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Double Bass NEW Euphonic Audio iAMP Doubler

#166
Got the amp delivered last night, unfortunately I left for my gig before it arrived so I didn't get to play it until this morning.

I should first say it is very small and almost feels like there is nothing inside of it, crazy small and light. It seems to be working without issue, no noise no problems although to this point I haven't had the chance to test the DI, tuner and such. It's actually so light and small you have to hold the head while you plug your instrument cable in....It seems to be built well and designed nicely.

The trim pots actually work well and I don't see running into issues with them at all. The only thing is that it seems counterclockwise increase gain, HPF frequency and DI output level; while clockwise reduces. Somewhat counter intuitive but not a problem.

The amp sounds very nice, no noise and a nice tone with no inherent bass boost set flat like allot of amps. Not allot to say except it's got a nice tone and I can report more on a gig. It's got more life then a Focus but not a built in tone like allot of electric bass heads.

The one thing I have a concern with is the volume it puts out, it is not capable of fully powering my 8 ohm NL210 cabinet and certainly not a VL208, setting the master at 10...Comparing this directly to my Glockenklang Soul which is rated 440 watts at 4 ohms and 250 watts at 8 ohms which can easily reach volumes and exceed what the cabinets are capable of handling.

I'm guessing the ideal match for the doubler is a pair of Wizzy cabinets 10s or 12s and can probably power those properly. I don't think it's enough for the NL210 and I can't imagine it would be close for the new EA 410.

Great head! I guess I need to decide if I want to return it for a higher output PRO or pair it with a wizzy cabinet.
 
#167
Hi,

I am realy interested in this amp as many of us are. Any comments you can give are greatly appreciated. I for one am looking to swap out my AI Focus for it but the comments on volume have made me pause for a second. How do you think it compares volume wise to a Focus? In the same league? I know their ratings are close but in real life that might not always be the case.
 
#168
RShew said:
Hi,

I am realy interested in this amp as many of us are. Any comments you can give are greatly appreciated. I for one am looking to swap out my AI Focus for it but the comments on volume have made me pause for a second. How do you think it compares volume wise to a Focus? In the same league? I know their ratings are close but in real life that might not always be the case.
Click to expand...

I owned a Focus for about 2 years and played a ton of gigs with it. I sold it about 6 months ago so I couldn't do a direct comparison but the Focus is way louder...

Pete
 
#169
peterpalmieri said:
Got the amp delivered last night, unfortunately I left for my gig before it arrived so I didn't get to play it until this morning.

I should first say it is very small and almost feels like there is nothing inside of it, crazy small and light. It seems to be working without issue, no noise no problems although to this point I haven't had the chance to test the DI, tuner and such. It's actually so light and small you have to hold the head while you plug your instrument cable in....It seems to be built well and designed nicely.

The trim pots actually work well and I don't see running into issues with them at all. The only thing is that it seems counterclockwise increase gain, HPF frequency and DI output level; while clockwise reduces. Somewhat counter intuitive but not a problem.

The amp sounds very nice, no noise and a nice tone with no inherent bass boost set flat like allot of amps. Not allot to say except it's got a nice tone and I can report more on a gig. It's got more life then a Focus but not a built in tone like allot of electric bass heads.

The one thing I have a concern with is the volume it puts out, it is not capable of fully powering my 8 ohm NL210 cabinet and certainly not a VL208, setting the master at 10...Comparing this directly to my Glockenklang Soul which is rated 440 watts at 4 ohms and 250 watts at 8 ohms which can easily reach volumes and exceed what the cabinets are capable of handling.

I'm guessing the ideal match for the doubler is a pair of Wizzy cabinets 10s or 12s and can probably power those properly. I don't think it's enough for the NL210 and I can't imagine it would be close for the new EA 410.

Great head! I guess I need to decide if I want to return it for a higher output PRO or pair it with a wizzy cabinet.
Click to expand...

Peter,

Glad you like the amp.

