Mesa Subway D-800+

[kevbassman]

I've just got to say it, I love Mesa! Great customer service and they have always been stellar in that respect, it is one of the reasons why I continue to purchase their equipment, based not only on their reputation of high quality, dependable products, but equally their support. We go back years, I own and have owned many of their bass products, all good experiences.

Fast forward to today, while I am patiently awaiting the arrival of a brand new D-800+ and Subway 115 to jump on the bandwagon, (due in no small part to the buzz generated here). I recently picked up a mint condition used Subway 112 to round out the stack. Mint I say, until I got it home and realized the tweeter was blown. Being familiar with their transferrable warranty, I contacted the music store where I bought it and asked if they by chance could get me the original receipt from the person who traded the cab in - no dice.

So, I figured at worse, if the store didn't want to spring for a new diaphragm, I might be out $20-$30 bucks. I called Mesa and spoke with Chris (I think). I thought they would give me a hassle b/c I didn't have the original receipt for a <year old cabinet. No such thing, Chris informed me that the cabinet had a 3 yr. warranty and the tweeter was covered, all he needed was the serial number. It couldn't have been easier! The tweeter is on its way and no charge to me!

It is this kind of service that has won me over as a customer. I have spent a few thousand over the years on their products, Titan, Walkabout Scout (two of them), etc. and it is rare to encounter a company that doesn't try to nickel and dime you. Mesa has a grateful customer here for life. Well done guys!

Mesa rocks. Their customer support is amazing. Years ago when I had a tube issue (using the 400 & 400+) they helped me out allot. Mesa = A++++

 

[kevbassman]

I have been using the 800+ with the D112 & D115, and love it.....has anyone tried the new 2 x 10 Sub cab? I would love to hear it. That would have been my first choice. Cool thing with the cabs noted above, they sound great used together or separately.

 

[bdplaid]

Just got a second 115 cab today, adding to my 115/112. can't use it till monday. will report back later. am expecting my pants to be blown off.

 

[nostatic]

I have been using the 800+ with the D112 & D115, and love it.....has anyone tried the new 2 x 10 Sub cab? I would love to hear it. That would have been my first choice. Cool thing with the cabs noted above, they sound great used together or separately.

I tried the 2-10/1-12 combo in the shop and it sounded great. A bit more focused than the 1-12 I think.

 

[punisher911]

Just got a second 115 cab today, adding to my 115/112. can't use it till monday. will report back later. am expecting my pants to be blown off.

I did pick up the 112 today. So I'm sitting on my 112/115 stack now. So far sounds great. How do you hook up the third cab? What ohms does that turn out to be?

 

[agedhorse]

I did pick up the 112 today. So I'm sitting on my 112/115 stack now. So far sounds great. How do you hook up the third cab? What ohms does that turn out to be?

For 3 cabinets, use the 2 ohm position.

 

[John D Harris]

I did pick up the 112 today. So I'm sitting on my 112/115 stack now. So far sounds great. How do you hook up the third cab? What ohms does that turn out to be?

The resulting load is around 2.67 ohm.
You can connect one to the head & chain the next cab off the 1st, then repeat chaining the 3rd cab off the 2nd.

 

[punisher911]

Do you have to chain them or can you use the two outputs and chain the last one?

 

[nostatic]

Do you have to chain them or can you use the two outputs and chain the last one?

Doesn't matter - amp will still see 2.67 ohms (give or take). Unless the chain is series but I haven't see that on a cab.

 

[Clouz]

I'd never chain my cabs...I love them too much.

 

[nostatic]

I'd never chain my cabs...I love them too much.

You obviously don't play 50 shades of bass...

 

[PolkaHero]

I'm thinking about getting a Tech 21 Bass Fly Rig. Would this piece of equipment work best in the effects loop of the D-800+ or before the input jack?

 

[husky123]

I'm thinking about getting a Tech 21 Bass Fly Rig. Would this piece of equipment work best in the effects loop of the D-800+ or before the input jack?

If you want to take the Mesa's pre out of the equation, then yes, plugging it into the effects loop would give "uncolored" power to the BFR.

 

[PolkaHero]

Would inserting the BFR into the effects loop cut down on noise? Sorry, I've never used an effects loop on an amp before.

 

[agedhorse]

As long as the preamp can deliver +4dBu line level, the effects loop would end up being a little quieter.

 

[Rev. Cornelius]

Here's a question for the group. I don't know if it has been asked before, but a search did not seem to answer the question. Moreover, I thought I'd ask it here instead of in the A/B vs Class D thread as the manufacturer is the same.

Could someone describe to me the tonal differences between the M6/M9 Carbine and the D800/D800+? And if it matters, I would be running it into an F212.

Thank you.

