karl321's Reviews

Classic studio preamp

Sounds amazing.

As a recording Preamp, it sounds better for guitar than going DI into a mic preamp like the Heritage Audio 73.

If you want a Nirvana or Green Day type of distortion tone, this is the preamp to get, along with a DS-1 or DS-2. If you want a slightly thinner, but arguably better distortion tone, plug a Digitech grunge tone directly into a power amp, and it sounds almost exactly like Journey's tone. Judging by Youtube videos, the ADA-MP1 might be a better and cheaper preamp than this Boogie, esp. if you like 80's rock. The studio preamp is more 90's sounding.

Randall Smith, the founder of the company is also cool, because he basically invented high gain and master volume, so without him, Metal wouldn't exist, or if it did, it wouldn't have happened as quickly. Also, I'm just a huge fan of master volume, because I like to play with lots of distortion without going deaf, and master volume makes that happen.

It's awesome! ...Trust me

It's awesome and it was used on both of my favorite albums, Loveless and Nevermind. Zakk Wylde used it on No More Tears, which is my favorite Ozzy album, and one of my favorite songs, so this was a no brainer for me.

Personally using it, it seems to clean up almost all the distortion if you put a pedal before it, so you have to put the pedal after it. Strangely, I prefer using it as a chorus for my piano and just playing my guitar with a distortion pedal and no other effects.

It's not overpriced... You can get any almost any sound you can think of from it.

GOOD: High quality recording studio, sampler, drum machine, synth, and arpeggiator, all in one small package.

BAD: Novelty wears off after a month. Very hard to add software instruments. Basically impossible to slide between notes, so solos are not really an option. (Roger Linn pointed this out as a drawback to sampling, after he played a big hand in popularizing and advancing samplers.) Not enough recording time, and no undo button. As for things Teenage Engineering doesn't have control over, but the government should make easier rules for musicians for are as follows... Ethical issues surrounding sampling, difficulty getting copyright clearance. You should be able to loop something for 30 seconds without any red tape, as long as it's not used in a commercial ad. Petition the man!

THINGS TEENAGE ENGINEERING SHOULD ADD (FOR AN OP-2): Eight tracks. 12 minute recording time. Dual recording inputs. DSD recording and playback.

FINAL WORD: Why did I give it five stars? The OP-1 has made it easy for me to write a song a day, without the distraction of the internet, which is a big advantage over Logic and Pro Tools. The sound quality is not on par with analog equipment, like my Fender Rhodes, but I'm perfectly happy with it, nevertheless. It's super fun to be able to sample a few words of your voice, over the surprisingly good microphone and have it map it out over all the notes.

Sounds incredible! ...Fifty/Fifty is a better value though.

I'm comparing this to amps I've heard/tried so it's compared to... Digital plug ins...Amplitube (all of it), Neural DSP (most of it) Combo amps... Fender Twin, Vox AC30, Roland Jazz Chorus, Fishman Loudbox, Marshall, Line 6, etc. Amp heads... Orange Tiny terror, Marshall Silver Jubilee Power amps: Mesa Boogie Fifty/Fifty Hifi amps... Naim Uniti Nova, Audio Research D-76 , McIntosh MC275...I've also heard a few $10,000 plus amps that are better sounding, but I'm going to leave them out of the review because of the cost.

The 295 is better, in my opinion, than all the amps listed above, except the MC275, which I'd have to compare it to directly to make a more informed opinion. Pressed though, I'd say the MC275 sounds slightly better, but the Boogie is a far better value. For the price, it's only real competition, IMO is the Fifty/fifty, so I'll be comparing it to that for the rest of the review.

NEEDED IMPROVEMENTS: The Fifty/fifty and 295 are both excellent, except for the fan noise, it's well worth it to replace the fan with a Deep Silence fan plugged into a wall, if you want to use it as a studio amp. It will burn out, if you power it from the amp, (learned that the hard way). These are as good or better than most high end audiophile amps once you switch out the fan, if you pair them with hifi speakers and high quality cables. In the studio, place the fan a few inches behind, instead of in the amp, or it will still make a bunch of air noise. Use good judgment, on very hot days, mount it inside the amp.

