What's the best class D bass amp head you've used?

[dave_bass5]

1 hour ago, Muzz said:

I've had more than a dozen, from most of the Usual Suspects (MarkBass, Aguilar, Ashdown, GK, TC, etc, etc), the two best were the GB Streamliner, which was very warm and valvey, but the very best by a good way was the Magellan - tons of power and heft (I had the 800), two channels giving lots and lots of flexibility, will run down to 2.67 ohms, and it can sound quick and clean, or valvey without having any actual valves in it. A very musical amp...

Edit: I forgot; it has a very useful HPF built into it, and when I asked Genzler about it, I got a very nice and comprehensive answer from Jeff G himself...

I wish you would stop going on about this amp, i get GAS every time its mentioned 😉

 

[Muzz]

#sorrynotsorry... 😉  If I was in the market for a Class D there'd only be one I'd bother with. I still kinda regret selling mine, but my amp circumstances changed (IEMs), and I needed the money... 😕

[Bankai]

5 minutes ago, Pow_22 said:

Orange bass terror Mk1.  ONLY class D ive tried that I actually got on with

Could that be down to the valve pre?

(Also a contrasting opinion, I couldn’t stand TB mk1!)

[Paul S]

Of those I tried - which was lots - the ones I kept were the Tecamp Puma and Quilter BB800.  But that lst isn't a class D is it?  I get confused.  Small and powerful anyway.

And both, ahem, happen to be in the classifieds 🙃 now I am moving to a FRFR set up.

[Cat Burrito]

They've all been pretty good to be fair but the Orange Terror Mk2 for me. Everyone on here seemed to rave about the Mk1, whilst acknowledging a couple of flaws re early break up etc. Loads of people bought that head and raved about it & then Orange stopped making it. They then quietly brought out the Mk2 with all the flaws fixed and they don't seem to get raved about. I love mine and use it over my more expensive supposedly better heads.

[dave_bass5]

Some of the heads ive had recently. Still got all these other than the Legacy, which i felt i just didnt need.

[Defo]

Tecamp Puma 

[ern500evo]

GK MB Fusion 500. Although I’ve just bought a Darkglass M900, I’m gonna get a few gigs in with it before I let the GK go 

[Kazan]

Currently have a GK MB Fusion which is okay. If I were getting another, of those I've tried, I've liked both the Mesa and the Streamliner (though that one is fairly heavily voiced). My favorite remains the first (which I thankfully still have) - Walter Woods. Just has more fidelity, dimension and heft than any of the others I've tried thus far.

[dave_bass5]

I’d love to try a MB Fusion. I had the 800 watt version fort two hours. It arrived from Thomann’s damaged so got sent straight back without me even plugging it in. I regret being so hasty. I did look in to getting one earlier this year but prices seemed too close to the newer Legacy heads (not the fusion version) so went that route...and ended up sending that (actually 3) back. 

I just love the from factor of the MB heads. So small and powerful. 

[Al Krow]

2 hours ago, ern500evo said:

GK MB Fusion 500. Although I’ve just bought a Darkglass M900, I’m gonna get a few gigs in with it before I let the GK go 

Be really interested in getting your thoughts on how the M900 stacks up against the MB Fusion when you've had a chance to put it through its paces.

[TJ Spicer]

Eich T900 is a great head in an amazing form factor. The character knob is a really quick to get you where you want.

Aguilar TH range are my sound. Plenty of warmth in the mids, and always audible in a mix thanks to the added harmonic content from preamp design. It's a DB751 in a smaller package, really. 

I also really liked the Fender Rumble 800HD, with its great headroom and again very quick to manipulate the tone if needed with the scoop, bright and vintage buttons. Built in foot-switchable overdrive is just the icing on the cake. 

I personally don't much like the Aguilar AG700, as much as I've tried to (twice!). It doesn't give me that warmth in the low-mids and is a bit overly present in the hi-mids for my ears. I like to notch out 750-1000hz just a smidge and its hi-mid control just doesn't work for me. 

Overall I'm using the Aguilar TH500 when I am using Class D, and my DB751 at every chance I get!

[Woodinblack]

11 hours ago, Al Krow said:

The fact that every time you turn around it tells you what note you're playing in glowing LED in real time. What if the audience spots you're playing the wrong note? 😄 

That is an essential feature for my guitarist!

i have only owned a few, and tried a few more,  but I have been gigging now for 3 years with the TC450, and I trust it. I still have an ashdown CTM100 but I rarely get round to using it

[Lozz196]

I’ve had a good few, Ampeg, Markbass, GK, TC Electronic, Orange, Aguilar, all been good but the one I’ve liked most and which I’m keeping hold of is my Ashdown RM500 EVOII. I can get pretty much any sound that I want from it, and it has a depth to the sound that the others - well apart from the Orange Terror - didn’t have.

[Cuzzie]

Forgot to add Form Factor Bi 1000

[bassace]

My GAS has come to an end. I’ve tried a lot and sold a lot. I now go everywhere with a Puma 500 and I have another one for spare which lives under the passenger seat.

[dannybuoy]

20 hours ago, stewblack said:

I was unlucky with the reliability of my Markbass head or I may well have said it was the best I've tried, its impossible to say. 

I've only had four class D heads, Bugera Veyron, MB 800,TCE 250 and Orange Terror 1000. 

