Club Bergantino! Let's See Those Rigs!

[Rocksolid]

I might have the option to purchase an Aguilar DB680, that I would run with my IP310. I don't need it, but these items just don't come up often. Can anyone chime in on what these preamps might be compared to that's around these days from a tone stand point?

 

[Lowfader]

What Jim said. I get more compliments on my HT112 than any other bass cabinet I've ever owned.

 

[Jim Bergantino]

What Jim said. I get more compliments on my HT112 than any other bass cabinet I've ever owned.

Designed in our first year of business in 2001. A 25 year old design

 

[Jim Bergantino]

I might have the option to purchase an Aguilar DB680, that I would run with my IP310. I don't need it, but these items just don't come up often. Can anyone chime in on what these preamps might be compared to that's around these days from a tone stand point?

Nothing against the DB680. I'm sure it's a great preamp. But I'm also pretty sure it's heavily voiced which may or may not work well with the IP310. I would recommend trying the "Dry" setting (no profile eq curve) when using that preamp. Of course try it both ways but just wanted to point out a flat preamp vs a voiced preamp was what I had in mind when developing the IP series. Keep us posted if you do get to play it thru the IP310.

 

[Rocksolid]

Nothing against the DB680. I'm sure it's a great preamp. But I'm also pretty sure it's heavily voiced which may or may not work well with the IP310. I would recommend trying the "Dry" setting (no profile eq curve) when using that preamp. Of course try it both ways but just wanted to point out a flat preamp vs a voiced preamp was what I had in mind when developing the IP series. Keep us posted if you do get to play it thru the IP310.

Thanks for chiming in Jim. Fortunately I'll get to try before i buy.
I had read on here that it was a highly regarded pairing.

 

[Jim Bergantino]

Thanks for chiming in Jim. Fortunately I'll get to try before i buy.
I had read on here that it was a highly regarded pairing.

Could be. Look forward to your findings in both positions on the IP310.

 

[Tim1]

For all HP amp owners (HP, HP2, HP2X, and HP Ultra) who also have any of the following cabinets:

ENXT112, NXT112, NXT210, or NXT212 along with their NXTSE and NXV counterparts, there are now firmware updates on our website with dedicated speaker profiles for these cabinets including the 322 stacks. There's a firmware page for the HP's and one for the Ultra.

Also, for any original HP owners (HP, HP2, HP2X), you could still download any of these firmware updates (from the HP, HP2, HP2X firmware page) if you would like to experience the Ultra's format and architecture with the Ultra Drive and two voicing options, Modern or Vintage. And for any HP owners, including Ultra owners, with a non-Bergantino cabinet, you may be pleasantly surprised how one of these updates with dedicated Speaker Profile compliments your other branded cabinet of similar configuration. Doesn't hurt to try. You can always go back!

Enjoy!

This post was a real ear opener for me . I have an original hp which has not seen much use in the past couple of years as my taste changed and other amps came and went. I downloaded a couple of the ultra firmware options to try with my Barefaced Big Baby cab and the hpn112 is a fantastic match. The vintage voicing option is just what I was looking for too. I feel like Jim has just gifted me a new amp for free! The whole vibe of the head has changed. It will be coming on the next gig again.

 

[kevk]

Ultra owner's! Just wanted to offer another firmware voicing option for any Ultra amp owner's…. Back in April, Jim came up with a custom firmware to address my two favorite voices:

Position 1—SVT type voicing (when Ultra Lo engaged)
Position 2—Passive Tone Stack.

Note that this firmware eliminates the modern voice circuit completely, and does NOT account for any specific Berg cab voicing nuances…the firmware's its own thing, but works well with my NV 410T, 312T, 610T, and Ampeg Heritage 810E. I'm confident it will work with neo and/or ported cabs as well.

Imo/e, both firmware voices are really fantastic! I've never looked back, or had any desire to tweak any further. Between these two options…I can achieve everything I want to hear, using any of my P/J/T-pickup basses—flats, rounds, etc. Voices are quite different; very "centered"…meaning they sound great at flat eq or can be easily "tweaked" to taste.

•Ultra Lo voice (Position 1) is slightly different than the current vintage voice (Position 2 of the current stock firmware)…typically use Ultra's on-board drive (9 o'clock) with this voice.

•PTC voice (Position 2) is very lively; has killer dynamic presence…don't typically use the Ultra's on-board drive with this voice. Sounds particularly great with J/T pickups! Both voices are volume output matched.

Anyway, I'd be happy to share my firmware with any Ultra amp owner's. Simply pm me your email address, and I'll send you a copy to try. If you don't care for it, you can always re-load your current firmware from the website.: )

Lol—I'm c-l-e-a-r-l-y in the minority for not preferring Jim's modern voice circuit…but that's the beauty of his amp architecture—Ultra also works fabulous for my ear!