GUITAR AMP: As a guitar amp, this has the tone I've always wanted which was the Nirvana, Sublime, Red Hot Chili Peppers, AC/DC, Metallica, etc, classic rock tone. The Fifty/Fifty sounds almost the same, it actually sounds better for the first twenty minutes or half hour because, it warms up so much faster. I got the 295 to replace the Fifty/Fifty and ended up keeping both, because they are good for different things. The Fifty/fifty sounds like a slightly smoother guitar amp with less bite than the 295. The 295 seems to add in a bit of reverb, no matter what, which I don't like, I'd rather add that as an effect. They both seem to add some tube compression, which is something I do like though, because I don't have the money for an LA-2A or Tube Tech.

ELECTRIC PIANO: For my Rhodes the Fifty/fifty is a better match, it just makes a smooth dreamy sound, esp with chorus. The 295 is slightly thicker sounding with the unavoidable reverb, and not in a good way. If you hold them pedal on the piano down, which I almost always do, it sounds like the overtones are dissonant with the 295, if you're playing lots of notes. The Fifty/fifty doesn't have that problem. So for the Fender Rhodes, the Fifty/fifty is cheaper and better than the 295. Compared to the classic pairing with the Fender Twin, the Fifty/Fifty is also much better, smoother and more compressed, but in a very good warm tube way. The problem with the Fender Twin is that the notes have a sharp attack and decay, so everything sounds jazzy, which is something I personally hate. The Fifty/fifty with the Rhodes is closer to the piano tone on The Bee Gees, How Deep is Your Love or Chris Rea's 80's discography, a tone I personally think is fantastic. If you prefer Bob James though, just get the Fender Twin.

STEREO: The 295 makes an excellent amp for a high end home stereo system, as does the Fifty/fifty. I use a California Audio Labs Sigma II DAC which made a big improvement for steaming music. The tube in the DAC makes a big difference and I've found that putting a Amperex made in Holland tube in the DAC nails the Naim tone, which is almost three time more expensive than this CAL/Mesa combo. The 295 has a much more realistic drum sound than the Fifty/fifty and more slightly detail, but the fifty/fifty sounds smoother and in a strange way, more pleasing for most albums. The volume doesn't spike as much as much with the Fifty/fifty, so it's probably better for your hearing long term, to listen with the less dynamic Fifty/fifty.

Why did I give this five stars (and the Fifty/fifty four and half)?

I just spent most of this review taking about how the Fifty/fifty is a better value, and a better piano amp, and an equal as a stereo amp. The reason I give this five stars is because I don't think there is a better guitar power amp out there, except the Stereo 400 and 500, which are probably just equals, from what I've read. In my opinion, it's an end game guitar amp. The fifty/fifty is an excellent guitar amp, but it wasn't completely satisfying like the 295 is, after it warms up. Although I'm completely satisfied with the Fifty/fifty as a piano amp, I still feel like I can find something better, even smoother and warmer, like a Marantz or Sansui. More expensive amps probably wouldn't recreate the magic of nostalgic classic rock tones like the Mesa/Boogie 295 though, so it gets five stars.

My favorite plug in

Let most good plug ins, it's great for D.I. sounds, meh for everything else.

Stay in tune longer than ordinary strings but at 5 times the cost

First of all, I'm huge fan of the pyramid logo, which is just great design work, props to whoever did that.

I got these out of curiosity because they're like $20 to 25 instead of $5. They do stay in tune way longer than ordinary strings, (like 2-3 days at a time, instead of 2-3 hours) but I'm so used to cheap strings, that I just end up trying to retune more than I have to, so it doesn't really save time. Other than that, they seem to have the same tone as normal strings.

Smokes my more expensive gear

I've tried a fair share of audio recording stuff through my life (M-box, UA Apollo Twin, Apogee Duet, Apogee Rosetta and Symphony) and this thing is 98% the same and it's just $200 bucks. Plus, it comes with free plug ins.

Excellent (except the fan noise)

I'm a huge fan of bands that were famous in the late 80's and early 90's like Nirvana, Van Halen, Smashing Pumpkins, Weezer, etc. This power amp along with the Mesa Boogie studio preamp and my chorus pedal and modded boss ds-1 nails the tone for all of them. That's something I can't say for any Marshall, Fender of Vox brand amplifier that I've tried so far.

I run it through the cabinet of my Fender Twin Reverb because I don't have a proper cabinet, and the main difference between the two amp sections is that the Mesa Boogie is much darker and smoother than the Twin. The bright lead channel on the Boogie is very similar to the dark channel on the Twin (with a boss ds-1 added), but the Boogie is still slightly darker, even then. The Twin has a sharp attack on notes, which gives it the illusion of having almost no sustain, whereas the Mesa Boogie sustains for a very long time.

