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Hartke LH1000 or Kilo?
- Thread starter Changles
- Start date
i've been running the LH1000 since it first came out, absolutely love it for it's tone, form factor, simplicity & price point
have only seen the Kilo in print, but too many bells & whistles for me, but i'm sure it's AWESOME
have only seen the Kilo in print, but too many bells & whistles for me, but i'm sure it's AWESOME
the LH amps rule, ive been dying to try a kilo but can never seem to find one. i dont think many people have tried out the kilos, but they sure look promising.
I don't think the Kilo has hit the streets yet. That being said, the LH1000 has loads of power and it's dead simple. The tone is very punchy and warm and it's one of the best amp values out there. I'm running mine through a Bergantino NV610 and it's criminal how good it sounds.
- Feb 2, 2009
- 77
- 5
- Disclosures
- Im no sound guy but gear and running sound interests me.
wheres that info from? american musical supply told me september? i bet it'll rock!
Go with the kilo, unless a bunch of knobs and dials tend to scare you off.
I have an SWR with a 3 band eq and sweepable mids, and I just cant get the damn midrange sound I want... if I boost the lows, it rolls off the highs. If I boost the highs, there goes my famous warwick growl. Sure could use a 10 band EQ on that thing.....kinda like a kilo.
Its kinda my opinion, but why spend big money on an amp that has 3 or 4 knobs that affect the tone?? I have a 3 band Eq on my 10 watt crate combo, and i works alright for that, but geez....
If you are a "more is less" thinker, I suggest reading some of these threads on how to set up frequencies. You can obviously achieve the same tone with a 10 band eq vs a 3 band, but not necesarilly the other way around
I have an SWR with a 3 band eq and sweepable mids, and I just cant get the damn midrange sound I want... if I boost the lows, it rolls off the highs. If I boost the highs, there goes my famous warwick growl. Sure could use a 10 band EQ on that thing.....kinda like a kilo.
Its kinda my opinion, but why spend big money on an amp that has 3 or 4 knobs that affect the tone?? I have a 3 band Eq on my 10 watt crate combo, and i works alright for that, but geez....
If you are a "more is less" thinker, I suggest reading some of these threads on how to set up frequencies. You can obviously achieve the same tone with a 10 band eq vs a 3 band, but not necesarilly the other way around
I work for Sweetwater Sound. We were told that the Kilo should start shipping in June. We'll see if that holds up but that's what we are being told by Samson so far.
i dont know about the EQ on the SWR but the eq section on the LH's are pretty cool beasts, different from any other eq ive come into contact with.
i ran a 4Pro for years, & it had all the bells & whistles, graphic eq,,, & my LH1000 sounds so much better, with WAYYYYYYY less tweaking
if you feel you must have a graphic eq, get a stompbox, or better yet, i'll sell ya mine, as i don't need it anymore
if you feel you must have a graphic eq, get a stompbox, or better yet, i'll sell ya mine, as i don't need it anymore
One thing that Ive noticed is that when playing alone, I can get a sound that im happy with fairly quickly with just a 3 band eq with sweepable mids (and the swr pre amp is QUITE robust). But when playing over heavily distorted guitars, I really have to isolate and exploit certain frequencies to get a good cut through on the sound.
When I had my Hartke 7000 that was soooo easy...
Background on me, I have been playing Modulus Quantum 4 and Quantum 6 basses with an SWR SM500 through an older SLM BE410H and SWR Big Ben 18" cabinets for about 10 years now (I've been playing more than 20, but this has been my main setup). I recently grew tired of the "boxy" sound for my SM500 with my Modulus and went to Sam Ash to listen to the Kilo (yes they had one). It was $999, far less than I paid for my SM500 new. I really liked it compared to the SM500. THere was a used LH1000 for $419 right next to it, so for fun, I played on it for awhile too (both through the AK 410 to more closely model my old paper cone cabinet as well as through the Hydrive 810). With my Modulus and style of playing (mostly slap and prog metal), honest to God, I found the tone of the LH1000 superior, hands down. Add to that the fact it was $419...and my mind was made up. You cannot look at the three EQ knobs and say "Oh, it is only a 3 band vs a 10" because the EQ is stacked. Compared to my SM500....well, it isn't even in the same league sonically. Once I got it home and played it side by side with the SM500, I wonder how I lived with such a relatively lousy tone for so long. I'm not slamming SWR; the HL1000 is just has superior technology compared to the SM500.
So, with the Modulus and my style of playing (funk, prog, and tap), I honestly found the LH1000 better sounding than the Kilo and with what I saved, I can buy another one! One down side to the LH1000 is the lack of a controlable level line out with a ground lift (which the KILO does have) and a tuner output. I also prefer my direct out in the BACK of the amp, but not a big deal. As for the effects of the KILO, well as I get up in years I find that less is more. The limiter on the LH does just as good a job as the compressor sonically IMHO and I have no need for overdrive and if I ever do, the LH has an effect loop. Other downside of the KILO, it takes up a whopping THREE rackspaces and is so long it will hang out of the back of most standard racks! Not good! Last downside of the KILO in comparison....the fan and heat exchangers on on the SIDE where ventilation in a rack is minimal where the LH1000 flows front to back with an easy to clean dust screen right in the front. IMO, the LH1000 is clearly the overall winner and I could have bought the KILO with cash easilly that day.
So, with the Modulus and my style of playing (funk, prog, and tap), I honestly found the LH1000 better sounding than the Kilo and with what I saved, I can buy another one! One down side to the LH1000 is the lack of a controlable level line out with a ground lift (which the KILO does have) and a tuner output. I also prefer my direct out in the BACK of the amp, but not a big deal. As for the effects of the KILO, well as I get up in years I find that less is more. The limiter on the LH does just as good a job as the compressor sonically IMHO and I have no need for overdrive and if I ever do, the LH has an effect loop. Other downside of the KILO, it takes up a whopping THREE rackspaces and is so long it will hang out of the back of most standard racks! Not good! Last downside of the KILO in comparison....the fan and heat exchangers on on the SIDE where ventilation in a rack is minimal where the LH1000 flows front to back with an easy to clean dust screen right in the front. IMO, the LH1000 is clearly the overall winner and I could have bought the KILO with cash easilly that day.
