• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

The Great Bass Preamp/DI Comparison

#3,921
chadhargis said:
There is, however, a DRAMATIC difference between something like the SLO and something like a Sansamp or the various preamps that are in the $100-$200 range. That's why the NuX gets such acclaim..it's way better than anything else in its price bracket.
Click to expand...

I kind of feel like this, also. I recently got a Sushi Box Particle Accelerator and I'm curious where it will fall.

The price and feature set have it in good company, hope to find out this week.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Skeeter Diggs and Sushi Box FX
#3,923
The Noble does sound good there. Better than other demos I've heard. The P - 15 is also nice. Maybe I should just order a Noble and wait patiently. Get a Nano+ board and be done.

Edit: except a Nano+ isn't long enough :-(
 
#3,924
chadhargis said:
Budget Board
Here's the signal path:

JHS Buffered Splitter --> Sonic Research Turbo Tuner Mini --> Night Owl Edison Preamp (unity gain) --> Becos Compiq Compressor Mini --> NuX MLD Preamp --> Channel 2 on Allen & Heath MEDi10 Mixer
Click to expand...
Cool stuff! Your pedal listing for the budget board send to be missing one, and I can't quite make out the cursive font in the picture on my little phone. What's that in between the Becos and the Nux?
 
#3,926
Littlewing6283 said:
Quick question. Might be the wrong spot but does anyone here use a Kemper as a DI ?

but on an on topic note I couldn't hold out any longer and started the process to obtain an Arkham oracle. I'll pair it with my rndi

now to go full talkbass and order a la1a this month. Ahhh heck might just build another board
Click to expand...

I own a Kemper and have gigged with it (on bass) for almost 2 years. I really like it, but I'm kind of sick of lugging around a heavy shock rack, so I'm going a different direction. Got an Oracle coming Thursday and la1a coming tomorrow. New setup photos forthcoming.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Skeeter Diggs, tedsalt and MascisMan
#3,928
New Edison fan here. After weeks of playing through my Sadowsky SA200, I just fired that little jewel up, ran Edison—> Duncan Studio Bass compressor —> Glockenklang Blue Soul —> Aguilar DB112 x 2.

A Sadowsky PJ sounded righteous. And with a little clockwise twist of the gain on the Edison, so did a Fender Precision. Bang for buck, it's the little Edison FTW!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sushi Box FX, MascisMan, Low Down Brown and 2 others
#3,929
R&B said:
New Edison fan here. After weeks of playing through my Sadowsky SA200, I just fired that little jewel up, ran Edison—> Duncan Studio Bass compressor —> Glockenklang Blue Soul —> Aguilar DB112 x 2.

A Sadowsky PJ sounded righteous. And with a little clockwise twist of the gain on the Edison, so did a Fender Precision. Bang for buck, it's the little Edison FTW!!
Click to expand...
I really liked the Edison, but the form factor drove me nuts. I'd have kept it but board space is tight so it had to go. Nice noise tho. I'd be really happy with it if it had top jacks and a normal sized housing/controls mounted normally. Not a negative as it's a beautiful creation, just didn't work practically for me. Ymmv.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Skeeter Diggs, 1983L2000, jbhaugh and 2 others
#3,930
chadhargis said:
Boutique Board vs Budget Board
Here are the initial clips.

Boutique Board
The board itself cost more than much of the budget board with all the patch modules and power cords. Here's the signal path in the clip:

JHS Buffered Splitter --> Peterson StroboStompHD Tuner --> Southhampton Pedals All Things Equal Level Switcher --> FEA Labs DE-CL Compressor --> [sfx]microThumpinator --> Arkham Oracle --> Rupert Neve DI --> Channel 1 on Allen & Heath ZEDi10 Mixer


Budget Board
Here's the signal path:

JHS Buffered Splitter --> Sonic Research Turbo Tuner Mini --> Night Owl Edison Preamp (unity gain) --> Becos Compiq Compressor Mini --> NuX MLD Preamp --> Channel 2 on Allen & Heath MEDi10 Mixer

Bass:
Warmoth 5-string J bass:
  • Black Limba Body
  • Bubinga neck w/ Wenge finger board
  • Machine inserts in neck bolted on with machine screws
  • Nordstrand Big Single Jazz pickups (preamp in passive mode with tone control wide open)
  • Stringjoy Nickel Strings
  • KSM Foundation Bridge

Clips
Boutique board: Dropbox - Boutique Board.wav - Simplify your life
Budget board: Dropbox - Budget Board.wav - Simplify your life

View attachment 3913365
Click to expand...

