![]() ![]() The flat EQ tone sounded good and balanced. This amp jumped out to me because it was the only amp at this low price that had the 10” speaker I was looking for, and Acoustic has a good reputation for their bass amps. This isn’t standard recording procedure – normally you would use compression and EQ to improve the sound – but I chose to go this route to offer you maximum clarity in listening to the differences between the amps.Ĭlick for Full Review Acoustic B15 Full Review ![]() What you are hearing is exactly what came into the microphone from the amplifier. Note that everything was bounced from my recording software (Logic) with absolutely no EQ, compression, or processing on the software side (besides normalization). I tweaked the amp volume and EQ to make them all sound as good as I could. Then I played the recorded sample riffs through each of the different amps while recording the sound with the SM57 six inches from the speaker cone (pictured below). The recording process worked like this…įirst, I made sample audio recordings of bass riffs using my Peavey Cirrus bass (pickups balanced, onboard EQ flat) recording directly into the Audient (24-bit recording at 48Khz). The microphone ran straight into my Audient iD14 digital audio interface into Logic Pro.Īudio for the Sample Riffs: In the “Hear for Yourself” section (below), there are a ton of audio recordings for each amp so you can directly compare the tone of each amp, for yourself. Here’s the complete recording process used in these reviews:Īudio for Video Reviews: I plugged my bass directly into the amp and recorded the amp with a Shure SM57 microphone 6 inches away from the center of the speaker cone. ![]() It’s important when watching and listening to amp reviews online to know how the amps were recorded so you can better assess the sound you’re hearing different microphones, mic distances, and post-processing with compression and EQ can totally change your perception of what an amp “sounds” like. I roughly averaged these four ratings to give each amp an overall rating, keeping in mind that Tone and Volume are the most important criteria. Construction. I looked at weight, how easy it was to carry, and how sturdy all the components felt. Features. This rating was based on what features the amp had (how many EQ knobs, direct out or not, any other cool stuff), as well as overall ease of use.Ĥ. I also listened for amp hiss that might be unpleasant for a practice room.ģ. Volume. Here I judged the amp’s loudness, and particularly how much “body” or bottom end it put out. Tone. I listened for how good the amp sounded with all the EQ flat, and how versatile it was in terms of offering me tones that would work in different musical genres.Ģ. How Would Sub-$300 Amps Compare to a $1,400 Rig? HOW WE RATED THE AMPSĮach amp was rated using these four criteria:ġ. I wasn’t expecting these cheaper amps to sound as good as the TC rig (with a value of around $1,400), but it helped me establish a tone and volume baseline to compare each amp to. In both rooms I brought along my TC Electronic RH450 head with RS210 cabinet as a higher-end reference rig. I also took them to a local rehearsal space where I could hear them in a larger room with a higher ceiling.Ĭould a Compact Amp Handle a Bigger Space? I listened to the amps in my small studio room where I filmed the reviews. I spent most of my review time playing my active Peavey Cirrus bass through all five amps, but I also tried a Squier Jazz bass from our bass reviews to see how a passive instrument would sound. Reviewing these amps was a pretty simple process of spending time playing through each amp and fiddling with knobs. A good bass amp will give you low frequencies that you can actually feel, and I have yet to hear an inexpensive amp with a small speaker that sounds like a real bass amp. While the tone is fine and there are some cool features, the volume is completely wimpy. Just to test my theory that small speakers can’t deliver a solid bass, I spent some time with a Roland MICRO CUBE BASS RX, one of the more expensive practice amps in this price range that has four 4” speakers. ![]()
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