runs an audio repair business going on 45 plus years and ive been in his shop a few times were we compared an old Ampeg V4B tube head 100 watts against a far more modern GK amp.I would have liked to seen any of you class d fans look us in the face and admit the GK sounded although it had over twice the power.Any bass player with a pair of ears would have liked the old Ampeg better.And as for a fool and his $ being parted just wait till you have to get that class d amp worked on because most shops will tell you to send it back to the manufacturer and they will probably tell buy a new one.But gee remember its lighter and tone thats for other people that know better.
 
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#60
BruceG63 said:
I never said anything about class ab being more efficient than class d because it is not.Better sounding to a lot of players yes.To others no.My Mesa Bass 400+ is finally needing some repair after owning it since 94.Around 27 years of faithfull service without even changing a fuse and on the same set of tubes.Yea it weighs around 45 lbs but I would rather struggle with a little bit of weight on setup and sound excellent for a gig than be able to set it up on top of my cabs with one hand and have average sound for the night as with a class d product.Ive had other bass players come up to me at multiple band events and really comment on my tone that were using Bergantino,Fender Rumbles,Ampegs,GKs to name a few that were all class d but liked what I had better and wondered how I got such a tone.Now Im 65 and I need to lighten the load a little but still try to get that class ab tone and I feel/hope that Boss amp will do it.One of my friends that was an old bandmate runs an audio repair business going on 45 plus years and ive been in his shop a few times were we compared an old Ampeg V4B tube head 100 watts against a far more modern GK amp.I would have liked to seen any of you class d fans look us in the face and admit the GK sounded although it had over twice the power.Any bass player with a pair of ears would have liked the old Ampeg better.And as for a fool and his $ being parted just wait till you have to get that class d amp worked on because most shops will tell you to send it back to the manufacturer and they will probably tell buy a new one.But gee remember its lighter and tone thats for other people that know better.
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Boss where the ones implying that class Ab is more efficient in their marketing. No one is going to argue that there is a vast difference in tone between a v4b and most class d amps I wasn't talking about tube amps in this example class Ab is describing the power amp class not if it's valve or solidstate sorry I didn't specify previously. My comments where not directed at you personally but that said if you wish to take it as such that is not in my control. I'm not familiar with Ampeg being known by their class d amps other then maybe their newer revision of the rocket bass line and wouldn't compare those or a fender rumble to a bergantino or even one of the modern Gk amps as they are vastly different sounding amps but either way I'd gladly take any of the Gk class d or bergantino amps over the v4b personally for me it's not loud enough weighs too much and it's abit of a one trick pony. Now if my back wasn't bad I'd gladly play that mesa 400+ to me it is a amp that's tone beyond makes it worthy of it's weight.
 

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