 

[agedhorse]

I will attempt... the Subway platform pretty much ends up between the Walkabout and Carbine. The voicing is probably a bit more WA like, but the low end tightness a bit more Carbine like. The D-800+ does have a wider range of tonal possibilities than the WA/Carbine platforms. Of course there's the size and weight advantages as well.

 

[Al Kraft]

Here's a question for the group. I don't know if it has been asked before, but a search did not seem to answer the question. Moreover, I thought I'd ask it here instead of in the A/B vs Class D thread as the manufacturer is the same.

Could someone describe to me the tonal differences between the M6/M9 Carbine and the D800/D800+? And if it matters, I would be running it into an F212.

Thank you.

I own a D-800 (not the plus), WA, and all three Carbines. Agedhorse's post accurately reflects what I hear. The WA has a noticeable low end bloom (pillow like feel in the low bass) and a squishy tube compression at higher volume that is IME pretty much unique. I also find the WA notes to be very harmonically rich, especially for an amp that is not all tube.

The Carbines seem lightning fast with notes jumping out almost before you're finished playing them - they are very articulate, edgy in the mids and highs with a tight but powerful (bordering on overwhelming without EQ discipline) low end.

The D-800 seems to take the harmonic richness/fullness of the WA and some of the speed/quickness of the Carbines to land in a place that is a touch of both, but still its own voicing. The D-800 is more polite in the upper end, and has less of a cutting, hard rock edge to the notes than its Carbine siblings - but it's still an articulate sounding head. The extreme bottom end (sub bass) is also better controlled, but not in a way that makes it sound weak. The D-800 definitely does not mirror the WA in the low end bloom/"bass pillow" area, but it does have some obvious WA influence in the way notes have a softer/smoother edge and feel than the Carbines.

For me the D-800 is a tad more versatile than either the WA or Carbine. While it can't quite imitate either one, it will give you many of the characteristic attributes of the WA or Carbine and sit very nicely in a busy mix while doing it. I hope that's helpful.

 

[Rev. Cornelius]

I own a D-800 (not the plus), WA, and all three Carbines. Agedhorse's post accurately reflects what I hear. The WA has a noticeable low end bloom (pillow like feel in the low bass) and a squishy tube compression at higher volume that is IME pretty much unique. I also find the WA notes to be very harmonically rich, especially for an amp that is not all tube.

The Carbines seem lightning fast with notes jumping out almost before you're finished playing them - they are very articulate, edgy in the mids and highs with a tight but powerful (bordering on overwhelming without EQ disipline) low end.

The D-800 seems to take the harmonic richness/fullness of the WA and some of the speed/quickness of the Carbines to land in a place that is touch of both, but still its own voicing. The D-800 is more polite in the upper end, and has less of a cutting, hard rock edge to the notes than its Carbine siblings - but it's still an articulate sounding head. The extreme bottom end (sub bass) is also better controlled, but not in a way that makes it sound weak. The D-800 definitely does not mirror the WA in the low end bloom/"bass pillow" area, but it does have some obvious WA influence in the way notes have a softer/smoother edge and feel than the Carbines.

For me the D-800 is a tad more versatile than either the WA or Carbine. While it can't quite imitate either one, it will give you many of the characteristic attributes of the WA or Carbine and sit very nicely in a busy mix while doing it. I hope that's helpful.

Al:
Thank you very much. That was a great help. I have been playing an Orange TB1000 for several years through a GB F212 and generally like the tone and feel though I would like to tighten up the lows and have more control over the mids. The TB1000 has plenty of gain (though I leave it set low and use a B3k) and highs.

Anyway, reading the A/B vs. Class D thread got me thinking about the Carbines vs. the D800's (D800/M6 or D800+/M9).

Again, Thanks.

 

[JGR]

I've been meaning to drop in here as I picked up a D800+ a few months back, and while I haven't had a lot of time to enjoy it, I can most certainly say I dig it! My amp collection has dwindled over the past several years, but being a gear nut through and through, I still like to pick things up from time to time funds permitting - and the feature set and price point of the D800+ definitely caught my attention when it was released. Around Christmas time I found myself with only one ratty prototype to play through while I was working on getting something else up and running - kind of embarassing as well as frustrating - so I said enough is enough, I'm going to buy myself a Xmas present. I really like having a nice SS amp back in the stable.

I have found the 800+ to be very easy to dial in - it immediately felt familiar. The key for me was goosing the gain a bit so that the preamp clip indicator illuminates on transients - typically around 2 o'clock with my passive basses. It adds a hint of grit that I've become accustomed to with a tube front end, and a little bit of punch/compression which gives the overall presentation some nice weight for lack of a better term. I also typically engage the bright switch as well as the deep, which in conjunction with the LPF around 9'oclock, gives me a familar low end profile that feels great. Beyond that, I typically run the EQ flat, or dial in a few dB's of boost at ~700 Hz and 1.5 kHz. Easy! So other than that, all I can say is well done @agedhorse !