andyhaines

No worries - I’m in my 50s and I’m definitely struggling with keeping sharp!

GR Bass One 350 ordered today. Thanks to everyone for their invaluable thoughts and suggestions. I’ll let you know how I get on!

Thanks for confirming @Hellzero that was also my understanding from the manual, however a thread on Talkbass from a few years ago seemed to throw up some confusion involving old versions of the manual. But good to have it confirmed. Thanks @Dood re teaching and using plugins. My audio interface (and older RME babyface) does not support running plugins directly on interface so I’d have to use my DAW for plugins which (for me) adds latency etc. I also use OBS for teaching but have no issues with routing mics, bass, DAW, videos etc to remote students using RME’s excellent TotalMix software which lets you route pretty much anything to anything.

Final questions for @Hellzero and the other GR Bass one users: can you confirm that there is an input clip light? The manual says that it is the power LED on the right hand side but I’ve not seen it demonstrated in any demos. Similarly the manual states that the various LED settings have a VU meter mode (which could be useful) but in reality this seems to be more of an aesthetic light show.

Thanks - those frequencies make sense to me. And having independent headphone volume from the master is really useful: If I'm in a cramped band pit in a theatre I'm often very close to my cab but also invariably the keyboard player's personal monitor which can blitz out a lot of what I can hear. Being able to run headphones as well as the cab would be very cool. Also just noticed the inclusion of a 9v 250ma power output which would be super useful to run my EQ2 pedal off - only need to bring one power cable!

I'm now taking a more serious look at the GR Bass One350 - I've got a few questions for @Hellzero or any other GR user if that's OK: - The manual doesn't mention what the actual frequencies of the Deep, Bass, Treble and Bright controls are - do you know? - Does plugging headphones in disconnect the speaker? The separate headphone volume knob makes me think that they are independent (which would be good) At the moment the cost/functionality of the One350 (separate volumes for headphones and DI output, switchable mid ranges, pure mode) all for £200 less than the Eich T300 does make it very attractive.

Thanks for confirming @Hellzero - that review sounded off to me as well.

@Hellzero saw this user review for the One 350 on Thomann - would you agree with any of this? ”The most important criterion, the sound, and unfortunately it's not very spectacular, I primarily lacked transparency/presence across all frequency bands, somehow the overall sound just completely lacks brilliance and depth, the whole thing was somehow very dull, that's how it was.”

@Hellzero thanks! I’d also looked at the GR One manual but couldn’t find that bit, just the reference to the studio mode for the higher models. Being able to turn the fan off is certainly promising.

@Stub Mandrel thanks, yes actually I’m already using a DI/audio interface for teaching using my headway acoustic 2 channel preamp/DI which feeds into my RME Babyface audio interface (which, like all the RME stuff is high quality kit). You could argue then, why the worry about a fanless amp if my teaching needs are already covered - but ideally I’d prefer to use a dedicated bass preamp rather than the Headway (which nevertheless is my reference DI box, it’s so quiet). @Hellzero good advice - what’s making me pause for thought here is that the GR One 800 is at the upper end of my budget and is hugely over watted for what I’m likely to use (as would the PJB BP800) But definitely going on the considered list. There’s a few online demos I’ve found that has at least given me some sense of the sonic character of the Eich, Genzler and GR One. They all sound very much in the same ball park, with their respective EQ sections and contour options adding some differences - although this is less of an consideration for me as I have the EQ2 programmable pedal which gives me full control over 10 bands, Q widths etc. From my limited point of view I would say that the Eich sounds a shade warmer with the other two just a little more sterile.

Thanks for the thoughts Phil and @Downunderwonder- I'm currently in limbo whilst I wait for G4Music to issue my refund from the D400, so I'm taking the time to let the various pros and cons bubble away. At the moment I'm leaning towards the Eich T300 or 500. I totally get your concerns about lack of proper cooling, and if I was gigging every weekend pushing the amp hard for hours on end I would certainly see the need for fan cooling. But my day-day real world situation is that the amp will spend most of the time running at a very low output - in the few weeks I was using the PJB D400 I never had the master above 8 O'clock. When I'm teaching online the master is at zero and I DI into my RME audio interface which feeds my headphones/Zoom etc. During that time the D400 was only just warm to the touch. However I'd be very interested to hear if anyone's fanless class D amp has had overheating problems in a similar usage situation.

