Mesa Subway D-350!

[BlueTalon]

The D-350 into the Subway 215 would simply dominate, you may not even be able to hear the PJB.

We did quite a bit of testing with the D-350 into the 215, it was quite a bit louder, deeper and tighter than a Walkabout 115 with a Scout 115 extension cabinet.

Given how loud the PJB C8 wants to be with the D350, I suspect I could probably hear it fairly well. However, if I find myself in the happy circumstance of being able to try my C8 with a Subway 215, I'll keep what you said in the back of my mind, and be neither surprised nor disappointed if it turns out you're right. The C8 is still a great cab. And I still haven't stopped gassing for a 215.

That said... The Subway 215 is a 4 ohm cab, isn't it? I wouldn't want to be running that with any other cab when being powered by the D350, correct?

 

[DTRN]

What the heck! When did this amp happen? WHY!!!!? I just had to see this thread. I love it. It's simple.

 

[Al Kraft]

That said... The Subway 215 is a 4 ohm cab, isn't it? I wouldn't want to be running that with any other cab when being powered by the D350, correct?

That is correct...the D-350 should not be used with anything lower than a 4 Ohm load and the SW 215 is a 4 Ohm cab.

 

[agedhorse]

Combining a 4 ohm with an 8 ohm cabinet results in a 2.67 ohm load. This is below the safe capability of the D-350 but is fine with any of the 800 series amps when operated in 2 ohm mode.

 

[mikeswals]

What the heck! When did this amp happen? WHY!!!!? I just had to see this thread. I love it. It's simple.

Released in June. Was just in time too as I was looking for a small gigging amp.

 

[BlueTalon]

That is correct...the D-350 should not be used with anything lower than a 4 Ohm load and the SW 215 is a 4 Ohm cab.

Combining a 4 ohm with an 8 ohm cabinet results in a 2.67 ohm load. This is below the safe capability of the D-350 but is fine with any of the 800 series amps when operated in 2 ohm mode.

That's what I thought I remembered. Any pairing of my PJB C8 with a future Subway 215 would be done using my D800. And if it doesn't work all that well, I'll be ready for that.

 

[BlueRock]

The D-800 I had would do 2 ohms and not looking at the specs for the 350 closely I would have assumed it would have too. I'd suspect since the majority of cabs these days are 8 ohms it was to keep the price down. Be interested to know if there was another reason. Size? Power?

 

[BlueTalon]

The D-800 I had would do 2 ohms and not looking at the specs for the 350 closely I would have assumed it would have too. I'd suspect since the majority of cabs these days are 8 ohms it was a just to keep the price down. Be interested to know if there was another reason. Size? Power?

For a long time, 4 ohms was the standard minimum load for production bass amps. It still is, kinda, but there are a lot of companies making amps that will push lower loads. The D350 is such a small package, they couldn't physically include everything that a D800 has. The capacity for pushing a 2 ohm load was one of the things that got left out.

 

[Al Kraft]

The D-800 I had would do 2 ohms and not looking at the specs for the 350 closely I would have assumed it would have too. I'd suspect since the majority of cabs these days are 8 ohms it was a just to keep the price down. Be interested to know if there was another reason. Size? Power?

To the best of my knowledge, the D-350 was designed to hit an "optimal package" of player (many of them TB member) requests that were not addressed by the other SW models. A number of folks thought a very small, compact head in the mid 300 Watt range would be perfect for their needs. For those who use public transportation frequently every ounce and every inch counts. There were also many folks who wanted a dead quiet, fanless head for studio and other work.

There were other things as well, but the size and passive thermal management aspects tended to be best accommodated by limiting the output load impedance to a 4 Ohm minimum while still offering pretty robust performance power-wise. Since folks who would favor lower wattage, silent operation heads and want the smallest possible size and weight would likely not be bringing a huge number of cabs to a gig, the 4 Ohm restriction didn't seem like an unreasonable trade-off.

