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Which overall favorite Class D amp?
- Thread starter SoundAndFury
- Start date
I'm pretty sure I could happily use most of the amps on that list.
But the power, price, sound combination of the MB800 has totally won me over. It is a wonderful sounding beast! Bass player in the other band used it at our gig Friday night and really gave me an appreciation for how this little amp performs. He is much better than me and it sounded awesome in and out of the bar with no PA support.
And for the record I have played through everything on that list except the Shuttle 9.2 and the TH500. Both excellent amp for sure.
But the power, price, sound combination of the MB800 has totally won me over. It is a wonderful sounding beast! Bass player in the other band used it at our gig Friday night and really gave me an appreciation for how this little amp performs. He is much better than me and it sounded awesome in and out of the bar with no PA support.
And for the record I have played through everything on that list except the Shuttle 9.2 and the TH500. Both excellent amp for sure.
My MB800 has been the amp I've been waiting for for 20 years. It makes every other piece of gear I own sound better (it's made me rediscover basses, amps, and cabs that I had basically written off). The price was really nice. Every one who hears is really impressed- not even counting how small it is.
Besides sounding good, the thing is LOUD LOUD LOUD. My ampegs will get my Mesa 410's to their limits with no problems if need be, but the MB800 gets there faster and with much more authority. It almost a little scary how much juice there is in this thing.
I like the Genz Benz stuff as well and they are a fantastic company, but the GK MB800 is the one for me. And if anything were to ever happen to it, I'd replace it immediately and with the highest priority.
Good luck.
Besides sounding good, the thing is LOUD LOUD LOUD. My ampegs will get my Mesa 410's to their limits with no problems if need be, but the MB800 gets there faster and with much more authority. It almost a little scary how much juice there is in this thing.
I like the Genz Benz stuff as well and they are a fantastic company, but the GK MB800 is the one for me. And if anything were to ever happen to it, I'd replace it immediately and with the highest priority.
Good luck.
I have a Streamliner 900 that I really like, and I'm sure I could easily use it and only it. However, I'd probably enjoy the Shuttle 9.2 (preferrably the Max) or the GK MB800 as well.
I voted " other ". Although the preamp is Class A, the two power amps are class D in the Carvin BX1500. I have tried the following : GB Shuttle 6.0 and 9.0, ShuttleMax 12.0, MB LMII , F1, and TA501. The BX1500 is the best bang for the buck bass amp I have ever owned. It has more options like compressor, 2 ohm capable, crossover for bi amping, two EQ choices that can be used at the same time, or singly, etc. It is basically a dual power amp with a preamp around 10 pounds. It has the best graphic eq I have ever used, and into a 4 ohm load, I'm getting 1500 watts. All this for under $600. My only gripe about it is that it has to be rack mounted, adding weight and bulkiness. The case Carvin offers does not have a front cover for it so I don't see the point and its rather heavy. The BX1500 is light enough to fit in a large laptop bag which would add little weight, but sadly, Carvin does not offer the amp in a non rack model. I have all the power I will ever need, and more options to do whatever I feel like, with any type of cab(s) I'll ever try. A no brainer for me.
TecAmp Puma 500.
Wicked little amp, barely 3kg and fits in a carry bag over my shoulder.
Big, loud, hi-fi and full spectrum sound without being brittle or harsh while still being natural and warm.
Sounds great with electric and upright through a fEARful 12/6.
Much prefer the sound of this head over my Epifani 902c and markbass stuff I've played.
Wicked little amp, barely 3kg and fits in a carry bag over my shoulder.
Big, loud, hi-fi and full spectrum sound without being brittle or harsh while still being natural and warm.
Sounds great with electric and upright through a fEARful 12/6.
Much prefer the sound of this head over my Epifani 902c and markbass stuff I've played.
Relatively cheap class D power amp (almost any) for the brute force department and separate preamp for your desired tone/features. But I'm a cheapskate.
TH500.
power. tone. good price. Aguilar quality. Top notch customer service (IF needed.)
I love mine.
power. tone. good price. Aguilar quality. Top notch customer service (IF needed.)
I love mine.
Ampeg PF-350. Toneful, reliable, inexpensive, handles all my bar gigs thru a home-built 1x12. Best bass money I hardly had to spend.
I made my vote from one of the offered choices, but will add another possible choice: Walter Woods Electacoustic series of amps, as they are not included.
I have bought and used the following:
Ampeg PF350 and PF500
Markbass LM II and F500
Eden WTX260 and WTX500
SWR Headlite
GK MB200 and MB500
I tested and decided against the following:
Genz Shuttle 6.0, Streamliner
Out of all of them, my favorite by far has been the Eden WTX500. It has a clean deep fatness to it that not even the WTX260 shares. Its jam packed with usable features. It's size and weight are great. Build quality is good as well.
Ampeg PF350 and PF500
Markbass LM II and F500
Eden WTX260 and WTX500
SWR Headlite
GK MB200 and MB500
I tested and decided against the following:
Genz Shuttle 6.0, Streamliner
Out of all of them, my favorite by far has been the Eden WTX500. It has a clean deep fatness to it that not even the WTX260 shares. Its jam packed with usable features. It's size and weight are great. Build quality is good as well.
I didn't vote because I only have experience with 2 Class D amps: Shuttlemax 9.2 and Peavey IPR1600. I am very happy with each of them.
had the th500 dug it. was preetty cool. but not me. Tried the MB800 for a week. got it used and this particular one (not the entire line) had issues so i returned it. amazingly clean and thunderous but just too much raw power. could easily blow a cab or two. finally settled upon the mbfusion(500) love it. warmth from the tubes add an extra touch. Ive used it with both an ampeg 8x10 cab at practice and a GK mb 212 at home. Ive been running it at 8ohms so 350 watts and have never had to put the gain past 9 o clock. This is the happiest ive ever been with my tone. I might add a fEARful stack to the mix just for a variety of cab options.!
I always scan threads like this to see if there's anything I should be looking for when I get the urge to upgrade into a new bass rig... this thread does not help me narrow my scope and, it just shows me how MANY good choices there are these days.
Since the OP asked for "favorite" I'd go with anything Genz Benz but the others are very good too. Lots of great gear out there these days to choose from.