Thanks @Hellzero, yes the seller has already been kind enough to answer a bunch of questions from me!

… just seen that the Magellan 350 has no fx loop and the fan is audible in a quiet room (which would be where I teach). Ah well!

Yes, listened to some Magellan 350 demos earlier, could possibly make a an exception on the fan if it’s as quiet as people say as it sounds promising and has the right features.. so far I’m also zeroing in on the Eich T300 and the GR Bass One 350

@Hellzero thanks for the list, much appreciated. Hadn’t considered Trickfish - Bass Direct have a Mini500 but looks like it has a fan and is top end of my budget. The Eich would be my choice from that list. @Stub Mandrel yes I’ve been wondering about the separate preamp, poweramp plan as well

Sounds promising! Whereabouts and when?

Thanks @Beedster, The head’s already gone back - tbh this didn’t feel like a faulty device, I think this particular amp is just a bit on the noisy side (and I’ve since heard from one other previous D400 owner that theirs hissed a bit too). The preamp on my Flightcase combo is certainly quieter and is also rated at 90db SNR whereas the D400 is 85db SNR

Thanks again for all the responses - it's invaluable hearing everyone's real-world experiences to balance up against the usual marketing nonsense and slappy online demos! Most helpful to me so far has been people's different takes on "hifi" and "transparent" which has certainly made me re-frame what these things actually mean to me. @Phil Starr - good to hear from you (and thanks again for the Monza recommendation!): Your take on "hifi" is I think pretty close to my own - not swamped by bass with a light and airy top end, so in that sense it could be that I'm not actually looking for "flat". In this sense the Monza is ideal as it is just that - flat, so whatever I sculpt on the preamp/pedals/amp is what it will produce. I would therefore like to risk knocking the discussion off track by redefining what I think I need from the amp physically and sonically, bearing in mind all of the excellent comments so far: Physically: -Needs to be small enough to go in my gig bag and sit on my desktop for DI'ing into Cubase or Zoom for recording/teaching -Really want to avoid fans if I can (but do appreciated the thoughts expressed so far) -Must have pre/post DI and FX Loop -Loudness is not critical. It does not need to have huge wattage - my Monza's efficiency has shown how much can be produced with comparatively little input. I don't need to compete with loud drummers or guitarists. Sonically: -Must have a low noise floor from the preamp and poweramp- this is primarily what I mean by "silent" (rather than fan noise etc). To provide context here: I used the Spectrum Curve tool in Cubase on the DI from the PJB D400, impedance on passive, gain up 100% (so worst case for noise), but with the connected bass turned right down and compared it to the same situation but measuring the DI from my Headway external preamp. The Headway was near as dammit silent - almost nothing on the spectrum curve above -100db apart from a slight 50hz bump from the mains. The D400 on the other hand had noise ripples going all the way up the frequency spectrum at around -76db. So anything I did on top of that for EQ, reverb, compression was just going to make that a lot worse. -Rather than specifying "flat" or "hifi", I think "refined" now best defines what I look for in tone. I don't rock, I don't slap. What I need is a solid warm low bass, well projected upper mids/lower highs with a smooth, airy top end. Most of this I can sculpt with my Source Audio EQ2 but I have to start with a good fundamental tone. Basically I really want to only use the amp's EQ for compensating for room / stage issues. The older PJB kit was a close match but much less so with their newer preamps. The D400 was (I think) the last of that "old" sound, which is why the noise issues were so frustraing. Forgot also to say that health-wise, charging up to Warwick or Camden Town is no longer a practical proposition for me, so I'm fairly restricted to what I can purchase on approval or take a risk on used. I entirely understand if the collective group throws up their hands in despair at my pickyness - but just wanted to express again how valuable your thoughts have been in getting my own thinking right!

