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tc electronic bh250 - new micro head!

#341
Joe Nerve said:
Just got one of these. Haven't read anything in this thread yet other than this last page which included @jumblemind and @sloppy_phil 's reviews. 2 of the most spot on amp reviews I think I've read on Talkbass :). I find myself a bit more in agreement with jm though. I'll do my best to add whatever I can...



What I don't like about it: It's severely lacking in something I can't quite put my finger on. Lows? Thump? Punch? It gets loud enough and is EQed to cut through and be heard, but it really sounds like half the amp the BX700 is. And I don't think it's just a wattage/volume thing. It's like it's missing a whole bunch of frequencies, and important ones, too. I asked the guys I was playing with to turn up a bit to see how far I could push this, and again - it cut, but in a really pathetic sort of way. And I had the amp cranked, bigtime, like on 9. Fiddling with the EQ at that point became almost pointless because the amp was working so hard to just keep up. Oh hwell... maybe I was just expecting a bit more out of that 250 watts. Maybe it'll wow me when I plug my 2x15s into it.
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Thanks for the shout out, bud. I happen to agree more or less across the board with your review, and especially this paragraph I've quoted. It's definitely missing something which is hard to describe. Have discovered that the more I've used it, but like you, I fully intend to hold onto it, as it definitely does enough as a back-up amp/Ric-o-sound amp.
 
#342
Joe Nerve said:
I'd like to think that too, but I use that same cabinet with a GK Backline 600 (which is the same wattage at 8 Ohms) and my Carvin. Both those heads give me all that I feel I'm missing with the TC, and I don't come close to pushing either of those to their limit.
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FWIW, the BH250 is only about 150 watts at 8ohms, so it is less than the GK through the same cab and far less than the Carvin (not really fair to compare a 250w head to a 700w head). Also, GK watts are insane, they punch waaaaay above their rating. 150 watts through a single cab is going to struggle in anything but a small coffee house type gig. 4x10 will fare better than a 1x12 or 1x15, but only in terms of volume increase and not clean headroom. If you are digging in with this head on 9 through a single 4x10 it's going to go into protect mode. These days I run mine through a single Ampeg 210 for practice and occasionally through two of them at bar gigs. Most of the time it's backup.

EDIT: Now that I remember, I played a medium sized venue a while back with the BH250 and the single 210, wanting a light load in since it had a good PA. The little thing threw so well that the sound guy told me he didn't even have me in the mains. This was a two guitar, bass, drum setup with an acoustically open room.

In regard to what you are saying about the EQ points missing something, and given the Ric and experience with a GK head, it sounds to me like you'd be better off flipping the BH250 and grabbing a GK MB200. Smaller, lighter, huge low end and has clean headroom from 0 to gain knob maxed (though not recommended). I still would aim for two cabs/4ohm load to get the most out of it, but the EQ will probably be more to your liking. It's warm-ish for a GK but much cleaner and more modern sounding than the warm, low-mid focus of the BH250.
 
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#343
jumblemind said:
FWIW, the BH250 is only about 150 watts at 8ohms, so it is less than the GK through the same cab and far less than the Carvin (not really a fair to compare a 250w head to a 700w head). Also, GK watts are insane, they punch waaaaay above their rating. 150 watts through a single cab is going to struggle in anything but a small coffee house type gig. 4x10 will fare better than a 1x12 or 1x15, but only in terms of volume increase and not clean headroom. If you are digging in with this head on 9 through a single 4x10 it's going to go into protect mode. These days I run mine through a single Ampeg 210 for practice and occasionally through two of them at bar gigs. Most of the time it's backup.

EDIT: Now that I remember, I played a medium sized venue a while back with the BH250 and the single 210, wanting a light load in since it had a good PA. The little thing threw so well that the sound guy told me he didn't even have me in the monitor. This was a two guitar, bass, drum setup with an acoustically open room.

In regard to what you are saying about the EQ points missing something, and given the Ric and experience with a GK head, it sound to me like you'd be better off flipping the BH250 and grabbing a GK MB200. Smaller, lighter, huge low end and has clean headroom from 0 to gain knob maxed (though not recommended). I still would aim for two cabs/4ohm load to get the most out of it, but the EQ will probably be more to your liking. It's warm-ish for a GK but much cleaner and more modern sounding than the warm, low-mid focus of the BH250.
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Thanks. I may consider that. Especially if it's smaller. I'm not a gk fan, but I didn't realize the tv head is only 150 watts at 8 ohms. That and the protect mode thing may very well have been my problem. I was pushing it big time.
 
