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Noble Amps Preamp

#3,161
I’m a Noble/Cali76 guy. I use the comp and the eq minimally. But I really like them together.

I used to be a big fan of the Khan DI. It sounds fantastic, but it has a bit of a baked in scoop that I don’t always want. The Noble has a nice flat setting. I also have used a Neve DI. It’s really nice too. But it lacks a touch of that tube warmth. The only other DI I’m intrigued by is the Sonic Farm 2DI4 Pentode Direct Box. A friend from Canada uses it and swears by it.

The only other things on my board are the tuner and a Carbon OD for ever-so-slight crunch, if needed. If I want effects (I rarely do), I can always use my HX Stomp.

IMG_0321.jpeg
 
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#3,162
tb-player said:
I’m a Noble/Cali76 guy. I use the comp and the eq minimally. But I really like them together.

I used to be a big fan of the Khan DI. It sounds fantastic, but it has a bit of a baked in scoop that I don’t always want. The Noble has a nice flat setting. I also have used a Neve DI. It’s really nice too. But it lacks a touch of that tube warmth. The only other DI I’m intrigued by is the Sonic Farm 2DI4 Pentode Direct Box. A friend from Canada uses it and swears by it.

The only other things on my board are the tuner and a Carbon OD for ever-so-slight crunch, if needed. If I want effects (I rarely do), I can always use my HX Stomp.

View attachment 7306480
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Tell me about the Carbon OD. Are you able to keep the low end when using it?
 
#3,163
TaylorJ said:
If you need some saturation, is the Spark the go-to? Are there other drive pedals you like better? When you need it? I never need anything but a clean tone, but one of these days I imagine a little drive might find its way into a song or two. I keep trying different pedals out, but nothing has wowed me yet.
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I (somewhat) recently put a Fuzzrocious Dark Driving in front of my Noble+PDR, and it sounds killer. My bandmates commented that it was the best tone I’ve ever produced (for that project).
 
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#3,164
TaylorJ said:
Tell me about the Carbon OD. Are you able to keep the low end when using it?
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It’s a very organic drive that sounds more like natural amp drive than a pedal. I’ve never really noticed any significant loss of low end. And the extremely useful hi-cut switch keeps it from getting too sizzly. I use it minimally so it almost feels like a slightly dirty clean boost. Browne Amplification does a very nice job on all their pedals.
 
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#3,165
tb-player said:
I’m a Noble/Cali76 guy. I use the comp and the eq minimally. But I really like them together.

I used to be a big fan of the Khan DI. It sounds fantastic, but it has a bit of a baked in scoop that I don’t always want. The Noble has a nice flat setting. I also have used a Neve DI. It’s really nice too. But it lacks a touch of that tube warmth. The only other DI I’m intrigued by is the Sonic Farm 2DI4 Pentode Direct Box. A friend from Canada uses it and swears by it.

The only other things on my board are the tuner and a Carbon OD for ever-so-slight crunch, if needed. If I want effects (I rarely do), I can always use my HX Stomp.

View attachment 7306480
Click to expand...
I gigged a Sonic Farm for a while. Very nice! Turned out to be appropriate for studio work but was too fragile for gigging IMO.

From a while back, reviewed before I got a Noble.

N. Kentucky Bass

Post in thread 'Sonic Farm 2di4'

I received a Sonic Farm 2di4 just over a week ago. I've been having so much fun using it as a preamp through the line-in power amp section of my Puma 900 and into a Greenboy Audio Fearless 110 cab that I just got around to testing the DI function. General observations: My perceptions are similar to Mike Arnopol's and Cameron Hood's. Fantastic clarity and 3D presence to notes - especially in the upper register. In the triode mode, the 2di4 sounds similar to a REDDI (of which I've owned and gigged two, and sold both). The 2di4 is slightly clearer in tone, less colored than the REDDI. The...
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#3,166
N. Kentucky Bass said:
I gigged a Sonic Farm for a while. Very nice! Turned out to be appropriate for studio work but was too fragile for gigging IMO.

From a while back, reviewed before I got a Noble.

N. Kentucky Bass

Post in thread 'Sonic Farm 2di4'

I received a Sonic Farm 2di4 just over a week ago. I've been having so much fun using it as a preamp through the line-in power amp section of my Puma 900 and into a Greenboy Audio Fearless 110 cab that I just got around to testing the DI function. General observations: My perceptions are similar to Mike Arnopol's and Cameron Hood's. Fantastic clarity and 3D presence to notes - especially in the upper register. In the triode mode, the 2di4 sounds similar to a REDDI (of which I've owned and gigged two, and sold both). The 2di4 is slightly clearer in tone, less colored than the REDDI. The...
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Thank you. That was helpful.
 
#3,170
Juggernaught said:
For people with the Noble in studio setups: I'm reading the DC outs aren't isolated, but are daisy chained. Does this introduce significant noise when compared to something with isolated DC like the DC7?
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I've done lots of recording with my Noble over the past nine years. And I often use the DC outs--currently for a tuner and HPF. I've heard no evidence of "significant noise" or any noise at all in the signal. It would be hard to believe Jack Roan would have engineered a deliberate noise leak into the chain of this device. But don't believe me. If you're concerned about this, I suggest you ask Jack directly. Or skip using the DC outs if you're skeptical and out for "maximum purity."
 
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#3,171
N. Kentucky Bass said:
I've done lots of recording with my Noble over the past nine years. And I often use the DC outs--currently for a tuner and HPF. I've heard no evidence of "significant noise" or any noise at all in the signal. It would be hard to believe Jack Roan would have engineered a deliberate noise leak into the chain of this device. But don't believe me. If you're concerned about this, I suggest you ask Jack directly. Or skip using the DC outs if you're skeptical and out for "maximum purity."
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OK, well I'll need to try it out in person then. 🧐
 
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#3,175
N. Kentucky Bass said:
I posted gut shots shortly after I bought mine in 2016. A few days later Jack requested I delete the photos as he didn't want them posted. I did so immediately.
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Yeah, apparently heatsinks fixed with zip ties is cutting-edge technology. In the meantime, there's a clone and its schematic on the internet. I was curious about the making and the tap's voltages for the mains transformer.
 
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#3,176
dra9his said:
Yeah, apparently heatsinks fixed with zip ties is cutting-edge technology. In the meantime, there's a clone and its schematic on the internet. I was curious about the making and the tap's voltages for the mains transformer.
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I get the sarcastic gist of your first sentence. Not being an engineer, I don't understand what the last sentence means. I just like how the Noble sounds. That's why I've used it almost every day for the last nine years.
 
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#3,178
Just ordered a Noble. Is there any consensus on what HPF frequency to have built in? I'm thinking asking to lower it to 50 or 60hz. Maybe just to keep the b-string subharmonics out of the circuit? I'm not going into an amp, just DI to FOH and IEMs.
 
#3,179
projectapollo said:
Just ordered a Noble. Is there any consensus on what HPF frequency to have built in? I'm thinking asking to lower it to 50 or 60hz. Maybe just to keep the b-string subharmonics out of the circuit? I'm not going into an amp, just DI to FOH and IEMs.
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Is that even an option? I don’t remember being able to customize my Noble and frankly there is nothing needed other than how Jack does it. I’ve put every kind of bass through it and it’s killer. Sorry if I misread your question.
 

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