I've been pounding on it for an hour or so, and since I have a lot of hours in on the SD800 and the LMII, I think I pretty much have a feel for this nice little amp. Since they just started arriving in the US, I thought I'd post a picture and my first impressions since most have not seen one yet.
Here it is in a nutshell (IMO as always):
- Same footprint as the LMII, but about an inch or so thinner. So, smaller, but not a lot smaller.
- Very nicely made. This unit, as has been posted by a couple of others, feels 'better' than the SD800 and LMII... the knobs feel a little more solid, etc. Not a big issue, but very nice.
- The look is very cool... so thin, and not a lot of yellow to be seen
- The unit has two dual use Speakons versus the strange single dual use Speakon/1/4 on the LMII. All other controls, etc. are identical.
- DI... for better or worse, I believe the DI circuit is the same as the LMII, which according to some, is not a good thing.
- Sound: This is DEFINITELY a smaller version of the SD800 and not some sort of 'LMII Update'. IMO. Given the similarity of design (class D amp), this is not surprising. I've A/B'd carefully now with the SD800, and the tone is almost identical. Of course, the SD800 has that massive low end presence when cranked, but at moderate volumes, these amps are the same. Basically, the F1 has less mid warmth, and a little bit of an upper mid voicing versus the LMII, and also a little more 'hi fi/clinical' treble response. As a result, it feels a little quicker, maybe a touch tighter, and more SS than the LMII.
- Slimbag/Portabag laptop case storage. I only have my Slimbag at my present location. Close, but no cigar IMO
. It fits, but it makes the pocket difficult to close, and there's not much room for anything else. I'll check it with the Portabag in a couple of weeks when I get to where I keep it!
- One thing strange... the unit makes a short 'whoop' sound as it powers down. The SD800 does not do this, although the SD800 has some 'delay' circuitry at start-up and power down, so it may be masking that. I'm not sure if this is 'class D' normal, and have a PM out to Peter Murray (or maybe he can just post here). Not a problem, as long as it's 'normal' for this head.
Summary: At a cost of $849 versus $599, unless you really are a 'clean, class D freak' (maybe a DB player), IMO and IME the LMII is the better bet.
NOTE: GUITAR CENTER. I know a lot of you guys don't dig them. However, this is my third MB transaction with two different centers, and the service has been WONDERFUL. As an example, I couldn't find my receipt for my LMII that I purchased in April. I called the GC in Chicago. The sales guy listened to me, and then asked if he could put me on hold. I thought, oh boy, here we go. About 10 seconds later, he asked me if I wanted the copy of the receipt faxed or mailed. Fantastic. IMO, NO ONE should eliminate MB from their consideration set due to hesitation about dealing with GC
Here it is on top of the little Bergantino HT210s (nice match-up by the way... even with the relatively low SPL 8ohm HT210s... just like the LMII, this thing has a LOT of ooomph).
Hope that gives you all some early info on this impressive little head, and also helps clarify the decision between the LMII and F1 for those 'on the fence'.
Here it is in a nutshell (IMO as always):
- Same footprint as the LMII, but about an inch or so thinner. So, smaller, but not a lot smaller.
- Very nicely made. This unit, as has been posted by a couple of others, feels 'better' than the SD800 and LMII... the knobs feel a little more solid, etc. Not a big issue, but very nice.
- The look is very cool... so thin, and not a lot of yellow to be seen
- The unit has two dual use Speakons versus the strange single dual use Speakon/1/4 on the LMII. All other controls, etc. are identical.
- DI... for better or worse, I believe the DI circuit is the same as the LMII, which according to some, is not a good thing.
- Sound: This is DEFINITELY a smaller version of the SD800 and not some sort of 'LMII Update'. IMO. Given the similarity of design (class D amp), this is not surprising. I've A/B'd carefully now with the SD800, and the tone is almost identical. Of course, the SD800 has that massive low end presence when cranked, but at moderate volumes, these amps are the same. Basically, the F1 has less mid warmth, and a little bit of an upper mid voicing versus the LMII, and also a little more 'hi fi/clinical' treble response. As a result, it feels a little quicker, maybe a touch tighter, and more SS than the LMII.
- Slimbag/Portabag laptop case storage. I only have my Slimbag at my present location. Close, but no cigar IMO
. It fits, but it makes the pocket difficult to close, and there's not much room for anything else. I'll check it with the Portabag in a couple of weeks when I get to where I keep it!- One thing strange... the unit makes a short 'whoop' sound as it powers down. The SD800 does not do this, although the SD800 has some 'delay' circuitry at start-up and power down, so it may be masking that. I'm not sure if this is 'class D' normal, and have a PM out to Peter Murray (or maybe he can just post here). Not a problem, as long as it's 'normal' for this head.
Summary: At a cost of $849 versus $599, unless you really are a 'clean, class D freak' (maybe a DB player), IMO and IME the LMII is the better bet.
NOTE: GUITAR CENTER. I know a lot of you guys don't dig them. However, this is my third MB transaction with two different centers, and the service has been WONDERFUL. As an example, I couldn't find my receipt for my LMII that I purchased in April. I called the GC in Chicago. The sales guy listened to me, and then asked if he could put me on hold. I thought, oh boy, here we go. About 10 seconds later, he asked me if I wanted the copy of the receipt faxed or mailed. Fantastic. IMO, NO ONE should eliminate MB from their consideration set due to hesitation about dealing with GC
Here it is on top of the little Bergantino HT210s (nice match-up by the way... even with the relatively low SPL 8ohm HT210s... just like the LMII, this thing has a LOT of ooomph).
Hope that gives you all some early info on this impressive little head, and also helps clarify the decision between the LMII and F1 for those 'on the fence'.
