lemmywinks Posted July 1 Share Posted July 1 Been considering a small but high powered head for rehearsals and possibly the odd fill in gig I may have coming up with a different band and have been looking at either the Harley Benton 800B Quilter clone or a used BH800. Would also free up my small home rig to lend to a mate who is struggling at the moment. Anybody had experience of these two, particularly how the preamp sections are voiced? Do they both have bags of power as their ratings suggest or are they made of lies and deceit? Are there any other cheap, high powered yet tiny heads around? At the moment I have a TC BH250 which is fine for low volume, however my PJB C8 Lite cab is a bit thirsty in terms of power and I think it needs more juice to get going, there also isn't much going on in the <80hz area with the little TC and the bass and mid -/+ eq points points are far more appealing on its big brother. I emailed HB and they claim the Block 800B has no HPF, low end boosts at 100hz though compared to 80hz boost and 50hz cut with the TC. I did go to put a wanted ad up but the site doesn't let me any more so if anybody has a used BH800 let me know please! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusoe Posted July 1 Share Posted July 1 Heh heh... 800B! 🤭 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolo Posted July 1 Share Posted July 1 I have a HB 800b as backup amp. It's fine, responsive to EQ, has the standard poweramp as all 800w class D so power in excess. Less than 2kg I think and easy to pack. If you want tube sound or drive you will need a preamp. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted July 1 Author Share Posted July 1 20 minutes ago, Bolo said: I have a HB 800b as backup amp. It's fine, responsive to EQ, has the standard poweramp as all 800w class D so power in excess. Less than 2kg I think and easy to pack. If you want tube sound or drive you will need a preamp. I don't want any drive at all, I like the feature set of both amps but had heard the preamp was a little uninspiring on the 800B, I mainly use the pre on my basses really so not a massive issue. Is the DI out ok, no noise etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolo Posted July 1 Share Posted July 1 3 hours ago, lemmywinks said: I don't want any drive at all, I like the feature set of both amps but had heard the preamp was a little uninspiring on the 800B, I mainly use the pre on my basses really so not a massive issue. Is the DI out ok, no noise etc? The pre reminds me of the hartke ha3500, clean and barely any character which is perfect if your sound comes from your fingers, your bass or your effects. The d.i. works in the same way. I wouldn't record through it but it's fine for live signal to front of house. Typical Harley Benton I'd say, functional without much fanfare, for a great price. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted July 1 Author Share Posted July 1 11 minutes ago, Bolo said: The pre reminds me of the hartke ha3500, clean and barely any character which is perfect if your sound comes from your fingers, your bass or your effects. The d.i. works in the same way. I wouldn't record through it but it's fine for live signal to front of house. Typical Harley Benton I'd say, functional without much fanfare, for a great price. That's good news, I loved my old Hartke gear. I gig with IEMs and rehearse straight into a desk so that sounds ideal. The only snag is the TC head being red matches my cab and the HB doesn't! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted July 2 Share Posted July 2 23 hours ago, lemmywinks said: Are there any other cheap, high powered yet tiny heads around? Bugera Veyron? ignore the hype obviously, it isn't 2000W but it measures close to 800W and is solidly made. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted July 2 Author Share Posted July 2 47 minutes ago, Phil Starr said: Bugera Veyron? ignore the hype obviously, it isn't 2000W but it measures close to 800W and is solidly made. I did look at that, Thomann have a B Stock BV1001T for around the same price as the HB. Looked at the manual though and it doesn't seem to list the frequency point for the low eq. Is the comp ok on it? AFAIK the T version is a Streamliner clone, is there much difference between that and the M version other than a lack of preamp tubes ,corresponding gain control and the difference in mid frequency options? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted July 3 Share Posted July 3 Sorry I can't answer either question as I use a Zoom to do all that sort of thing and run everything at 12.00 on the Bugera which I chose as it has a flat response and I've gone FRFR. The Bugera is effectively being used as a power amp in bass amp format and the controls are backup should the Zoom go down. I did try it out of course when I first got it and everything works ok but I haven't touched the controls for years other than to adjust the volume. I deliberately chose the BV1001M as the most neutral amp I could find and that is what it does. @Chienmortbb may be able to help as he did some frequency response measurements on the amp. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelDean Posted July 3 Share Posted July 3 23 hours ago, lemmywinks said: I did look at that, Thomann have a B Stock BV1001T for around the same price as the HB. Looked at the manual though and it doesn't seem to list the frequency point for the low eq. Is the comp ok on it? AFAIK the T version is a Streamliner clone, is there much difference between that and the M version other than a lack of preamp tubes ,corresponding gain control and the difference in mid frequency options? I think I heard somewhere that the M is based on the Ampeg PF series. The controls are all the same. Happy to be corrected if I'm wrong! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted July 3 Share Posted July 3 4 minutes ago, MichaelDean said: I think I heard somewhere that the M is based on the Ampeg PF series. The controls are all the same. Happy to be corrected if I'm wrong! I think that's more about the styling. I don't think Music Tribe actually clone stuff as such any more, if they ever did. Having said that there is definitely a looky-likey feel about it and once something new starts to sell well they will have their own version in short order. The power amp section in the Veyron is actually 'borrowed ' from one of the Behringer PA amps and there is nothing particularly remakable about the pre amp/control stages. In some ways Behringer seem to have become quite staid with well worn designs that they have made for years. I used a second hand EP2400 power amp 17 years agao and they still make it; rebranded as an EP4000. The INuke PA amps their first class D amps have just been repackaged as the NX series with a black case instead of the horrid silver ones. Their current strategy seems to be to buy up established brands, absorb their expertise and move manufacture to their factory complex in China. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelDean Posted July 3 Share Posted July 3 9 minutes ago, Phil Starr said: I think that's more about the styling. I don't think Music Tribe actually clone stuff as such any more, if they ever did. Having said that there is definitely a looky-likey feel about it and once something new starts to sell well they will have their own version in short order. The power amp section in the Veyron is actually 'borrowed ' from one of the Behringer PA amps and there is nothing particularly remakable about the pre amp/control stages. In some ways Behringer seem to have become quite staid with well worn designs that they have made for years. I used a second hand EP2400 power amp 17 years agao and they still make it; rebranded as an EP4000. The INuke PA amps their first class D amps have just been repackaged as the NX series with a black case instead of the horrid silver ones. Their current strategy seems to be to buy up established brands, absorb their expertise and move manufacture to their factory complex in China. You say that but it's even got the ultra high/low buttons of the PF range and the 5 way mid selections are the same frequencies. Seems like an odd coincidence! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted July 3 Share Posted July 3 Hey Michael there's a long thread on here somewhere which I think you referred to. My conclusion at the end was that Music Tribe had looked at a few amps and borrowed features from several of themand the result was more of a mash-up than a tribute act. It is what it is and we are maybe coming to different conclusions based with the same evidence. Those frequency choices may well be 'borrowed' and to be fair it looks like more than coincidence as it's an odd sequence 200,400,800,1600,3200 would be much less suspicious. Whether the circuitry is the same or if the Bugera would sound like an Ampeg I've no idea. I was just suggesting it as an '800W amp in the same price bracket as the Harley Benton. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted July 9 Author Share Posted July 9 (edited) Went with a TC BH800 in the end, picked one up off here for a very good price. Sounds fantastic and is frighteningly loud, can be heard over an enthusiastic drummer at 9 o'clock and just keeps going past that with big clean lows. Obligatory awful lighting practice room shot, possibly a bit overkill for a rehearsal rig but it's easy to carry and was sub £600 for the lot. It's a knee high beast of a setup! Edited July 9 by lemmywinks 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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