That's my understanding from all the discussions during the D-350 design and testing. Since agedhorse designed the head with all those player (including TB member) inputs to consider as he finalized the features and specifications he will be able to provide a more detailed explanation.

 

[agedhorse]

To the best of my knowledge, the D-350 was designed to hit an "optimal package" of player (many of them TB member) requests that were not addressed by the other SW models. A number of folks thought a very small, compact head in the mid 300 Watt range would be perfect for their needs. For those who use public transportation frequently every ounce and every inch counts. There were also many folks who wanted a dead quiet, fanless head for studio and other work.

There were other things as well, but the size and passive thermal management aspects tended to be best accommodated by limiting the output load impedance to a 4 Ohm minimum while still offering pretty robust performance power-wise. Since folks who would favor lower wattage, silent operation heads and want the smallest possible size and weight would likely not be bringing a huge number of cabs to a gig, the 4 Ohm restriction didn't seem like an unreasonable trade-off.

That's my understanding from all the discussions during the D-350 design and testing. Since agedhorse designed the head with all those player (including TB member) inputs to consider as he finalized the features and specifications he will be able to provide a more detailed explanation.

Correct, the majority of players looking for the specific feature and power level of the D-350 have very little interest or need in operating below 4 ohms. Those looking for 2 ohm capability are generally also looking for quite a bit more power, and that's where the D-800 fits in.

 

[Moonskunk]

Question for Aged Horse: Does the D350 or any of the other 4 Mesa class D amps for that matter have any kind of protective circuitry to prefect electrical static from frying an amp? The reason I ask if because a few years ago I had a Hartke combo amp in Arizona during the winter season and when I plugged in my bass there was a visible spark right where I plugged it in and a puff of smoke, a dead amp. Never was repaired correctly even though it was nearly new under warranty because Hartke gives you a only few places in your area (mom and pop shops) to take it in to get repaired but unfortunately these places do not use original parts, they stick whatever part they want in there just to get the power to come back on. Never sounded the same. That turned me off to Hartke never again any of the junk they make for me. Love my D350, it sounds incredible but I'm just wondering with the dry winter static in the air this season if I need to be concerned at all when plugging in my bass with this amp? Thanks

 

[agedhorse]

Dry winter static electricity isn’t an issue, there’s protection from that.

Lightning strikes though are something that’s darn near impossible to protect against effectively.

 

[villegastx]

 

[bucephylus]

I’ve got one headed my way. I specifically like the fact that it doubles as a headphone practice amp. Awesome.

 

[Chuck M]

I played a benefit Christmas gig a few years ago. The performance was aired live on radio and the radio tech supplied me with an a/c line. I plugged my new Aguilar AG700 into the line and it sounded great until the sound guy plugged an XLR cable into the DI out. That produced instant fire out of the top of my amp. I went to my car and got my spare head which was a Genz Benz Shuttle 9.2. I connected it up to the a/c line provided and while I was not there the sound guy plugged an XLR cable into that amp and damaged the DI circuit. Fortunately the amp still worked and I was able to play the gig with a mic on my cabinet.

That is how I met Andy. He repaired my GB. The AG700 went back to the factory and they had to replace the entire preamp board. It cost the radio station over $700 to repair my amps but they did pay for it.

I finally checked the a/c line to my amp and something was wired incorrectly. The line to the mixer was wired correctly. By the way, the mixer was also damaged and they had to go to a nearby store and buy another one.

Since then, I check the a/c line with the simple little tester that tells you if the wiring is correct. I have yet to find another wiring error but am careful to check every new venue to insure that I don't repeat that failure.

Lightening? I suppose my Furman power regulator would shut down before equipment is damaged but it might not and I rarely carry that with me to gigs. It weighs a lot more than my Mesa amps.

 

[Phlipper]

I'm still loving mine. Saving for a light weight 2x10 for gigging. It's awesome thru my HD115 but it's heavy to lug around.