A few things:

The pots on top are Trim Pots. As you rotate them clockwise they trim the signal. I see where it can be counter intuitive as we tend to thing turning clockwise is "more". But if you think about it, if you turn a volume knob clockwise it will increase the volume, if you turn a trim pot clockwise it will; trim whatever it is set to effect.

Check the volume on a gig. The Doubler, like all EA amps before it introduces VERY little distortion into the signal. Distortion is at the most acute part of human hearing, 1-4K. In the near field, distortion will give the listener a perceived sense of more volume. You will find that in the room, the sound will really blossom.

Get back to me'. Thanks
Mike Dimin
EA Amps

ps I run my Micro 300 with my NM410 all the time playing with Rhett Tyler and Early Warning.
 
#170
Hey guys, this seems to be a great little amp so I don't want to get to far off topic and I look forward to bringing it on a gig this afternoon.

When it comes to absolute volume I am almost thinking maybe something is going on, there is absolutely no way this thing is putting out 550 watts or it's 310 watts at 8 ohms. I can get more volume out of my Glock Soul and NL210 then I can my Sadowsky SA410 with the Doubler.

I don't think it's user error on my part...
 
#171
Seems odd. I use it with a CXL12 which goes a lot louder (in my experience) than a NL210. I can easily get the CXL to bottom out (at a volume louder than I play even on a loud gig) with the Doubler. Not so with the Micro 300. I LOVE the Micro, but the first thing I noticed about the Doubler was that on electric (I play 5 string fretless with a touch similar to Gary Willis) (but not as badass) I was getting more bloom and impact at the same volume with the Doubler. And the top volume was a lot louder. I've played gigs with 2 CXL's and there is no way I could take advantage the dynamic range. Wattage ratings are elusive and somewhat meaningless in the real world to me. They don't necessarily represent the headroom on transients. I have played amps with very different ratings that had the same PERCEIVED outputs. One thing I can say about the EA stuff is that the volume tapers on the controls are very similar to high end audio stuff rather than musical instrument stuff. Most musical instrument amps have most of their gain up to the 12 o'clock position. What you get past that is not perceived gain---mostly distortion. It took me a bit of time to get used to running pots higher on the EA gear than I'm used to. The taper is very smooth and consistent from bottom to top. Although maybe they can make them go to eleven.
Time to crash. Just back from the Bellvue Jazz festival in Seattle. I was impressed that they gave me a suite at the Westin. What they failed to mention was that they had a frat party of 500 booked there. Time to get some real sleep.
 
#173
Thanks for the comments. I am interested in the doubler as I am still "meh" about the AI Focus(mostly due to eq'ing). BUT, I can get tons of useable volume with a mic only. Of course I am always blended with the Full Circle but I still use a lot of mic in the mix. This is my only concern if I switch to the doubler...enough volume w/a mic. As you are using and posting any comments in that direction are very appreciated. I'll keep reading.
 
#174
i just ordered mine...... i have big expectations... as much as i love the sound of the Schertler Unico, lately volume wise its not enough for my needs, i hope the Doubler with my wizzy m Line will make it for me, the Unico was the only amp that i could use my little Audix condenser at a usable volume...

Nuno
 
#175
Those observing this thread may want to check the Micro and Doubler manual for some of the features and options. I don't think it's up on EA's site yet but we have a copy linked to both amp pages.

There are two trim pots at the front of the top just above the two input volume levels. This allows you to adjust the input level padding (sensitivity), so it can accommodate a wide variety of input levels. You can increase the padding (lessen the sensitivity) for that hot active bass or outboard preamp, or reduce it to allow for lower level devices such as some microphones. I really like this feature; the K&K Sound preamps also offer this flexibility, and it allows you to optimize the device for the character of your primary input devices. It's nice to have your usual volumes at the middle of the knob's travel rather than crowded all at the beginning, requiring little twitches for changes, or all at the end, making you psychologically feel too loud (or inadequate, but we'll leave those theories to the shrinks).