 

[Jim Bergantino]

This post was a real ear opener for me . I have an original hp which has not seen much use in the past couple of years as my taste changed and other amps came and went. I downloaded a couple of the ultra firmware options to try with my Barefaced Big Baby cab and the hpn112 is a fantastic match. The vintage voicing option is just what I was looking for too. I feel like Jim has just gifted me a new amp for free! The whole vibe of the head has changed. It will be coming on the next gig.

So approx. 10 seconds of your time and no $ and you have a new amp? How can I possibly afford to stay in business with all this free stuff and not force you to do the buy/sell tango like other companies to get their latest and "greatest".

 

[Barks4]

Appreciate the kind words, but just thought I would say I would put any cabinet I designed at my company's inception 25 years ago up against any cab I've designed to date. They're all designed to the same high engineering standards, just to different design objectives. Light(neo) vs heavy(ceramic). Modern(ported-neo and ceramic) vs. vintage(sealed-ceramic). Powered, DSP based cabinets that defined FRFR before the term even existed. And we even put our HG series into the mix for a more 3D, stage filling sound field. Don't mind saying, had a lot of fun these last 25 years bringing new ideas and new engineering concepts and standards to the bass amplification community. And thank you to all who supported us along the way and made it all possible!;-)

I am going to agree here as I am still using my two HT112 cabs with the chromed grilles that I bought and were shipped to the U.K. direct from Jim B. when they first came out. They are no. A0181 and A0226.
This was before there was any distribution deal in the U.K. and Jim told me that these cabs would easily blow away the heavy 4x10 cabs from other manufacturers that I had been using. He was right
I've played these cabs for many years now and they are still going strong after 100s of gigs and rehearsals. Usually two cabs but also quite often just one works great.
Keep up the good work Jim!
Oh, I have bought a newer berg cab in the last few years - a 112 NXV for my home studio. That's very cool too.

 

[point_departure]

So approx. 10 seconds of your time and no $ and you have a new amp? How can I possibly afford to stay in business with all this free stuff and not force you to do the buy/sell tango like other companies to get their latest and "greatest".

This is bonkers! Any suggestions if I want to try updating my original forte' HP to use with a Ref II 112 / Ref II 115 stack? Is there a general-voiced HP ULTRA firmware update that can be put into the original forte' HP?

 

[Jim Bergantino]

This is bonkers! Any suggestions if I want to try updating my original forte' HP to use with a Ref II 112 / Ref II 115 stack? Is there a general-voiced HP ULTRA firmware update that can be put into the original forte' HP?

We will be coming out with the Reference profiles, but in the mean time, if you just want to try the Ultra's feature set, including vintage voicing and the new Drive circuit. you can download any of the 8 offerings of the new HPN series or NXT series and get a good sense of the Ultra format. You may want to try various firmware options to see which one best matches your setup, but we will eventually have them for both the Ultra and all the original HP amps.

 

[BB3000S]

I'm found my ultimate cab many years ago now, an AE-410 which is very dear to me. Full fat low end, great mids and amazing highs.

 

[kevk]

Ultra owner's! Just wanted to offer another firmware voicing option for any Ultra amp owner's…. Back in April, Jim came up with a custom firmware to address my two favorite voices:

Position 1—SVT type voicing (when Ultra Lo engaged)
Position 2—Passive Tone Stack.

Note that this firmware eliminates the modern voice circuit completely, and does NOT account for any specific Berg cab voicing nuances…the firmware's its own thing, but works well with my NV 410T, 312T, 610T, and Ampeg Heritage 810E. I'm confident it will work with neo and/or ported cabs as well.

Imo/e, both firmware voices are really fantastic! I've never looked back, or had any desire to tweak any further. Between these two options…I can achieve everything I want to hear, using any of my P/J/T-pickup basses—flats, rounds, etc. Voices are quite different; very "centered"…meaning they sound great at flat eq or can be easily "tweaked" to taste.

•Ultra Lo voice (Position 1) is slightly different than the current vintage voice (Position 2 of the current stock firmware)…typically use Ultra's on-board drive (9 o'clock) with this voice.

•PTC voice (Position 2) is very lively; has killer dynamic presence…don't typically use the Ultra's on-board drive with this voice. Sounds particularly great with J/T pickups! Both voices are volume output matched.

Anyway, I'd be happy to share my firmware with any Ultra amp owner's. Simply pm me your email address, and I'll send you a copy to try. If you don't care for it, you can always re-load your current firmware from the website.: )

Lol—I'm c-l-e-a-r-l-y in the minority for not preferring Jim's modern voice circuit…but that's the beauty of his amp architecture—Ultra also works fabulous for my ear!View attachment 7521425

Update (quoting myself)… well, this morning I begged Jim to make my custom Ultra firmware available for anyone that has an HP, HP2, or HP2X amp, too.

While it isn't on the website as yet, I now have files for all the HP amps. I'd be happy to share this firmware version with any HP/2/2X (or Ultra) owner's…just pm me with an email address, and mention which HP amp you have. Easy to check out, and you can always go back/re-load your previous favorite version.