#345
Joe Nerve said:
The gk is 200 watts at 4 ohms. Me thinks that's going to have even less oomph at 8 ohms than the tc. Anyone have any experience w the 2?
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I have tried both and own a BH250.
The MB200 has 200watts @4ohms and 140watts 8ohms while the BH250 has 250 watts @4ohms and 125watts @8ohms.
So if you are using an 8ohm cab you would get 15watts more from the MB200, which in my opinion is not a worthy difference. However if you pair two 8ohm cabs you would have a 4ohm combination and will get the full 200 watts from the GK or the full 250 watts from the TC, which in my opinion 50 watts is a worthy difference.
The GK has a warmer and more vintage tone, while the TC is, well, modern in every way. I really like the EQ from the GK, is more versatile, but I ended up getting the BH250 and deffinetly don't regret it.
 
#346
It is generally agreed that 3dB is a barely perceptible difference. 3dB is achieved by roughly doubling the power. So the audible difference between 200W and 250W is very likely not detectable by the human ear.

I've had a pair of the BH250 for a couple of years now, and I like that little unit. I just recently bought an MB200. My impressions are that the MB is deeper and more focused down low, and crisper and more sizzly up high. In comparison, the BH250 sounds woolier. To my ears, the MB sounds "modern"/"hi-fi", while the BH sounds "vintage". But those terms mean wildly different things to different people. And the EQs on each can make a world of difference.
 
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#347
Carlos RF said:
I have tried both and own a BH250.
The MB200 has 200watts @4ohms and 140watts 8ohms while the BH250 has 250 watts @4ohms and 125watts @8ohms.
So if you are using an 8ohm cab you would get 15watts more from the MB200, which in my opinion is not a worthy difference. However if you pair two 8ohm cabs you would have a 4ohm combination and will get the full 200 watts from the GK or the full 250 watts from the TC, which in my opinion 50 watts is a worthy difference.
The GK has a warmer and more vintage tone, while the TC is, well, modern in every way. I really like the EQ from the GK, is more versatile, but I ended up getting the BH250 and deffinetly don't regret it.
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i don't think tc electronic released the specs when using a single 8ohm cab ... i have a rumble 200w head that pushes 140w at 8ohms and full 200w at 4ohms ... the tc could very well push between 125 and 175 watts at 8 ohms but there's no way to really find out ... ill say this i recently play at my church .. a 300-350 members church with 2 guitars , 2 keys loud drummer and i used a single 1x12 cab (rumble v2) and the bh250 and the sound guy had to lower almost any pa support and was told i was really loud with volume at may be a bit more than half ... i don't know if im pushing 125 or 175 watts all i know is i was loud and i like it !!! i also like the mb200 , i don't own it but I know i wouldn't mind having it as part if my gear for sure !!!
 
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#348
himluis1 said:
i don't think tc electronic released the specs when using a single 8ohm cab ... i have a rumble 200w head that pushes 140w at 8ohms and full 200w at 4ohms ... the tc could very well push between 125 and 175 watts at 8 ohms but there's no way to really find out ... ill say this i recently play at my church .. a 300-350 members church with 2 guitars , 2 keys loud drummer and i used a single 1x12 cab (rumble v2) and the bh250 and the sound guy had to lower almost any pa support and was told i was really loud with volume at may be a bit more than half ... i don't know if im pushing 125 or 175 watts all i know is i was loud and i like it !!! i also like the mb200 , i don't own it but I know i wouldn't mind having it as part if my gear for sure !!!
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You are right, they never realesed that info. I wrote to them with a couple of technical questions and they replied this: "Thank you for contacting TC Electronic Support.
If you are only connecting an 8ohm load, you will get roughly half of the rated wattage."
So they didn't say the exact number either but I assumed 125w and felt like sharing that info.
I've had the same experience as you, I use it through a single 8ohm cab (GK neo115) and the power is more than enough for rehearsals and bar gigs. I've also seen other bassist with the MB+8ohm cab on the same context and the power was also enough.
 
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#354
nonohmic said:
People still using these? Any long term issues?
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Mine needed a replacement power supply—got that repaired and it's as good as new.

If you don't need the toneprint functionality and would rather have a smaller box, consider waiting for the unannounced BAM200.

BC208_P0DLI_Other2_XL.png
 
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#357
Orestes Chouchoulas said:
Mine needed a replacement power supply—got that repaired and it's as good as new.

If you don't need the toneprint functionality and would rather have a smaller box, consider waiting for the unannounced BAM200.

View attachment 3194672
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Whoa sweet! Man the options just keep coming
This will be directly up against the elf I guess. I was liking the idea of a bit more oomph with 250 vs 200. But maybe I'll wait and see.
 
#358
nonohmic said:
Whoa sweet! Man the options just keep coming
This will be directly up against the elf I guess. I was liking the idea of a bit more oomph with 250 vs 200. But maybe I'll wait and see.
Click to expand...

200 vs 250 is negligible. You wouldn’t be able to hear the difference. Go with the features that matter to you.
 
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