I don't find they're that similar to be honest.
The boutique board has smoother, more rounded mids.
When you go into the higher register at 15 seconds or so, the ringing of the lower strings is still very audible but much less in your face than on the budget board. Whether that's good or bad is subjective I suppose ..
However when you play on the low string at the end the boutique board has so much more heft !
My current playback system is very modest, with the budget board I can get the volume up to 80% before the drivers start saturating, with the boutique board it's 27%, quite a massive difference.
 
#3,931
Joeyanton28 said:
I own a Kemper and have gigged with it (on bass) for almost 2 years. I really like it, but I'm kind of sick of lugging around a heavy shock rack, so I'm going a different direction. Got an Oracle coming Thursday and la1a coming tomorrow. New setup photos forthcoming.
Click to expand...
What are you going to use for a DI? I have an La-1A and am looking for a pre/DI to use with it.
 
#3,933
SteveC said:
What are you going to use for a DI? I have an La-1A and am looking for a pre/DI to use with it.
Click to expand...
Rocksolid said:
If you had to choose between a Barber Linden EQ with a small footprint fairly solid quality DI (Radial Stagebug, Whirlwind IMP etc) vs a Nux MLD to go after your LA-1A on a small board, what would you choose?

Asking for a friend....:angel:
Click to expand...
I've chosen the Linden, after my La-1a, into a Two Notes CAB m+. The Two Notes is my power amp/cab simulator/Noise Gate/ Tuner/headphone amp/DI, all in one.
And the Linden pairs well with the La-1a!
 
  • Like
Reactions: NeneJrFaz and Low Down Brown
#3,934
ThisYouCanTrust said:
I don't find they're that similar to be honest.
The boutique board has smoother, more rounded mids.
When you go into the higher register at 15 seconds or so, the ringing of the lower strings is still very audible but much less in your face than on the budget board. Whether that's good or bad is subjective I suppose ..
However when you play on the low string at the end the boutique board has so much more heft !
My current playback system is very modest, with the budget board I can get the volume up to 80% before the drivers start saturating, with the boutique board it's 27%, quite a massive difference.
Click to expand...

That was my experience too.

Both boards have a microThumpinator HPF at the end of the chain, so neither should have more low end than the other, but the boutique board just lays down the low end like crazy. This is the same signal to both boards. Both clips were recorded simultaneously, on the same gear. The only difference is the signal path of the boards. I did my best to dial them in as close to each other as I could, but if I dialed up the bass control on the NuX to get that same "heft", it was too muddy. I actually had to lower the EQ point of the mids and boost the mid control to get it close. So there is something in that "range" control on the Oracle that is working that low mid goodness.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tedsalt
#3,935
Johno Dunn said:
I've chosen the Linden, after my La-1a, into a Two Notes CAB m+. The Two Notes is my power amp/cab simulator/Noise Gate/ Tuner/headphone amp/DI, all in one.
And the Linden pairs well with the La-1a!
Click to expand...

How do you like the new update for the CAB M on bass?
I've been trying to sell mine as I'm planning to get a SLO which already has a IR Loader but the new features seem pretty tempting. I might go ahead and plug mine to update it.
 
#3,938
Latest version: PC-2A as compressor, LA-1A as limiter and boost. Still 4 tubes and 3 transformers.

2020-07-21 02 sm.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Skeeter Diggs, sonofshel, 1983L2000 and 6 others

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back