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Jule Amps Monique part 5

#41
monsterthompson said:
Hmmm. I've always run my P bass with Sensitivity pulled and cranked. Tonight, I found it better at very low settings. Previously, the cranked sensitivity mainly showed up in my ear as a high/mid change. Today, I heard the change in lows. With my P, it was creating boom and flab that I couldn't EQ out.
Click to expand...


I have recently started trying the Sensitivity at a lower setting with a P bass. I LOVE the setting. Basically anywhere from all the way off to 9:00 setting is another kind of great!

When I first got Monique, I was always running the sensitivity between 11:00 and 2:00 and although it sounds good, sometimes I want that smooth, full tube tone without the more aggressive setting.

That's what I meant in my blog about the Sensitivity setting being the "chameleon setting". It add a certain musical magic to your tone. AND it varies (at least to me) based on different parameters.

I am still discovering new things about Monique even after all this time. That is a good thing.
 
#42
dmrogers said:
I have recently started trying the Sensitivity at a lower setting with a P bass. I LOVE the setting. Basically anywhere from all the way off to 9:00 setting is another kind of great!

When I first got Monique, I was always running the sensitivity between 11:00 and 2:00 and although it sounds good, sometimes I want that smooth, full tube tone without the more aggressive setting.

That's what I meant in my blog about the Sensitivity setting being the "chameleon setting". It add a certain musical magic to your tone. AND it varies (at least to me) based on different parameters.

I am still discovering new things about Monique even after all this time. That is a good thing.
Click to expand...

If the sensitivity has anything to do with the impedance on the input it prob will sound better at all different settings on different instruments.
 
#44
stingraysvt said:
If the sensitivity has anything to do with the impedance on the input it prob will sound better at all different settings on different instruments.
Click to expand...

Exactly. That is why I recommend trying wide ranges on the Sensitivity. Not something metrics can be well assigned to.
 
#45
juledude said:
Exactly. That is why I recommend trying wide ranges on the Sensitivity. Not something metrics can be well assigned to.
Click to expand...

So true!
Jule, this reminds me of a very early post. Someone said (and I'm paraphrasing) "just twist the knobs until it sounds good".

I posted in my latest blog that I haven't found my default setting with Monique yet. I have come to the conclusion that there is no default setting. Just various configurations of good!

I know this might sound crazy to someone that has never tried Monique, but it's true!
 
#49
In with the DeMonique and Berg CN212! Dig it... loud, and very nice, bright but warm platform for the P Bass. I am still finding the Sensitivity to be quite subtle (more of a feel thing than a tone thing... nothing wrong with that!), and the tone controls tend to be very musical and impactful (if again, subtle) to me, versus what others seem to find.

My sweet spot though is mids and bass relatively flat, and treble dialed down to around 9 o'clock, with the tweeter on the CN212 at about 9 o'clock. Sensitivity boost engaged, and set at about noon. This is with my relatively 'bright and hot' Nordstrand passive VP5. With the modern, active Roscoe, no boost and sensitivity at around 10 o'clock, EQ flat, and tweeter back to neutral/12 o'clock ! Sweet! Clean, accurate and still warm and 'not clinical/sterile'.


Also, per my initial review in the previous thread... ZERO issue with the DeMonique integrated head (which does not include the secondary master volume control, installed on the Mini for use with other preamps than the Monique). TONS of nice, even gain with the line out master (from off to smoking and everything in-between), and beautiful tone. Very nice form factor, and a wonderful 'melding' of the Minnie with the Monique... well integrated, beautiful sounding, and plenty of even gain through the entire range of the line out/master knob. Simple and elegant. No fan needed also, given the larger box and the integration of the Minnie guts with the large, aluminum chassis, used as a heat sink (according the Jule).

IMG_1658_zps9de9326d.jpg
 
#50
Jazzdogg said:
Is Monique's input impedance fixed or variable? Has Jule provided input impedance numbers?

I'm asking because high, or variable, input impedance can be highly desirable with piezo pickups, just as low input impedance can make some piezo pickups sound less than ideal.
Click to expand...

