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TC Electronic launches BAM200

#58
There has been lots of talk over on the DB side where the BAM is quickly building an enthusiastic fan base. The consensus seems to be that it does and is what it says: a no frills, ultra-small, reliable bass head. Users seem to like the EQ section and neutral voicing, and I don't think I've seen a single issue with reliability or build quality.

I haven't personally tried the BAM200. My comments above are just meant to paraphrase the numerous reviews I've read. I had my eye on one until I scored a great deal on one of TC's other new heads, the BQ250.
 
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#59
Jesuguru said:
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Plugging a Tonehammer or Subway into one of these (if they had send/return) would instantly elevate it. But then, you're losing some of the ultra-portable appeal of these all-in-one micro-marvels, and besides you're spending enough you may as well just get a used Tonehammer or Subway head anyway. The weight/portability difference between a 50 pound lead-sled amp and a 5-7 pound Class D is huge. The difference between those and these 1-2 pounders, not so much. IMO, YMMV.
Click to expand...

Not quite a zombie thread yet....

I grabbed one of these as a backup. I was intrigued with the fact that I could put it right on my "pedal board" (which actually sits on top of my amp - tuner, compressor, HPF/LPF, preamp/EQ, and in-ears amp. And now also the BAM200).

My question is this: The preamp/EQ I have on my board is the Tonehammer. Usually I output into a crest power amp. But since I put this on the board as a backup i figure, hey why not try it out straight into the mini-amp. Sure, two preamp gain stages, but people do that all the time. It sounded great and was loud.

However, then I noticed this in the manual:

GAIN knob and SIG LED: The input gain should be set to the highest possible level without overloading the input stage. To find the correct setting, simply plug in your bass, play and turn up the GAIN knob until the SIG LED occasionally lights up. Then reduce the gain slightly. When set, simply turn up the MASTER volume knob to start playing.
Click to expand...

I realized I was in fact "overloading the input stage" with the preamp going into the TC's preamp.

However, it sounded great! If I follow the manual's instructions, I have to turn the gain way down, and then it doesn't quite cut it for the small venues applications I was hoping I could use it in (and have used it in) without having to lug the power amp around.

Getting to the actual question: Am I risking a "blue smoke" scenario by running the gain high enough to more or less continually light up the SIG LED? Like I said, it sounded great operating in that range, and I have done this in a few gigs already before I realized I wasn't following the manual's instructions?

Am I risking destroying this amp?

And I'll say it again - this amp sounds really really great. this is through (mainly) a pair of fEARful 12/6's or (at home) a Peavey 410TVX (if only it weren't so heavy.....)
 
#60
HeadWind said:
Not quite a zombie thread yet....

I grabbed one of these as a backup. I was intrigued with the fact that I could put it right on my "pedal board" (which actually sits on top of my amp - tuner, compressor, HPF/LPF, preamp/EQ, and in-ears amp. And now also the BAM200).

My question is this: The preamp/EQ I have on my board is the Tonehammer. Usually I output into a crest power amp. But since I put this on the board as a backup i figure, hey why not try it out straight into the mini-amp. Sure, two preamp gain stages, but people do that all the time. It sounded great and was loud.

However, then I noticed this in the manual:



I realized I was in fact "overloading the input stage" with the preamp going into the TC's preamp.

However, it sounded great! If I follow the manual's instructions, I have to turn the gain way down, and then it doesn't quite cut it for the small venues applications I was hoping I could use it in (and have used it in) without having to lug the power amp around.

Getting to the actual question: Am I risking a "blue smoke" scenario by running the gain high enough to more or less continually light up the SIG LED? Like I said, it sounded great operating in that range, and I have done this in a few gigs already before I realized I wasn't following the manual's instructions?

Am I risking destroying this amp?

And I'll say it again - this amp sounds really really great. this is through (mainly) a pair of fEARful 12/6's or (at home) a Peavey 410TVX (if only it weren't so heavy.....)
Click to expand...
Generally, it's awefully hard to damage a preamp with too hot a signal, unless you do something really stupid like connect a power amp to it. How hard is it to get the light to turn on if you take the Tonehammer out of the chain? TC is getting quite a reputation for inaccurate manuals, so it's worth doing some experimenting to see how it really behaves.

Honestly, the manual really conflicts with the marketing materials/design concept. The marketing pushes the MOSFET based preamp for its tube like qualities, but what good are tubes (or tube emulation) if you're not overdriving them? I'd let your ears be the judge. It should sound like a$$ long before you do any damage. (I'm referring to hard clipping.) Sounds like you're hearing good old soft clipping.

All that said, I'm not a sound engineer (I just play one on the internet--in real life, I'm an aerospace engineer and I stick to the mechanical side), so maybe wait for a second opinion before you go and start daisy chaining preamps with the gain maxed out on all them ;)
 

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