The adjustment for the high pass filter and DI out are also up there, easily set (if you want) with the small screwdriver you carry in your gig bag. :D

I've spent some "home time" with a Doubler driving a Wizzy 10 and also one of my VL208 cabs, with passive and active electric basses and my Eminence.

I just played my fretless five string electric Hoyt through the Doubler and my VL208. It's damn loud here in a great room/kitchen area, and as most of you know, it takes a lot of watts to make the VL208 rattle the dishware.

The Doubler and Micro have a "Level Indicator Yellow LED" to alert you to an overdrive condition (input level too high, turn down. Not many amps have that feature. If you ignore that light (or don't have one) you can play the amp louder, and I did so. While you may not notice a certain level of distortion at some gigs, when you're playing at home the fuzzy edges can be heard -- one can interpret those as loud, but whether it is the sound you want or not is subjective.

Loudness has a lot of definitions, I deal with how difficult it is to verbally quantify almost every day on the phone. And I can speak from personal experience, it changes with the gig, the styles, the instrument, and the band.
 
#176
Good points and info, Bob. Just curious---I keep mentioning it, but did you notice that at similar volumes, the Doubler seems to have a bit more "thump" and visceral presence? To expand on a point you made, I've noticed that most amps get to a certain volume where the initial thump and impact get louder, but above that volume the amp goes louder in the first harmonic and above, but the impact does not. It's kindof a cheating sort of thing. The perceived volume gets louder, but the functional volume does not. Did I make any sense with this ramble?
 
#177
RShew said:
...... I am interested in the doubler as I am still "meh" about the AI Focus(mostly due to eq'ing). .....................
Click to expand...

"meh"? Pretty well sums up my thoughts as well. It's all I've used for a cupla years, so it ain't all bad, but it doesn't have much slam. My active slab into the Focus is "meh" ;) but only.
Might this new kid be the answer?
 
#178
Mike Arnopol said:
Good points and info, Bob. Just curious---I keep mentioning it, but did you notice that at similar volumes, the Doubler seems to have a bit more "thump" and visceral presence? To expand on a point you made, I've noticed that most amps get to a certain volume where the initial thump and impact get louder, but above that volume the amp goes louder in the first harmonic and above, but the impact does not. It's kindof a cheating sort of thing. The perceived volume gets louder, but the functional volume does not. Did I make any sense with this ramble?
Click to expand...

Yes, I think I know what you mean, though I've never tried to scientifically analyze the differences. Your "visceral presence" rang a bell, though it's not in the "thump" category - when the Wizzy 10 cabs came out I took a pair with a Focus to a regular five string electric gig, where I usually take my iAMP800 and pair of VL208 cabs. I later repeated the experiment when the Micro came out, and used it for the first two sets, but went to the Focus for the third set as volumes required more bass power. However, I put the Micro back up for the fourth set, in spite of its lower volume, for its "visceral presence" (a much better expression than "bigger balls") that better suited the more "ragged" edge appropriate to the material and gig. This may be input applicable to Clink's post.

I don't know whether it's harmonic content or what, but I draw the same sort of comparison between two basses I own and gig- one is active and absolutely sweet, my favorite- but I break out a passive two pickup bass I own and use specifically when the mix gets dense and I need some "grit" to compete.

That said, I still like my Acoustic Image Contra for the minimal URB duties I require, though I haven't had opportunities lately to take a Micro and Wizzy 10 in its place.
 
#180
Had a nice electric gig on Sunday night, 3 sets of R&B funk. The amp really did work out great, the tone is really nice which has been a concern with other light weights I've owned. I preferred a slight bass boost to fatten things up.

I am looking forward to an upright gig to see how she handles that.....

I guess I should respond to my original volume comments, which I stand by. I should mention I own 2 Glockenklang heads which also utilize an audio taper master volume. In additon I've owned just about every high end bass head on the market, so while I can appreciate the comments on low distortion clean headroom I am no stranger to that.

So I stand by my original comments it's not a loud amp, it's not as loud as similarly rated heads I've owned. Sorry guys I'm not selling these things just keppin' it real...
 

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