The best, hands down was the Orange. Unbelievable power, clean as a whistle unless you cranked the gain (which you could hardly do unless playing Che Stadium) responsive tone controls. 

Awesome bit of kit. 

I'm with you apart from 'responsive tone controls'! Glorious amps.

20 hours ago, Al Krow said:

It's such a shame they have discontinued the Terror 1000W at 4ohms; the current range is more "slightly scary" at half the power output than unbridled terror.

The 500W was benchmarked by BassGearMag and it actually maxed out at around the 900W range! Certainly more poke than any other 500W Class D head I've used.

20 hours ago, Cuzzie said:

Tech21 VTBass500

Tech21 dUg Ultrabass 1000

VT500 has an awesome preamp, cos it's basically a VTDI with an added mid shift. But it struggled volume wise for me and lacked that elusive 'heft'!

[Al Krow]

17 hours ago, Cat Burrito said:

They've all been pretty good to be fair but the Orange Terror Mk2 for me. Everyone on here seemed to rave about the Mk1, whilst acknowledging a couple of flaws re early break up etc. Loads of people bought that head and raved about it & then Orange stopped making it. They then quietly brought out the Mk2 with all the flaws fixed and they don't seem to get raved about. I love mine and use it over my more expensive supposedly better heads.

 

28 minutes ago, dannybuoy said:

The 500W was benchmarked by BassGearMag and it actually maxed out at around the 900W range! Certainly more poke than any other 500W Class D head I've used.

Based on the above two comments, does sound like the new Orange Terror Mk2 is worth checking out. Fact that it's a great local manufacturer is another plus in my books. Going on my "to check out" list together with the Laney SLS. 

[fretmeister]

Loved: Demeter VTBP M- 800 D (Still hate myself for selling it).

Like a lot: Darkglass M900 and Mark bass Marcus Limited Goldline

Not bad: Genz Benz Shuttle and Genz Streamliner

Didn't like: TecAmp Puma and Mark Bass F1

[JapanAxe]

Love: Demeter VTBP M- 800D

Liked a lot: Genz Benz Streamliner 900, TC Classic 450

OK, keep mainly as a backup: Markbass Nano 300

I surprised myself there, I thought I'd had more than that!

[FuNkShUi]

Tried a fair few over the years.
Mark bass LM2
Puma 900
GK MB800
TC Electronic RH 750
Ashdown Superfly 500
Aguilar TH500
Genz Benz shuttle 12
Genz Benz shuttle 6.2
Peavey minimax 500
Genz Streamliner 900

Also been through a lot of other Class heads too. 

Probably over the course of about 7 or 8 years. Trying to find the sound i had in my head.

I got my last amp about 5 years ago and haven't switched since.

Markbass LM2.
I know!!! 
But i didn't know that's what i wanted until i realised i didn't want the other ones.
That's what i'm telling myself anyway!
I just find it really simple to use.
 adjust the VPL and/or VPF to suit.
It was an absolute bargain at 250 schmackers with a case.
Its extremely reliable. Never let me down and generally play about 40 or 50 weddings a year.
Extremely lightweight.
Whats not to love?

Special mention for the Puma too though, as i did really like that amp. Very similar in that it had a "taste" knob instead of the two filters
 

[Al Krow]

Only issue I had with the LM2 / LM3 heads was their EQ centre points, which have substantially been addressed in the current line up of Markbass amps. 

Otherwise, as @FuNkShUi says, they are great amps and hold their own with amps costing twice as much. 

Edited March 5, 2020 by Al Krow

[FuNkShUi]

I dont ever use the EQ.
Just the filters.
So cant comment on that.
But the filters allow me to adjust tonthe room very quickly.
Cant fault them

Edited March 5, 2020 by FuNkShUi

[Dan Dare]

6 minutes ago, FuNkShUi said:

I got my last amp about 5 years ago and haven't switched since.

Markbass LM2.
I know!!! 
But i didn't know that's what i wanted until i realised i didn't want the other ones.
That's what i'm telling myself anyway!
I just find it really simple to use.
 adjust the VPL and/or VPF to suit.
It was an absolute bargain at 250 schmackers with a case.
Its extremely reliable. Never let me down and generally play about 40 or 50 weddings a year.
Extremely lightweight.
Whats not to love?

Special mention for the Puma too though, as i did really like that amp. Very similar in that it had a "taste" knob instead of the two filters
 

Whenever I hear someone playing through a Markbass, I'm always impressed by the sound. They just seem to fill the space and also do warm/vintage tones very well. Up close/in the showroom, they don't audition any better than many others (no worse, I hasten to add), but they do have a certain something when used in anger. I have a Carvin B1000 which I really like tonally (nice preamp with 6 band eq). My meat and potatoes head is an AG700. I must A/B it against a Markbass one day (which will probably cost me money...).

[dave_bass5]

6 minutes ago, FuNkShUi said:

I dont ever use the EQ.
Just the filters.
So cant comment on that.
But the filters allow me to adjust tonthe room very quickly.
Cant fault them

Pretty much how ive always used MB heads (ive had 3). I have used a preamp in front though.

Ive messed about with amps quite a bit over the past few years, and have come to the conclusion that (in my case) the cab makes much more of a difference.