Plugging my Fender Rhodes straight into this, even without a preamp, with a chorus pedal gives a heavenly tone with the Twin cab.

Basically, I feel like this would be the perfect guitar amp if they gave some consideration to the aesthetics and if it wasn't for the fan noise.

Best Ukulele Strings I've tried by a wide margin

These are the best ukulele strings I've tried, by a wide margin. They have a happy, fun tone.

The reds by Aquila cost more and have more of a tin pan alley sound, they make your ukulele sound like you found it in an antique shop. Earnie Ball makes some black nylon strings that sound similar and are easier to put on, but they don't sound as lively as these Aquila. The Martin and Worth fluorocarbon strings give maybe a more traditional Hawaiian sound, but I definitely prefer the fun, warm tones of the nylongut Aquila.

Better microphones out there!

I think for this price range, you'd be much better off going with a stereo Rode NT-4 as used by PPF or their VideoGo microphone for half the price. I would give it a lower rating, but Butch Vig used the 414, which is the same with more polar patterns on a lot of my favorite albums, so maybe I'm just not using it right. However, he might've modded his 414 with a better capsule, which is apparently something lots of top engineers do, because to me this microphone has a boring sound straight out of the box.

Amazing Value - Lifelike Sound

Out of the six or so microphones I've tried in my life, this one sounds the closest to what I hear in my head, besides the Rode Go Wireless Lavalier, and it's far cheaper than my Soyuz and AKG.

I think for capturing low bass frequencies, other microphones have this beat, but as a room mic, or if you just have one microphone to use, this is the way to go. I actually always do videos of my recording now, not because I want to, but specifically to use this as a room mic, that's how good it is.

UPDATE: The Rode Go Wireless Lav microphones sound even better, although they cost more. This was unexpected for me, because all the other wireless music equipment I've heard, has always been worse than the wired stuff. Another unexpectedly good microphone is the one inside the OP-1.

Lifelike Sound

Lifelike sound, but on the thin side compared to vintage Neve. I have both the 511 and the Heritage Audio 73 Jr 500 series. Basically, the 511 vs the Heritage Audio 73 is a comparison of Rupert Neve’s old work versus his newer work. Rupert Neve himself will tell you that his new work is better, the result of years of engineering expertise, whereas his early work was him not really knowing what he was doing. In my opinion his work has improved, but the imperfections in his old work made it better.

The 511 and 73 sound nearly identical, but the 511 has slightly a thinner, more precise sound than the Heritage Audio 73. Bass notes through the Heritage Audio sound smoother and fatter, but not very precise, in a pleasant way. The 511 has a quicker attack and faster decay, so the notes jump out more and sound very precise, almost like a slapped bass. The treble of the 511 is very lifelike, while the Heritage Audio is slightly less open and more muted. In a way, this is also good though, because it covers up the picking sound of an instrument better than the 511 which really captures every little detail.

When you engage the silk and high pass filter on the 511 is sounds almost indistinguishable from the Heritage Audio 73 to my ears. The only difference is the slightly fatter sustained bass tones on the 73.

In my opinion, it is on the expensive side for what you get, as is the Heritage Audio 73 Jr compared to all in one interfaces.

You can check out a comparison I made between the two here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLAkVJB0xb4&t=230s

So Much Fun

Ukulele = constant vacation. This is the best purchase I've made in years, no joke. Ukuleles are so much happier sounding and easier to play than guitars. Plus they can be a serious instrument, in the same the way traveling can be serious if you're a tour guide.

If you're ever thinking about getting a travel guitar, don't. They're too big, so you'll get extra airline fees. Get a soprano ukulele and a songbook for it instead, you won't regret it.

In terms of the actual instrument, it's solid mahogany for under $60. You can't go wrong.

This instrument actually made me obsessed with ukulele for an entire year and during that time, I got more than I should because they're so cheap, and I wanted to own one of each size and make a songs out of the all ukulele sizes layered into a super ukulele. Naturally, I still haven't done this yet, but I will someday. My advice about ukuleles to to try them out in the store. My favorite ukulele is a little black Makai I got in San Francisco for $50. Makai makes more expensive ukuleles that actually sound worse, (even though they sound awesome in this YouTube clip... https://www.instagram.com/p/B7xoILEHFZT/ ) ...so be careful with that rabbit hole. In my opinion, soprano ukuleles are the most fun to play and tenors and concerts are the most boring sounding.

