Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

Darkglass Microtubes Head


Daz39
 Share

Recommended Posts

Mine is here



I've had a 5 minute blast.

First impressions are very good.

It's loud and clear. The drive section is excellent - I might even prefer it to my pedal versions. There is some fan noise but it is quieter than my PC (admittedly a gaming PC with fecking huge fans and water cooling etc).



The only tiny negative is that one of the knobs is a tiny bit damaged - like it's been pushed onto the shaft a bit hard. I've sent Doug a message so hopefully I get get a new knob (oo-er).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have to say, these Retro Barefaced cabs are finished to a much higher quality than I have seen from them before from the looks of things.

Those speakers appear to be rated rather low for power handling, are they coping with the DG output well? I'd like to try them out :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have been trying it out through a BF Super Compact as it is less coloured than the One 10s. It all sounds rather good to me. I am building up the confidence to gig it this weekend although it will be a big-band gig - so no microtubes engine mayhem from me this time around.

Edit for Kev. I use the One 10s for home practice, rehearsals and the occasional gig. One is enough for a 16 piece big band rehearsal with drummer; I have only ever been asked to turn it down. Having two of them is a bit of a luxury. The finish on them is immaculate in my opinion, including the Tolex finishing.

As for power management, I am very careful. Alex says up to 500 Watts with care for the One 10 and so the 900 on the 2 Ohm setting should be safe, as you have suggested. The Darkglass manual specifies 350W into 8Ohms in the "2 Ohm" mode, as opposed to 450W in the standard mode.

I will use the SC for the gig as I want a clean sound with plenty of mids. The 900 Low and Hi Mids look really practical and simple enough to be gig proof (in that if it can go wrong it will go wrong). The SC at 8Ohms is specified to be good with amps from 150 to 600W so no problems there.

I notice the Microtubes 900 is rated at 900W into 4Ohms and 450W into 8Ohms, standard setting, for 2 minutes max, at 20%THD. That suggests a good power supply, not that I have any inside information; normally the 4Ohm power is not quite double the 8Ohm. Or am I reading too much into this. All I know is that it goes louder, through my cabs, than I can take without ear protection.

That looks a lot more complicated than I meant it to be.

Edited by DBerriff
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='Kev' timestamp='1476369609' post='3153722']
I'll check mine carefully later then, although quick sneak peak it looks dandy.

Excellent to see Doug is excelling at customer service once again :)
[/quote]
cant wait for some reviews to come in, im particularly interested to hear how it sounds with the Barbikan stuff Kev as thats pretty close to what we do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='winterfire666' timestamp='1476371805' post='3153747']
cant wait for some reviews to come in, im particularly interested to hear how it sounds with the Barbikan stuff Kev as thats pretty close to what we do.
[/quote]

Ill let you know, rehearsal on Monday but no gig until December!

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1476372189' post='3153750']
So is the head actually 900w I thought with its 20% thd rating the clean output would be considerably less???
[/quote]

It seems very likely this is a typing mistake in the manual, I can't see how a THD rating could be so high. One of a few I'v noticed in the manual (the Power Amp In of course does [i]not[/i] disable the Master Volume).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It might well be a typo. The specific ICE power module used gets good reviews, so I think these numbers are all a bit academic. My point was that I do not need to blow up any speakers during my intended usage. All is good, and it all goes much louder than I actually need. I am pretty certain though that I am not the typical Darkglass user. Big band jazz will do nicely for now; my cover-band days are just a memory at the moment.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The ICE module is the same as the one in the RM800. If you watch the last video posted Doug says it's able to be uprated due to increased cooling. It wouldn't surprise me at all if the 20% figure is correct based on the time scale as well :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have just had a proper play with my Wal through a Vanderkley cab and the sound of the Darkglass is superb. Smiles all round. I solved my sticking gain knob. Although it was clearing the faceplate it appears to have been rubbing against the bolt underneath. I slid a plastic card under and rotated the knob a few times which seems to have fixed it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...