• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Eden WT400 experiences needed

M

matt hunt

Dec 16, 2005
46
0
40
London
#1
Hi,

Can anyone give any experience in the Eden WT400? I'd be playing my Warwick Infinity SN 5 String through it and using an Eden 410XLT. Is it powerful enough for medium sized gigs without PA support? I haven't played through one and the stores don't seem to have them as they are now discontinued.

I've been playing through a SWR which plays up a bit and I'm fed up with it, will this be more reliable? The Eden amp was bought new this year.

Can anyone shed some light into why they are discontinued? It makes me feel a bit uneasy about it.

The guy I know selling it wants £500 for it, with a case.

Any info and help would be much appreciated :)
 
#2
They weren't really discontinued... just upgraded to the WT550b (the original WT300 was similarly upgraded to the WT400 many years ago)... same preamp, same size, but higher wattage (and now 2ohm capable).

A WT550 into a 4ohm 410XLT would be louder than virtually any SWR rig IMO, due to the more mid-punchy voicing, and would be loud enough to do all but the largest and loudest of gigs.

Great sounding amp.
 
#3
the Eden WT300,400,550 basically "tube hybrids" are AWSOME if you like heavy commanding sound with ALOT of tone flexibility. they basically have a tube on the preamp side and a fat sounding solid state amp section. kjung is right the 550 is the latest incarnation of a great amp.
 
#4
matt hunt said:
Hi,

Can anyone give any experience in the Eden WT400? I'd be playing my Warwick Infinity SN 5 String through it and using an Eden 410XLT. Is it powerful enough for medium sized gigs without PA support? I haven't played through one and the stores don't seem to have them as they are now discontinued.

I've been playing through a SWR which plays up a bit and I'm fed up with it, will this be more reliable? The Eden amp was bought new this year.

Can anyone shed some light into why they are discontinued? It makes me feel a bit uneasy about it.

The guy I know selling it wants £500 for it, with a case.

Any info and help would be much appreciated :)
Click to expand...

+1 on what Kjung and Mcrelly stated.
Great sounding amps! It's hard to say which would be more reliable though. I've owned several SWR and Eden amps and found them both to be very reliable. I had a problem with one SWR SM-400s but it turned out to be a cold solder joint and those kind of things can happen with any brand amp.

I would think that the WT400 would be adequate for medium size gigs w/o PA support. It would help somewhat if your cabinet is a 4 ohm cabinet (optimize your WT400 output) but even then the 4-5 db difference would be pretty much negligable (depending on who you talked to:) ).

For what it's worth, I reecently sold an Eden WT550 and replaced it with a WT400. I don't notice a significant difference in overall clean volume.
 
#5
Eden heads have great tone and mine has been dead reliable. I have a WT300, the original traveller head. I use it with a 210T and a 115T but not without PA support. I suppose it depends how loud your band plays. The 410xlt cab is pretty darn loud. Try it out, if the red light blinks on the right side of the head (output limit) when you hit the lower notes then the limiter is engaging= no headroom left. BTW 500 pounds sterling is almost $1000. That would almost buy a new WT550b here in the States. How much is a new WT550 in the UK?

Good luck.
 
#6
I had a WT400 and loved the tone- super warm and punchy. I ended up selling it because I had some misunderstandings at that time about "underpowering" of cabs, and didn't have enough money for a compact cab with "exactly the right ratings". Now I regret selling it, because I could have used a much broader range of cabs than I realized. But that was a few years ago. It's a great amp, well capable of handling mid-sized venues.
 
#7
I have a WT400 showing up tomorrow. Bought it from a guy that bought it new in '97 and it stayed in his church this whole time. Mint cond. with the Eden bag for $425. I had one years ago and it sounded great in some rooms, not so great in others. This seems to be typical with most tube preamps I've used. Maybe I'll have better luck with today's better cabs.
 
#8
I've owned the WT300 and WT800 and recently got a WT400. The 300 could be a little underpowered in some situations, but the 400 is just right. I use it weekly in church and for small jazz gigs. Never had a problem with the 300... don't expect to have a problem with the 400. Had the WT800 and had nothing but problems due to the poweramp configuration. Yeah... I know it biamps at 8 ohms and I used it with a 410xlt. Which is a great combination by the way...

One of my favorite amp designs....
 
#10
I'm playing that rig now... It has a lot of mids, so be warned there. I've grown to really like the tone a lot. I dont really know what your interpretation of medium sixed gigs are...

Also some people seem to think the xlt cabs dont handle the low B well so you might want to look into that too
 
#11
hi there,

a have a wt400 and i love this little wonder. i really don´t recommend using it with a 410xlt, though.
  1. the amp would be underpowered if you push it with the 410 (especially if the cab is 8 ohms)
  2. the 410xlt doesn´t have a nice low b if you ask me

if you get a 210xst (i have one), you get the full juice out of the amp into a nice, small, easily transportable cab that goes down very low. and it can get plenty loud, too !
the wt400 is a very clean, articulate amp that shows its real strengths in the band setting, it cuts through (but not in agressive way), you can hear every note and discern its pitch easier than with many other amps.
but the price you quoted seems much to high for me.

lately, my little eden rig doesn´t get too much attention, though, because i´m so in love with my wrecking ball (db750/db410) ;)

cheers,
lowstar

p.s. if you really wanna go the 410 route, get two 8 ohm 210´s - together, they´re just as good as the single 410, and you can break down the size of the rig for smaller gigs - and it´s easier to carry two 210´s than one 410.
 
#12
Thanks for all your comments.

BTW 500 pounds sterling is almost $1000. That would almost buy a new WT550b here in the States. How much is a new WT550 in the UK?
Click to expand...

Can't seem to find one but a new WT550 Traveler is about £1000. WT800B I've found for £1500 if that helps.

The £500 does seem a bit steep, but I'm not sure if I can afford to buy new!

Just out of interest, how does the EBS HD350 compare to the Eden WT400? It's a bit cheaper than the Eden stuff - £859 new.
 
#13
matt hunt said:
Just out of interest, how does the EBS HD350 compare to the Eden WT400? It's a bit cheaper than the Eden stuff - £859 new.
Click to expand...

I've owned both. The EBSHD350 is a great head. Volume will be similar but the tone will be totally different... with the EBS being a little more 'scooped' and modern sounding, with deeper lows and the ability to generate crystal clear, sparkling treble.

The compressor on the EBS is the best in the business...amazing, whereas the Eden compressor is, at most, a limiter circuit that should be used only for speaker protection.

The preamp tube in the Eden is 'always on', and imparts a nice, warm mid-oriented punch. It is not designed for overdriven sound. The EBS has a 'tube emulation driver' control that can add warmth when dialed in and very aggressive overdrive when cranked.

That beind said, I always found the single semi-parametric mid band on the EBS lacking, given the amp was voiced to be a little scooped and 'modern'. The Eden mids are a thing of beauty, and with the multiple semi-parametric mid bands, you can really dial in the punch.

Also, the EBS pre has a rather useless 'contour' switch that acts similarly to the Eden Enhance control. With the Eden, you can use the Enhance very slightly to easily roll out mid honk that occurs with some cabs and basses. With the EBS, engaging the contour is an 'all or nothing' proposition, and it is way too extreme to be useful.

So.... it all boils down to the sound you are looking for... warm, midpunch fingerstyle type tones... Eden all the way. However, if you are a 'modern funk' player who likes to slap, the EBS is pretty cool.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back