Sounds great, but very expensive

It sounds great, but it's very expensive and not much better than the built in pre-amps in an Apogee Duet or UA Apollo. You getting maybe a 10-15% improvement in sound quality over that, but for four times the price. If you layer tracks and vocals though it starts to add up. For the D.I. it's not as good as my Mesa Boogie studio preamp which smokes everything made, if you want a sweet, rocking guitar tone.

Comparing apples to apples, it sounds slightly better and more buttery or smooth than the current Rupert Neve Designs products. That said, it doesn't sound any better than the preamps in my SSL2 and this is way more expensive. However, this solid metal beast seems like it's built to last and the plastic SSL will probably fry out in a few years.

Electric Lady Studios Uses It

Thought it would somehow improve my sound because Electric Lady Studios uses it. It actually seems to do about the same job as any other A/D converter. I compared it to the Focusrite Scarlett, and could hear maybe a 1% difference. It's impressive how long it lasts though. These seem to work for 15+ years no problem.

It's main advantage is that it has lots of headroom, so if you want to crank a pre-amp you can. But that's also a disadvantage in a way, because if you don't want to, you have to anyway to get a decent signal level.

My recommendation would be the Burl B2 Bomber, if you have the money and have lots of clients coming in, because it has a tape emulator built into it, so that makes it sound better than the other A/D converters out there.

Sounds extremely realistic

This is probably the best looking microphone on the market, but it only sounds good on certain things.

I've always had some trouble capturing the sound of nylon strings, with my guitar and ukulele, everything pretty much seems to fall short. Not this thing. It's a perfect ukulele microphone. Basically, if you put your ear somewhere in the room and then put this microphone where your ear was, it will sound the same, maybe with a pinch of treble or air sound. If you look at videos of it you'll see it's a bad vocal mic and great at drum overheads.

I've lowered the rating on this after having it awhile more because it has a fatal flaw, which is that the signal clips before the the waveform does in my DAW, which is so confusing. I like to be able to just eye my levels, to see if they're good and with this you can't because it clips before it appears to clip.

Amazing vocal mic, but it needs lots of gain

Great on vocals, has a really clear sibilant sound. Other mics I've tried before this, like the SM57 and AKG 214 sound a little bit dull to me, and this is slightly better sounding than those two. It really shines on layering vocals. On your first take it might only sound 5% better than any other mic, but once you double your vocals, it sounds really professional and great.

For the sibilant sound I'm talking about, check out Christian Henson Music of Spitfire audio on youtube, he uses this microphone all the time in his videos, and you'll get a really good feel for it right away through his videos.

My only gripe with this is that if you are too close to it, it starts to sound muddy, and if you're too far from it the volume drops off quickly. It also has a really weak signal, so you need lots of gain. As an instrument mic, you kind of need a 2nd microphone to balance out or add in the top end.

Excellent Tube Preamp

Even though this is a tube preamp really for vinyl or streaming music off your computer, it also sounds fantastic as a lower volume guitar amp if you get an adaptor cable. (As a warning: if you do this, make sure to have both speakers hooked up, even though the guitar is mono and will only play through one of them, so you don't fry out the tubes the side without a current load. Also, don't play through tweeters because you will probably blow them out.)

After playing music on a digital amp, this thing will blow them away in terms of sheer sound quality. On top of that, it's self biasing, so you can swap out the tubes and try different ones, until you find a pair you really like the sound of. This is a good learning tool for guitarists, because usually Marshall has an EL34 tone, while Fender has the 6L6 tone. This thing can do both, plus it takes KT88s as well, like a modded Marshall would have. Since it's really intended for records, it has a warm but less coloured tone than a Fender, Marshall or Mesa Boogie.

Since it's not a traditional amp, it's also very easy to change the speakers, whereas with a traditional combo amp, you're pretty much stuck with whatever size speakers it came with in the factory. I've played my tube preamps through a cheap 12 inch Magnavox speaker and they've all sounded amazing. Then you can switch to it up to studio monitors to see how it would sound to someone listening with a car or computer setup.

All in all, if you're on a budget and don't want to sacrifice quality, this is the thing to get.

Incredible

They basically used world class musicians in a million dollar studio and made one of the best plug ins ever made, then gave it away for free. You can't go wrong. Sigur Rós fans will love this.

Excellent Strings

Got some of these because they supported charity on eBay. They're my favourite strings so far, a little bit better than Ernie Ball. They sound really bad on the second or third day of playing them when they are breaking in though, other than that, they are amazing.