Double Bass EA iAmp Micro300

[Adrian Cho]

- there is a noticeable buzz coming thru the cab even with nothing plugged in, mute on and gain down. i tried it with a few cabs and it's definitely the micro. i hate to say it, even tho' it's low, it was annoying in my "studio" and i'm afraid it may be noticeable is some of the really quiet singer/songwriter gigs i do. i want to try the di to make sure the buzz isn't also coming out of the di... fwiw, my room is wired well and i do a fair bit of recording for various folk and have yet to have a noise issue...

Mine has the problem too. I played an outdoor gig with it last night with a rather loud group and I was extremely busy and did not notice the sound. However at an indoor rehearsal tonight the problem was rather annoying. I find it hard to believe they wouldn't catch this on a burn-in test.

Other than that, the unit is amazing and when paired with the Wizzy 10, it does appear to me that I can without a high-pass filter. The unit is so good I already sold my Focus 2.

 

[uglybassplayer]

I finally got a chance to play around with mine last night. I also has the hum problem. It's not terrible, but it is noticable. I found that it's louder if you have the effects blend turned fully towards "dry" (even when nothing is plugged into the effects loop). Another thing I've noticed is I can still hear my bass coming through the speaker (even though it's faint) when the mute is engaged... Anyone else experiencing that problem?

- Frank.

 

[Adrian Cho]

I didn't really notice the mute thing but I did notice that the effects blend did have a very slight effect on the buzz. Actually I tried it and thought it had an effect but then couldn't reproduce it so I thought I had imagined the problem.

 

[bottomzone]

I finally received my Wizzy 10/Micro 300/Backpack/Cables. I SIMPLY CANNOT BELEIVE MY EARS-OR MY EYES!!!!! The Micro 300 feels and looks like a headphone preamp and the Wizzy 10 is so small............BUT THE SOUND PRODUCED BY THIS INCREDIBLY SMALL RIG IS STUNNING!! I HAVE NEVER HEARD MY BASS SOUND SO FULL, CLEAR, UNCOLORED AND POWERFUL! Since I have been playing through an SWR Workingman's 10 in chrurch for the past two years, I was used to a brighter sound with a little more high frequency bite. Today, I played through my Wizzy 10/Micro 300 for the first time. What the SWR does not do is deliver the clarity and low frequency information that the Wizzy 10/Micro 300 does. I HAD NO IDEA HOW MUCH BASS AND LOW B CLARITY THAT I HAVE BEEN MISSING!!!!!

This is my first venture into the world of separates and my first EA purchase. I had reservations about buying musical equipment that I had NEVER AUDITIONED-but EA's reputation, user reviews, customer service and the design and engineering won me over. The only negative is the humming/buzzing noise that TalkBass users have reported-which EA will resolve. I AM PROUD TO BE A MEMBER OF THE EA FAMILY!!

Keep God First!

A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste!

 

[Brian Taylor]

I am debating whether to get a used iAMP 600 or the new Micro 300 for a difference of CDN$125 with the 600 being the higher of the two prices. Any thoughts?

I have a Fender Jazz MIM and a Lakland 44-01. I am not into really loud, but I do want really clear. I also have a Fender Bassman 100 4-ohm combo (definitely not clear) with a detachable head, so I can plug either EA into the cabinet.

 

[drew_bassmore]

Pretty excited about both the Wizzy 10 and the Micro 300. Just plugged mine in today. I am new to the DB amplification world.

I haven't yet been able to update my profile completely.

My pickup is the Realist. Sounds good on my Hungarian Carved (approx 15 years old).

I am getting that same buzz that is mentioned above (not too wild about that), plus a really high pitch frequency when the jack is engaged. I will try another instrument cable. Need to run and grab a Monster Cable or something and give it another whirl. Otherwise, so far so good. Will be trying it in gig settings in the coming weeks when I can give my full endorsement for the above combo- but would like to somehow resolve the hum and high pitch frequency.

If anybody else has suggestions, it's appreciated.

 

[uglybassplayer]

...but would like to somehow resolve the hum and high pitch frequency.
If anybody else has suggestions, it's appreciated.

I spoke with Larry Ullman this past Friday about the hum/buzzing issue and about the problem I had with some signal leakage when the mute button was engaged. He was already aware about both issues and are working on a solution. EA will not be shipping any more Micros until the problems are addressed. He also assured me that all of the Micros that have already been shipped (only about 35 of them) will be replaced or repaired.

- Frank.

 

[KJung]

I spoke with Larry Ullman this past Friday about the hum/buzzing issue and about the problem I had with some signal leakage when the mute button was engaged. He was already aware about both issues and are working on a solution. EA will not be shipping any more Micros until the problems are addressed. He also assured me that all of the Micros that have already been shipped (only about 35 of them) will be replaced or repaired.

- Frank.

Wow

 

[Kevin Hsieh]

Wow

from what i'm reading, i'm actually really impressed with the way that Euphonic Audio is running things. it seems like they are very responsive and really care about their consumer base. i must try one of these iAmps once they become more readily available in the area.

 

[tony moore]

lets not forget how hard we, ok i, pushed them to release this amp. the amp is useable, just a bit annoying in a quiet environment. certainly not as annoying as say a coffee grinder or a blender tho...

the amp (and wizzy 10) sound great and are incredibly useable/portable. honestly, it's the rig i've dreamed about for years and the price point is much lower than i expected.

kudos to ea and bobby g for how they're handling the situation. absolutely professional.

tony

 

[drurb]

OK this is interesting - there were two posts on this thread this morning - one by KJung and another by drurb and now both are gone.

