Ampless setup … advice anyone ?

[Geek99]

I no longer have an amp. It was in the way and too big. I have a zoom b2.1 that will drive headphones. Can anyone tell me

if I can run a small speaker cabinet, or a battery amp for the rare occasions when I need amplification ? 
 

thanks 

[chrisba]

I'd be very surprised if the Zoom could drive a speaker loud enough to be usable in anything other than a very quiet room. So, you'd need some kind of active ( powered ) speaker, which is basically what an amplifier is. Battery power is definitely possible, but I've not heard anything battery powered that would make a bass sound like a bass. Even the specifically designed battery bass amps like the Roland Bass Cube are really tinny ( as well as tiny )

Edited January 11 by chrisba

[Angel]

@chrisba You are doing the Roland Bass Cube a dis-service there! It is an excellent sounding mini amp! I tried other mini bass amps back in the day and they were all poor and yes, tinny, but the cube was poles apart. I'm on my second one, used the first at home until it eventually died, just HAD to get another.

 

I bought a powered speaker for home use, a secondhand Headrush FRFR 108. Not cheap but I'm loving it.

 

 

[JoeEvans]

Best thing would be a small, decent quality active PA speaker with a frequency response that goes down to maybe 40hz. Best option will depend heavily on budget!

[WinterMute]

2 hours ago, JoeEvans said:

Best thing would be a small, decent quality active PA speaker with a frequency response that goes down to maybe 40hz. Best option will depend heavily on budget!

 

I got a QSC K12.2 for rehearsals and potentially gigs, works brilliantly with the Quad Cortex, they do a 10" version too, it's plenty loud enough to hear over a hard hitting rock drummer, has plenty of interface options and sounds great. Not the cheapest, and other units from RCF and the like are available.

[chrisba]

2 hours ago, Angel said:

@chrisba You are doing the Roland Bass Cube a dis-service there! It is an excellent sounding mini amp! I tried other mini bass amps back in the day and they were all poor and yes, tinny, but the cube was poles apart. I'm on my second one, used the first at home until it eventually died, just HAD to get another.

 

I bought a powered speaker for home use, a secondhand Headrush FRFR 108. Not cheap but I'm loving it.

 

 

Well, I tried one ( the old, 4 speaker one ) and didn't like it at all. Didn't suit my p-bass, not enough low end. Not tried the newer 2 speaker version.

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

Mmm...I have a zoom B3 which has a d I socket , so I'd assume that's okay if I was gigging .( I won't be ) .plug into p.a.

I did have the zoom b2 1.u ( can't remember if that had a d.I socket ) which i wouldn't recommend for gigs. 
 

I have a Roland bass cube  which I don't use as I just use either an audio interface or mixer these days at home.

it's really good imho

 

if You just want audio coming out of your zoom , maybe a phono lead from your zoom to your stereo / soundbar ?

[sandy_r]

On 11/01/2024 at 14:00, Geek99 said:

I no longer have an amp. It was in the way and too big. I have a zoom b2.1 that will drive headphones. Can anyone tell me

if I can run a small speaker cabinet, or a battery amp for the rare occasions when I need amplification ? 
 

 

i've recently given away all my heavy heavy monster sound stuff and am now getting a minimalist mix'n'match of ultra light replacement gear

 

i currently have a B2.1u as pre/DI - only mW from the phone o/p, so some amp certainly needed

 

I have a 5W real (internal 5hr+ rechargeble) DIY amp into Fane 12" tube for ultra portability (good for home use and gigs with acoustic instruments (into Fishman/Roland battery portables)  plus cajon - good portable bass sound

 

going up a notch i have an FRFR-like Behringer MPA40BT (8" driver, bluetooth aux in, 2 mic/inst channels with B&Treb, 10W real for 5+ hours from internal rechargeable battery) - good for small acoustic-oriented gigs and band practice (2 guitars + eKit, soft rock) - great portable bass sound

 

go for it !

 

Edited January 14 by sandy_r

[Frank Blank]

4 hours ago, WinterMute said:

I got a QSC K12.2 for rehearsals and potentially gigs, works brilliantly with the Quad Cortex, they do a 10" version too, it's plenty loud enough to hear over a hard hitting rock drummer, has plenty of interface options and sounds great. Not the cheapest, and other units from RCF and the like are available.

 

Exactly this ☝️. I use a QSC K12.2 and my duo partner uses a K10.2, both sound superb.

[SteveXFR]

The zoom b2.1 won't power a cab. How about a tiny little compact 200w(ish) head like Trace Elliot Elf and a lightweight cab like a TC 2x10. They make a really light plastic cab which sounds OK.

[Ramirez]

It won't run a passive cabinet obviously, but you can plug it into any active speaker that has a suitable input. (I won't call it a "FRFR speaker" for the same reason I don't call my car an "Internal Combustion Engine Vehicle" - it already has a perfectly fine name that everyone understands!) 

