Trace Elliot Elf vs. TC Electronic BQ250

Not familiar with the TC at all but I can say this about the Elf head, it is loud. Much louder than my GK MB200. I wouldn't judge the power solely by the specs of the two amps. And the Elf head sounds really good.

 

Don't know about the BQ250, but the ELF blows away the BH250.

 

This is interesting. I just picked up the BH250 (being delivered today), and I have the Elf head and cab. I also just picked up the TC BC208 cab to pair with the Elf 2X8. Gigged that setup this past weekend, and was very pleased. I got the BH250 to see if I liked the toneprint and other options.

Why do you think the Elf blows the BH away?

 

You should form your own opinion of it first since you have the amp almost in hand.

 

If you like the gimmicks you'll like the BH250. If your priority is tone the ELF is the clear winner IMO.

 

Well I will be putting both through their paces very soon. I have 2 gigs this weekend.

 

How about the super tiny BAM200?

 

I thought TC uses some "sounds like" algorithm to determine their power rating and a 250 is actually only about 125 real watts?

 

I don't know about TC's controversial wattage rating system that has so many folks panties in bunch, but I have done well over a hundred gigs with a BH250 without any issues. The volume never goes past 10:00, and sounds full and deep. I use this (with a tecamp 1x12 cab) with a 3pc band, with no F.O.H. support, the vocals are the only thing with a mic. Cheap, good sounding and reliable.

 

I believe that Both BQ heads The 250 and the 500 are Max Power ratings and the RMS rating is somewhat less . I do not know the formula to figure it out but I believe someone in The BQ-500 Thrust thread said that one was 340 watts RMS if I am correct. So that would put the 250 probably in the 160-175 watts RMS @4 ohms. Just Guessing here and the Elf is 200 Watts RMS @ 4 ohms. I Have the BQ 500 Thrust and it sounds plenty loud through The 2 2x8 Elf Cabs. I also have the ELF head but not the BQ 250 so I can't compare those heads. All the above is strictly IMHO and YMMV

 

Have you used the ELF with your 2x8 cabs. Is it louder than the BH250?

 

I have BQ 500 and the ELF Head No BH250.

 

How does the bq500 stack up against the elf?

 

I'm sorry. Then, which one is louder?

 

The BQ 500 is definitely louder and has a bit more low end authority and the Hi and Lo Mids being independently adjustable makes a difference. I ran the Elf into 2 2x8 cabs to get the full output and the same with the BQ500 . The ELF had plenty of power But the BQ 500 is more powerful and You can turn the comp on or off instead of it being controlled by the gain. If you have more questions feel free to ask . I also have 2 of the ELF 110's and same results with those cabs with a touch more lows and more laid back highs (no horns).

 

So I just picked up the BH250, and gave it a spin in my living room last night. I also swapped back and forth with the Elf as a comparison. I mainly got the BH250 to try out the toneprint option. I don't usually use any pedals in my rig, so I wanted to see if I was missing anything. I used my cell phone and uploaded a bunch of tones, but most seemed silly for a real gig. I settled on "The Grind" for a nice drive, and so far that's all that I like so far.

The jury is still out on this head. I like the built in tuner, but I usually only tune at the beginning of each set, as my basses are rick solid.

I have 2 gigs this weekend, so I might bring both heads to pair with my (2) 2X8 cabs (Elf 2x8 + TC BC208), and see what sounds best. Either way I have 45 days to try her out.