Yes, mine was a follow-on to his and then he decided to pull his.

 

[MCML]

I ordered my WZ110/Micro 300 last December through Bass NorthWest in Seattle. FWIW, Here is the latest from BNW, received by me via email today 15 June:

"I just spoke with Mike Dimin at Euphonic Audio. He said that they did end up holding our shipment.....The reason is that they are re-testing and doing additional quality control with all of the amp heads that are now about to ship. According to Mike they should know something by early next week in regards to when they will get shipped for real. They want to make sure that the amps work correctly and that everyone who gets one will be happy."

 

[seidler]

Glad I waited to pull the trigger.

 

[stockbass]

Just were in contact with Van Gelder Music as I have not yet seen my amp. This is an excerpt from the mail:

"...You were in our second delivered batch. There should
not be any problems. Ours sounds great. It must be in
customs and you receive it any day."

 

[MCML]

Apparently, there is an issue with the transformers which are to be replaced. ETA for the amps with the new transformers is estimated as the end of June.

 

[bolo]

A little off topic here. Sorry. But looping back (quickly) to something that appeared earlier in this thread.

This made me think about the variable input impedance feature of the Summit Audio TD-100 that was opening ears on TB a while back. Almost seems like it had a sonic sculpting effect somewhat similar to a HPF from what I read here. Spin the dial and go from thick to thin. With piezo p/u's that is. I think that maybe some of the Radial DI's have this capability too.

Which begs the question - Who's got a stand-alone unit w/ HPF, phase reversal, and variable input impedance? That might could be interesting.

It makes sense that variable input impedance could alter radically the sound of a piezo. That, however, would seem to be a poor way to adjust tonal characteristics. For a piezo pickup. While phase-reversal and a HPF are desirable features, I'd have little to no interest in variable impedance. That's gimmickry.

I read these remarks in the latest issue of BP from Steve Rodby (Pat Metheny):

“Generally, the only two pieces of gear I find essential are your bass and your fingers. But for amplifying or recording acoustic bass direct, the one essential that is so often overlooked is matching the output impedance of the upright’s transducer pickup with the input impedance of the first device it’s plugged into, be it an amp, a preamp, a DI, or an effect. If the device’s input impedance is too low, as it frequently is, you’ll lose the bottom. What I did was build a box that varies the input and allows the transducer to be loaded with the correct impedance for the sound you want. I’ve found an impedance level of between 1Mž and 2Mž ideal. Now I have variable inputs built into all my gear, and you wouldn’t believe the tone difference. I’ve become known for playing my upright through an amp or through the board at loud volumes, and that’s my secret.”​

 

[uglybassplayer]

Apparently, there is an issue with the transformers which are to be replaced. ETA for the amps with the new transformers is estimated as the end of June.

I just received my Micro 300 back from EA this evening (well, actually they replaced it with a new one). For the most part, it seems that the issues are resolved. There's still a very small amount of hiss, but it's barely audible in my new unit and nowhere near what it was with my first one. There's also still a slight signal leak with the mute engaged, but again it's quiet enough that it wouldn't be noticed unless you were right next to the cabinet. I got to spend about a half hour with it and the Wizzy at various stages of volume before the wife got home, and I'm more impressed than I was initially, actually I'm pretty pleased. The Wizzy 10 has a definate midrange hump, giving it somewhat of a more round vintage sound than I'm used to, but I was able to easily dial it down with the mid control on the amp. I don't believe the Micro with a single Wizzy 10 is going to quite cut it with a loud rock/punk band, but had no trouble beating out my GK MB150E in terms of volume (not that I'm surprised by this). I'm tempted to get a second Wizzy to see what kind of difference it will make.

- Frank.

 

[uglybassplayer]

I can't comment on the Focus with the Wizzy, but I did try it with a MarkBass LMII that I picked up while waiting for my Micro to be repaired. Bottom line was it didn't seem a good match. Even running flat, it caused some buzzing/rattling of the cabinet at any substantial volume in the lower registers on the B string. I'm guessing it has something to do with the voicing of the LMII because the buzzing isn't there with the Micro. BTW, I'm loving the MarkBass... just not paired with the Wizzy.

- Frank.

 

[Bass Boy]

I'm not a very happy camper. I had to borrow someone's Focus tonight for a gig. It seems that the problem with the Micro 300 is not just the buzzing but the sound reproduction itself is failing. For about the first week it was usable but now it sounds terrible with Wizzy 10 - not much fundamental, very hollow and harsh. I can't wait for my replacement to arrive.

That sucks! I'm glad now we weren't able to meet up last week to try it out. Hope EA gets this sorted out soon.

 

[Ric Vice]

As I was reading these posts I remembered that the first Walter Woods MI-100-8 I purchased in @1979 had a defective switching power supply.
Walter repaired it in two days. He had a whole run of amps that he had to fix, including units that he had sent to Europe. So, it's quite possible that this was the case with the EA micro.
If I remember correctly, a defective digital power supply can create all kinds of havoc including lots of hum and noise. It sounds like EA is working hard to resolve the issue. With an amplifier that small, I would think that the proximity of the internal components would be very tricky.

Ric