[Geek99]

52 minutes ago, sandy_r said:

 

i've recently given away all my heavy heavy monster sound stuff and am now getting a minimalist mix'n'match of ultra light replacement gear

 

i currently have a B2.1u as pre/DI - only mW from the phone o/p, so some amp certainly needed

 

I have a 5W real (internal 3-4 hr rechargeble) DIY amp into Fane 12" tube for ultra portability (

 

going up a notch i have an FRFR-like Behringer MPA40BT (8" driver, bluetooth aux in, 2 mic/inst channels with B&Treb, 10W real for 5+ hours from internal rechargeable battery) - good for small acoustic-oriented gigs and band practice (2 guitars + eKit, soft rock) - great portable bass sound

 

 

 

Could you take a picture of the thing in bold? I can google the last one 

[Geek99]

25 minutes ago, SteveXFR said:

The zoom b2.1 won't power a cab. How about a tiny little compact 200w(ish) head like Trace Elliot Elf and a lightweight cab like a TC 2x10. They make a really light plastic cab which sounds OK.

Thanks 

I really wanted small and cheap but I’ll bear your suggestion in mind 

[sandy_r]

On 11/01/2024 at 22:13, Geek99 said:

Could you take a picture of the thing in bold? I can google the last one 

 

photo taken before i got the B2.1u

 

 

Edited January 14 by sandy_r

[Geek99]

Not sure I could build that but maybe could find a cheap one on AliExpress 

[Aidan63]

watch out for used Phil Jones Double four, especially the earlier version with the external power supply as they can be run using a power pack, that's what I use for practice, 70w, sounds great, works with double bass: decent tone controls, passive and active in, very small, very portable can be used with a bluetooth dongle as a general music listening machine as it has an aux in; there was one for sale at BassDirect complete with powerpack and carrybag for less than £300 a few months ago, was only there for a couple of days as it was a great deal, the combos on their own often go for around £2-250 used

[sandy_r]

On 12/01/2024 at 10:39, Geek99 said:

Not sure I could build that but maybe could find a cheap one on AliExpress 

 

yep, you can get ready-to-use modules for a small realistic-5W class D (PAM8610)), a flat preamp (LM386), and headphone amp (TDA2822) for less than a tenner total on *B*y. The alu case likely to be the most expensive part, ...£10-20 ish.  ...and <£10? for 12V 500mA adaptor

 

probably looking at a decent home/practice portable 5W amp, 6x4x2", modules, case, PSU and connectior/fittings around £30-40ish

 

 

Edited January 14 by sandy_r

[Cato]

I bought myself a Spark Go just before Christmas.

 

I mainly got it for skinny string but I've had a brief play with putting a bass through it and it sounds suprisingly decent for something not much bigger than a coke can.

 

It's never going to get the air moving like a 4x10 but as long as you keep your expectations realistic it would make a perfectly usable home practice set up

 

The bass presets aren't mind blowing but it should theoretically be possible to set something up that's more 'me'.

 

You could certainly set a clean amp sound and then run a multi FX in front of it, although given the plethora of effects available through the Spark app, you might decide you don't need the zoom.

 

The other possible solution would be to find a bluetooth speaker with an aux in jack socket and a 1/4 inch to mini jack converter

 

There's been a revolution in small speaker tech in recent years and I see no reason why a lunchbox sized bluetooth unit with a couple of drivers couldn't work as decent mini active speaker for an FX unit.

Edited January 12 by Cato

[tauzero]

There's always the 

 

plus a small head such as the Gnome, Elf, etc.

[Andermtc]

If you can find a 2nd hand Ashdown B-Social they are excellent, there is also the B-Social lite a lot rarer and smaller.

[Geek99]

3 hours ago, Andermtc said:

If you can find a 2nd hand Ashdown B-Social they are excellent, there is also the B-Social lite a lot rarer and smaller.

Good call …

[Munurmunuh]

I have my Ampero Hotone multieffects unit (mostly used for the amp / cab sims + eq / compression) going into a Yamaha HS5 Active Studio Monitor. A good convincing sound, and more than enough volume for home use.

[Phil Starr]

On 11/01/2024 at 14:00, Geek99 said:

I no longer have an amp. It was in the way and too big. I have a zoom b2.1 that will drive headphones. Can anyone tell me

if I can run a small speaker cabinet, or a battery amp for the rare occasions when I need amplification ? 
 

thanks 

I think a few more details about how you want to use this  would help, and maybe what you mean by 'cheap' which you mentioned later? How small is small? What's the budget? Where will this be used? Does it need to be battery powered?

 

As the designer of the House Jam Cab I would say that it is the perfect cab for jamming with a few friends at home or as a practice cab at home. It was originally designed to match an acoustic guitar for volume with a 15W amp so a small battery amp is simple enough to organise. Standard amps in car stereos give 20W so 12V amps are really cheap. What I didn't design for was running 100W out of a micro amp (Gnome Elf) It handles that with ease and then becomes an incredibly compact portable amp for open mic nights and the like. However I use a couple of Studio monitors at home (I use RCF Lyra but the Yamahas above are just as capable) Obviously using the separate cab lets you swap amps around for home use or battery use if you need it

[thebrig]

This is my home practise rig, it's a Warwick Gnome I Pro 280w Pocket Bass Amp going into a Barefaced One10, as you can see, it takes up very little room, it sounds great at low volume, it has a USB port so you can play along with tracks, it also has a headphone socket for quiet practising, and if I do need to play live in public, then unless it's an extremely loud gig, this should more than handle most situations.

[Happy Jack]

On 11/01/2024 at 14:17, chrisba said:

Battery power is definitely possible, but I've not heard anything battery powered that would make a bass sound like a bass. Even the specifically designed battery bass amps like the Roland Bass Cube are really tinny ( as well as tiny )

Ahem ahem ...