It’s certainly a lot of bang for buck!

Anyone had an experience of the Bassics AH900 head? https://www.bassdirect.co.uk/product/bassics-ah900/ looks interesting

Thanks everyone- really useful. @Linus27: beautiful track and lovely playing. At the risk of derailing my own thread, what bass are you using there? The Gnomes look like amazing value for money, but heard they can also have hissing issues? (Plus they only have jack speaker sockets and my LFSys is speakon.) @Dan Dare absolutely get it with shifting definitions of hiring. In terms of testing kit out, in the end until I get it home and live with it for a week I find it really hard to tell. Thomann’s 30 day return policy helps a lot here (as it did with Gear4Music with the PJB head, but they have a very limited range of bass heads). And thanks @Hellzero for literally spilling the guts about what really goes on inside these things! And totally agree about the transparency thing.

Thanks @Linus27 - I've never been a fan of the MB sound, but it could just be because I've only ever heard their combos or cabs which seem to make everything sound muffled (at least to me). The Nano certainly has the features and portability. The biggest challenge I'm finding when doing youtube amp research is having to listen to a constant stream of slap demos - it gets wearing really quickly!

Thanks both for your very helpful comments! @Hellzero you mentioned that GR is not overpowering their specified output unlike the Eich - could you clarify? And what were the issues you found with the Eich heads that you've repaired? Do they have a reliability problem? @pete.young I am indeed keeping an eye out for an EA iAamp - never tried one, but always felt it could be a good fit for me! Cheers! Andy

Hey All, Sadly my new PJB D400 is going back. Much as I love the open, clear "hifi" sound, the preamp section is just a bit too noisy for my fussy tastes - which becomes especially apparent when played through a high quality, revealing cab such as the LFSys Monza. So the hunt is back on for a suitable head - here's what it needs to do: *Easily fits into a gig/shoulder bag * Doesn't need to be huge wattage (200+w) as the Monza does an astonishingly efficient job and I never play loud gigs. * Transparent, hifi sounding - basically all the usual awful adjectives that get thrown around! I love the PJB sound but haven't really tried any other similar amps * After my recent experience absolutely must have the lowest possible noise floor at both pre and power amp stages and through the DI * FX Loop and pre/post DI * Budget £450-£800 As with my "search for a cab" thread, I'm primarily playing Zon and Sei fretlesses with a touch of reverb for solo / small acousticy ensembles with the occasional theatre band pit and jazz gig thrown in. It will also be my main preamp for DI'ing into my PC for Zoom teaching online. Aside from the PJB BP800, the only other likely candidate that looks promising see would be the Eich T300. I suspect I could be a Glockenklang fan but they don't yet make anything physically small enough. But do please chip in with thoughts, experiences etc. Thanks! Andy

Monza arrived last week! A proper review is definitely needed and will be done soon, but spent the last week getting used to the huge difference in sound from my combo - every thing now sounds like it's in 3D rather than 2D is the best I can describe it. The first and critical thing to be aware of is just how clear and present the sound is and how much this cab lays bare every link in your signal chain - it immediately showed me that my lovely new PJB D400 was making a lot more hiss than I was previously aware of as was my equally lovely Source Audio EQ2 pedal. This has prompted me to do some proper DI recording and metering in Cubase to look at the D400 noise floor from the preamp - and, as much as I hate to see it go, the D400 is going back to Gear4Music (within its 30 day period). As a result I no longer have a head to properly put the Monza through it's real-world paces, (see new thread about the search for a head..). However I can also report just how efficient this cab is - the D400 puts out probably 180W into 8Ohms and I barely had to have the volume above 8 O'clock to get a big room-filling sound. (My PJB combo needs to be double that and that's into a 4Ohm load). Very impressive. So, frustratingly I'm going to have to wait to do an in-depth review until I can get a suitably hifi sounding but quiet (noise-wise) head.