Again, this firmware IS unique; targeted more toward vintage ears—replaces the Berg modern voice (and stock vintage voice) with:

Position 1: SVT-type Ultra Lo-engaged voice

Position 2: Fender-type Passive Tone Stack (PTS) voice.

The Ultra Lo voice isn't crazy deep; can easily be front panel control adjusted slightly to reduce the Ultra Lo engaged effect to taste. I prefer adding the HP on-board drive circuit with this voice full-time. A fantastic vintage tone thru any cab, but crazy how "SVT-close" it sounds thru my Ampeg Heritage 810E. That cab for sure contributes to the iconic sound.

The PTS voice is pretty unique, with nice dynamic/lively shimmer. I never use the on-board drive circuit with this voice. When Jim nailed this voice for me…immediately sold my Mesa 800D. Much preferred this firmware voice, combined with the added HP Ultra note-weight. Not saying amp tone's were exactly the same; obviously tube pre vs no tube pre, interactive control differences, etc (and always, ymmv) but did let go my 800D as a result.

I really enjoy using this firmware at flat eq, but both voices are "centered" in a great place, so control tweaks either way are musically useful.

The vast majority of Berg amp players seem to enjoy Jim's modern circuit best…for sure, nothing wrong with it! : ) That said, I've always fought/found the modern voice too clean for my taste. This latest firmware gave me two no-compromise warmer tone pallets to choose from.

I've seriously got no real bone in this dog fight…just personally really pleased with the firmware, and Jim okay'd making it available for any interested HP amp owner's.

I find the chameleon-like nature of these Berg amp's truly amazing. I'm happy…preferred modern voice player's are happy… : )

 

[Solipsistik]

Too big of a marker, but I know what's on these three USB loads... Std., NXT and Ultra Lo ... should be fun to play with the differences. Might try the HPN load on the MB 104 Energy cab, as well.

 

[LetItGrowTone]

Does anyone have a list of the cab series names (NV, HG, HT, NXT, etc) and what they mean or what each series was aiming at, or what distinguished each one?

Thank you. <3

 

[Jim Bergantino]

Does anyone have a list of the cab series names (NV, HG, HT, NXT, etc) and what they mean or what each series was aiming at, or what distinguished each one?

Was any Bergantino ported cab, now or ever, tuned below 41Hz?

Thank you. <3

I think I can help here!;-)

HT - The original series dedicated to my wife
Holly and son Tyler
NV - New Vintage
HS - High Sensitivity
AE - Advanced Engineering
HD - High Definition
CN - Carbon Neo
HDN - High Definition Neo
HG - Holographic
IP - Intelligent Power
NXT - Neo Extreme Technology
REF- Reference
HPN - High Power Neo

I believe I did a total of 70 designs since our inception 25 years ago plus another 10 for other companies before I Started Bergantino Audio.

Our original HT210, HT310, and HT212 were tuned below 40hz. Our designs eventually evolved to better compliment the lower power, Class D amps that were coming on line vs. the Crest CA9 type lead sleds that were a must for our original HT series of cabs for maximum performance. We had to adapt our designs to work optimally with amps players wanted to use which were the lighter weight amps, whether Class D or just traditional A/B amps with SWPS. It was a time when the industry was evolving towards lighter weight gear and challenged us to design speakers that delivered maximum SPL per watt of amp power. And as we all know, Class D amps' power ratings do not compare well with their similarly rated lead-sled counterparts.

Does this answer your questions!

 

[LetItGrowTone]

Yes, very well!

 

[point_departure]

We will be coming out with the Reference profiles, but in the mean time, if you just want to try the Ultra's feature set, including vintage voicing and the new Drive circuit. you can download any of the 8 offerings of the new HPN series or NXT series and get a good sense of the Ultra format. You may want to try various firmware options to see which one best matches your setup, but we will eventually have them for both the Ultra and all the original HP amps.

Awesome. Thank you!!

 

[tombowlus]

Appreciate the kind words, but just thought I would say I would put any cabinet I designed at my company's inception 25 years ago up against any cab I've designed to date. They're all designed to the same high engineering standards, just to different design objectives. Light(neo) vs heavy(ceramic). Modern(ported-neo and ceramic) vs. vintage(sealed-ceramic). Powered, DSP based cabinets that defined FRFR before the term even existed. And we even put our HG series into the mix for a more 3D, stage filling sound field. Don't mind saying, had a lot of fun these last 25 years bringing new ideas and new engineering concepts and standards to the bass amplification community. And thank you to all who supported us along the way and made it all possible!;-)

Absolutely, Jim. I am always psyched for your new stuff, but your older gear always holds up, as well. The original HT line set the bar VERY high! They are all fantastic, and I still recall how much it rocked my world the first time I heard an HT115. And of course the IP line was ahead of its time, but still absolute top-tier. The IP310 is my FRFR gold standard, especially when you still want your bass to sound like your bass!