KingPrawn Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 I've recently added a U5 to my rig. It appears many players use them and their price has reduced massively. I think it is the single most important piece of kit I have ever bought. It's simply stunning. The boost is so controllable and the tones are sublime. It gives a completely different dimension to your bass sound. I'm so happy 😄😄 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 There is no denying it, they are lush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Rock Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 I have mine paired with a Crown power amp, and it's so full and clean - I absolutely love it. Of course it doubles up as a superb DI as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingPrawn Posted October 19, 2014 Author Share Posted October 19, 2014 A Crown? give me details. Mines hooked up to my SWR head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Rock Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 [quote name='KingPrawn' timestamp='1413758529' post='2581671'] A Crown? give me details. Mines hooked up to my SWR head. [/quote] The U5 makes a superb preamp as long as you like clean, and don't mind the presets rather than tweakable EQ. Putting it through a quality power amp like the Crown just amplifies that lovely core tone with minimum colouration. If I really wanted more EQ options, I could create up to twenty presets of my own spec on the Crown, but i love the core tone so much, I tend to bypass the U5's presets and keep the Crown in 'DSP OFF' mode. In addition to that that, you have a top notch DI for the sound guy to plug into. It's ideal for my current band and sound - clean, deep and clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Nice rig! How noisy are the fans in the Crown? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Rock Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 [quote name='owen' timestamp='1413802002' post='2581970'] Nice rig! How noisy are the fans in the Crown? [/quote] Cheers! The Crown has 'proportional speed' fans, and I'd say virtually inaudible on startup. In fact, I can't say I've ever noticed fan noise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toasted Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 U5 is a top bit of kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingPrawn Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 That's a sweet rig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 What cabs would you recomend pairing them with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Rock Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 [quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1413826178' post='2582450'] What cabs would you recomend pairing them with? [/quote] You talkin' to me? I've only really played this through the Super Twin, and it seems like a great match, very full and clean, with super low end clarity. Oh, I recorded three bass tracks straight through the Avalon into the desk. Prior to that, I would usually mic up the amp, as direct to desk can sound a bit weedy, but no such issues with the Avalon. I had to have one after that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jensenmann Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 (edited) That´s an interesting use for the U5. Honestly, as a DI I think it´s totally overpriced compared to other products in the same sonic league. I have one in the studio just to impress clients but I don´t use it since I prefer other DIs. The use as a basspre shines a new light on it, though. I have to check that out. Great idea... Edited October 21, 2014 by jensenmann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4000 Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 I used one in the studio a while back and quite honestly really, really didn't like it. It gave me nothing I wanted at all. Based on that experience, I'd never use one again through choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Badderer Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 as said above these are amazing sounding preamps, but if you're after a specific sound that you need to do some EQ tweaking to find then these aren't going to do it for you by themselves. they are an excellent preamp and a great way of transferring your bass sound into the desk, or into an amp, but they aren't going to do what you'd expect from a preamp that has valves or graphic/parametric eq systems. but remember that you can tweak the sound both before and after the avalon if you're searching for a specific sound. I personally think it sounds amazing and love using it in studio situations (never run it with my bass rig yet, but have used it as a DI in a gig where there was no need for a back line and it sounded great). The other really useful thing is if you're using a smaller audio interface, this frees up your Mic preamps because you can just plug from this into the instrument line in's and can use your limited number of Mic preamps for other things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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