Double Bass New Ten2 Combo

[61pollmann]

I finally ordered a new Acoustic Image Ten2 combo. Should be here Wednesday. My regular Thursday night(six years now) Swing Quintet gig will put it to the test. Lately, I've been using my AE Focus into a Bergantino 112. I'm hoping that the Ten2 will come close to matching that. The Bergie weighs over 45 pounds--the Ten2 with the amp weighs about 28 pounds. Also one less bag to carry. My old, aching back will thank me. I will update this thread on Friday with my impressions.

George

 

[61pollmann]

I used my new Ten2 combo last night for first time. I also brought one Bergie 112 along just in case I needed it. I wound up playing the whole night only through the Ten2. The other musicians generally liked the sound, but it is fairly different than the Focus/Bergie 112 that I have been using. I am confident that it will be a good solution to my needs, but I am going to have to experiment with all the amp/speaker variables that exist(there are a number). I kept it with the front raised up on the legs all night. This really helps to hear the tweeter. We don't waste much time between tunes on a set, so it is difficult to make adjustments during the set. Tomorrow night I'm playing a singer/guitar/bass trio in a small room. This should be a perfect situation for this amp. Also have a Sunday gig with piano/guitar/bass trio in a large room. I'll keep you posted as I get used to using it in varied settings. So far very happy with it. By the way, I will be listing my Focus for sale. The amp section of the Ten2 is basically a Focus. It's too much of a waste to keep it as a backup. I will also be selling one of my Bergantino 112 cabs. I'll keep one to use under the Ten2 when I play outdoor gigs.

George

 

[AMJBASS]

Good to hear. I would be interested to hear what your thoughts are when you have put the amp through a few different situations. My biggest interest in this amp is the fact that it can double as a mini PA system in a pinch. Are you able to compare the sound to the Acoustic Image Contra(downfiring woofer only)?

 

[61pollmann]

I've never played a Contra. I've had two AI amps, one Clarus and one Focus. They both sounded great into my Bergies. This is my first experience with a down-firing woofer. I'll need to do a lot a lot experimenting to nail down all the tweaks possible. For instance, there's a switch on the back to reduce the down-firing woofer to 75% or 50% output. You can also use the high-pass filter to achieve some of the same thing(reduce low bass output). You can also reduce the tweeter output, but you can also use the EQ section(different response curves). It seems to be a quite sophisticated design. That can be a two-edged sword. The more things that you CAN control, the easier it is to screw things up. On my first gig with it, I just set EQ to flat, and everything else normal. The sound was very good, and I look forward to tweaking things for my different gig situations. My biggest complaint is that my tuner won't stay on the top when it's tilted back. I guess I could use self-stick velcro, but I don't want to gum up the top. One other observation is that I don't think this amp will be able to cut it on really loud gigs without an extension speaker. I have a Bergie 112, but if I find that I need to use an extension frequently, I may get the Ten2 EX. Weight is definitely a factor when you're my age and have a bad back.

George

George

 

[elmer]

I finally got my Ten2 last week and I also have a series III Contra. I have a Full Circle with K&K Golden Trinity condenser mic and I use Velvet Anima strings.

I have played only two gigs with the Ten2 so far and haven´t really fully explored it yet. But to my ears it has the samekind of a sound that Contra has.

Ten2 is a bit more cleaner still and you can hear yourself clearer. I found that with a low volume jazz trio the Contra sounded more "acoustic" to me.
With ten2 I heard the sound of the Full Circle clearer from the front firing speaker and the sound was a bit too electric for my taste. I don´t like that kind of a direct sound in a piano trio. I have to try the Ten2 with the mic only and I´m planning to get me a DPA 4099.

In a louder gig with a guitar in a band the ten2 was great. It was also great with a bass guitar otherwise than Contra.

So I think I need them both

 

[bassdaddyfive]

Sometimes it takes a little time to break in AI speakers. After a couple more gigs you may find the combo a little warmer sounding. Just my experence with AI combos.

 

[AMJBASS]

I finally got my Ten2 last week and I also have a series III Contra. I have a Full Circle with K&K Golden Trinity condenser mic and I use Velvet Anima strings.

I have played only two gigs with the Ten2 so far and haven´t really fully explored it yet. But to my ears it has the samekind of a sound that Contra has.

Ten2 is a bit more cleaner still and you can hear yourself clearer. I found that with a low volume jazz trio the Contra sounded more "acoustic" to me.
With ten2 I heard the sound of the Full Circle clearer from the front firing speaker and the sound was a bit too electric for my taste. I don´t like that kind of a direct sound in a piano trio. I have to try the Ten2 with the mic only and I´m planning to get me a DPA 4099.

In a louder gig with a guitar in a band the ten2 was great. It was also great with a bass guitar otherwise than Contra.

So I think I need them both

That is very interesting. If it can handle the bass guitar, I might be sold on one of these. The Contra doesn't have enough focus to the sound to pull off doubling on the electric. I hear what you are saying about the direct kind of sound for Piano trio gigs. I am not sure how the combo would sound when you step away from the band stand. I know that the little GK MB150 sounds electric up close, but has a pretty warm and natural sound as you step away from it. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts as you continue to work with it!