Since the primary difference I hear with the sensitivity control is mostly in the upper midrange/treble, and since it is more impactful with my passive instrument than my active one, I would think that impedance variance is one of the things the sensitivity is doing. Just guessing though, but it 'acts' like that, especially given the higher impact on passive instruments up top (which are affected by impedance swings), versus active instruments (which are not input impedance sensitive).

Cool 'non-linear' control that I can't quite get my head around. Again, IME, very, very subtle (the pre sounds, to me 90% the same across all settings and gains with a given bass), but an interesting change in 'give and feel' across the range of that knob, and a bit more 'brightness/crunch' available at higher settings, boosted, with a passive instrument.
 
#52
BurningSkies said:
The sensitivity does adjust the input impedance, but that's not all it does. Jule is probably the one to get into the details, but we've had a conversation or two about what it is and what it does, and its doing a few things at once.
Click to expand...

+1 Complex, and it seems like input impedance is a key part of that complexity. Cool.... that was what I thought I was hearing! This again explains why the control is more impactful with a passive instrument than an active instrument IMO and IME. Makes sense.
 
#56
KJung said:
Since the primary difference I hear with the sensitivity control is mostly in the upper midrange/treble, and since it is more impactful with my passive instrument than my active one, I would think that impedance variance is one of the things the sensitivity is doing. Just guessing though, but it 'acts' like that, especially given the higher impact on passive instruments up top (which are affected by impedance swings), versus active instruments (which are not input impedance sensitive).

Cool 'non-linear' control that I can't quite get my head around. Again, IME, very, very subtle (the pre sounds, to me 90% the same across all settings and gains with a given bass), but an interesting change in 'give and feel' across the range of that knob, and a bit more 'brightness/crunch' available at higher settings, boosted, with a passive instrument.
Click to expand...

That is a perfect word to describe the Sensitivity Control, Kenneth - Non Linear. Other than the fact that the knob rotates in a circle, little about the effect of the knob is linear.

I think it takes after my life.

When in doubt, give "Sensitivity" a twirl.

I recently enjoyed email from a customer noting that his EQ on his Bass has different "touch" characteristics depending on where he sets his Sensitivity. Makes sense to me, especially with passive pickkups. WIth an active pickup I would expect the effect to be less noticeable.

And yes. NO fan is required on the Aluminum enclosed Tardis De-Monique from now on. None is installed. James came up with some thermally conductive "stuff" that connects the amp and the Tardis top. That makes the entire top a giant heat sink. :cool:
 
#59
While I love it with my CN212, I am looking forward to checking out the new Baer ML115, which should be shipping in late January. The DeMonique seems to have plenty of power at 8ohms, and the high sensitivity but yet punchy tone of the Baer mid driver models should kill with a P Bass and a bit of crunch dialed in on the top.

With my more modern Roscoe (or MTD's. etc.) , the CN212 is heaven with either the Glock or the DeMonique (surprisingly more similar than different). With the passive P, a bit more 'non tweeter brightness and less treble extension' should be the cat's meow:bassist:

Edit: Roger also says that the ratio of low bass to upper midrange will be a bit more balanced than the ML112 (by balanced, I mean a bit more low end extension and oomph, and a bit softer upper midrange response), which would be a voicing change in the right direction for me (as long as it is subtle... I like the ML112's quite a bit, but would need two of them for most of my gigs), and should help the ML115 be a very good stand-alone solution for all but the loudest gigs.
 
#60
KJung said:
Since the primary difference I hear with the sensitivity control is mostly in the upper midrange/treble, and since it is more impactful with my passive instrument than my active one, I would think that impedance variance is one of the things the sensitivity is doing. Just guessing though, but it 'acts' like that, especially given the higher impact on passive instruments up top (which are affected by impedance swings), versus active instruments (which are not input impedance sensitive).

Cool 'non-linear' control that I can't quite get my head around. Again, IME, very, very subtle (the pre sounds, to me 90% the same across all settings and gains with a given bass), but an interesting change in 'give and feel' across the range of that knob, and a bit more 'brightness/crunch' available at higher settings, boosted, with a passive instrument.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Ken! :)
 

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