I'll likely be the first guy to use it for electric bass, upright, acoustic guitar, and mandolin in the same show.

 

[SJan3]

For those who have not experienced the
D-350, the voicing control is brilliant at shaping your tone. I was a bit apprehensive about "over using" it as similar features on other amps tended to go to extremes and yield something not so pleasurable. Not so the case with the D-350. The Voicing does exactly what it's called to do and it is effective in delivering different tonal shapes from the same cabinet. This can serve to simplify finding your sound and/or improve the audio profile of a less than stellar cabinet. In fact, with a good cabinet, you may not even find the need to adjust the 4 band EQ. Speaking of which, the Low Mid and Hi Mid bands are super responsive and yield additional fatness and/or punch. The more I work this amp, the more I like it.
I've not experienced any of the 800 watt units but I'm very happy with the D-350.

 

[Al Kraft]

For those who have not experienced the
D-350, the voicing control is brilliant at shaping your tone. I was a bit apprehensive about "over using" it as similar features on other amps tended to go to extremes and yield something not so pleasurable. Not so the case with the D-350. The Voicing does exactly what it's called to do and it is effective in delivering different tonal shapes from the same cabinet.

As someone who was never a fan of simple mid-scoop filters, I agree that the Voicing control on the SW heads is as close to a "magic knob that can do subtle" as I've ever found. With the D-350 having a bright switch (another nicely and very musically designed circuit IMO) rather than the deep switch on the D-800 head I find the D-350 to have more usable EQ control for me than my D-800.

As you mentioned, the mids and bass EQ fine tune the meat of the voice you select and the bright switch and treble EQ let you open the top up a bit to get either more presence or sparkle in the tone. The D-800 deep switch is good for some things, but with only a treble EQ to seriously address higher mids and top end, the head has a slightly darker/warmer overall presentation to me. While I like that most of the time, the D-350 offers me some additional options in the upper register that I find very useful.

 

[SJan3]

As someone who was never a fan of simple mid-scoop filters, I agree that the Voicing control on the SW heads is as close to a "magic knob that can do subtle" as I've ever found. With the D-350 having a bright switch (another nicely and very musically designed circuit IMO) rather than the deep switch on the D-800 head I find the D-350 to have more usable EQ control for me than my D-800.

As you mentioned, the mids and bass EQ fine tune the meat of the voice you select and the bright switch and treble EQ let you open the top up a bit to get either more presence or sparkle in the tone. The D-800 deep switch is good for some things, but with only a treble EQ to seriously address higher mids and top end, the head has a slightly darker/warmer overall presentation to me. While I like that most of the time, the D-350 offers me some additional options in the upper register that I find very useful.

Having read that the D-800 is on the darker side of the moon, I can attest that the D-350 has an abundance of smooth highs. The Bright switch is the most usable that I've ever dared use. It's smooth and airy. I could just leave it on and work the passive tone control on my P and J basses. The amp has a great slap tone!
As for low end, there's plenty. The amp is very immediate and punchy but it retains warmth. It's a versatile unit. It should cut any gig with ease unless you exhaust it's power. In that case, I could see the D800+ as the next logical step, although I've not experienced that amp. But for portability, tone and ample power for most situations, this is a great solution. Many other attributes but I'll stop here, for now.

 

[BlueTalon]

I've not experienced any of the 800 watt units but I'm very happy with the D-350.

My first Mesa amp was the D800. Then I got the D350... and I haven't used the D800 since. It has essentially become the backup to my D350.

Having read that the D-800 is on the darker side of the moon, I can attest that the D-350 has an abundance of smooth highs.

IMO, the "darkness" of the D800 has been overstated. Perhaps it is a bit darker than other Mesa amps when comparing them A/B, but I never had an issue getting a pleasingly bright sound out of my D800, and I say that as someone who likes a bright sound.