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NAD EBS Reidmar 502


attackbass
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Technically this arrived on Friday, but just getting a chance now to write this! 

Don't know why I didn't try out the Reidmar range sooner. The 502 has very much the EBS tone. It's clean and warm but I've found if I get the gain to the right place, with just a slight bit of clipping it has a very nice edge/grit to the tone. Whilst speaking to Ralf at EBS he mentioned that at high volume the amp actually clips the power amp in a nicer and more musical way, but I quite like the preamp clip gain tone too.

This leads me to the volume of this amp. This amp is incredible LOUD!! I can barely get past the first notch on the master volume without the house shaking. I have a number of rehearsals and gigs this week so will hopefully get to hear how loud this amp really gets! I'm definitely not worried about not being heard tho! It definitely has a lot of punch and is a muscular tone! Couldn't imagine using the 750!! 

The compressor is amazing, always loved the multicomp and this is very musical, very transparent, you can't really hear it working until you get to extreme settings. 

EQ is super versatile, I have found that I haven't really needed to adjust the treble or bright controls, just adding some bass and adjusting the sweepable mid range to taste. However, when you add the bright and treble into the mix you can get those very Hi-fi funk/slap sounds but I tend to prefer the fatter, rounded tones this amp can provide as the notes are very clear anyway. The range on the EQ is pretty wide and love it, it really helps that it's cut and boost too, apart from the bright which is just a boost  

I like the character switch too, doesn't seem too extreme at all and like combining it with the filter section - I'll have to see how it works out in a live setting! 

The amp is built like a tank, feels very sturdy and has a nice assuring weight to it for its size! 

Really happy with it so far, can't wait to really open it up. I'm hoping that it's going to reduce the need to take anything other than amp, cab, bass, tuner and leads to gigs - I'll probably take my VT Deluxe as a backup which should fit in my pelicase with the amp and leads. 

IMG_20190922_101609.jpg

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Appreciate their is no interest in this thread 😂

 

But I will persevere anyway...

 

Took the 502 out with my new EBS Neo 2x12 and I now understand what light weight really is. I could literally carry my whole rig in two hands!

The cab is very nice articulate and very punchy and tight but somehow also very deep! The tweeter is extremely nice, not harsh at all.

I know that people talk about amps having heft but this rig is like having the power of a superhero who has the ability to flatten buildings. I kid you not. At 1 - the first notch on the master volume  - it was loud. Then, as I have a tendency to lay in more in the gig than during soundcheck, I gave it some and dug into my playing and I think the singer almost had a heart attack with the the sudden volume increase!

The way this amp responds to you're playing is awesome, it appears to have a huge amount of headroom.

 

This gig was just a wedding gig in a decent sized room and with previous amps with the same power modules, I would usually be approaching 3/4s of the way up on the volume dial. I know EBS have tweaked the module and done something that lets the power amp clip, so not not sure if this is the reason why there is so much available volume/headroom.

I had a session gig last night where I was restricted to being only using the rented in backline, a combination of ashdown and orange. The gig was awesome with a highly talented band but the provided rig was not so much fun! 

 

Anyway, massively impressed and happy with my EBS rig!

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Ah cool, I look forward to seeing the review of the amp!

As far as I know the 502 is pretty much the same as previously Reidmar amps but with the tweaked power section so it goes down to 2ohms.

When I was speaking to Ralf about the amps first a few years back he said that when you turn the amp up loud it starts to clip it which creates a nice drive. This is why apparently there is a drive control on the 750 as it was impossible to get it loud enough to clip without blowing most cabs in the first place, or something like that... I may not have quoted him exactly right there but that was the jist.

 

Hopefully I'll be able to test it at full, ear bleeding volume soon!! 

 

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These are great amps.

I had the 750 and foolishly sold it because it was physically too wide for my new cabs.

But I would say it was an absolutely superb amp.  My favourite class D so far.  More power than I would ever need and great sounding too.  Clean or grit available as desired.

The 502 is probably all you'll ever need.  I hope you're enjoying it.

Frank.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I agree with the review above. The 502 is bonkers loud paired with an EBS cabinet (my experience so far).

i am yet to crank my 750 (yes I jumped on a second hand one here a while back) to have as a spare. I’ve a bunch of Bergantino cabinets here which it pairs nicely with at home, but haven’t been out to a gig with it yet!

The Reidmars are certainly in the list of my favourite amps.

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17 minutes ago, attackbass said:

Haha didn't see doods post thought you were replying to me! 

I was actually 😀

How does it compare? I have a HD350 that I love and had a Fafner 1 previously, so a big fan of the brand. The 350 has an intermittent fault with the power stage that a well aimed thump to the top of the rack case normally cures, but at some point I will probably have to replace it.

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On 27/10/2019 at 19:57, Graham said:

I was actually 😀

How does it compare? I have a HD350 that I love and had a Fafner 1 previously, so a big fan of the brand. The 350 has an intermittent fault with the power stage that a well aimed thump to the top of the rack case normally cures, but at some point I will probably have to replace it.

If you can hang in there a bit longer I’ve just reviewed the HD360 30th Anniversary (HD350) and the 502 with the same bass and EBS cabinet. :) Reviews will be live in the next couple of months I guess.

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  • 2 months later...

I think this bit of real world feedback is convincing me this amp is a good move. I had an old Reidmar which I loved, but it got stolen and I replaced it with a Aguilar Tonehammer which was also a great amp. 
 

I have recently sold the Aguilar as I was “done with bands” but I have just been sucked into doing some playing again. I want something fairly cheap and with some decent volume and this is one of the best options I have seen.

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13 hours ago, NJE said:

I think this bit of real world feedback is convincing me this amp is a good move. I had an old Reidmar which I loved, but it got stolen and I replaced it with a Aguilar Tonehammer which was also a great amp. 
 

I have recently sold the Aguilar as I was “done with bands” but I have just been sucked into doing some playing again. I want something fairly cheap and with some decent volume and this is one of the best options I have seen.

The Reidmar is excellent, but I'd also recommend trying the Peavey MiniMax 500.  I've been gigging mine regularly since I bought it as a cheap back-up amp.  It's fast becoming my main gigging amp.

Frank.

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  • 5 months later...
6 minutes ago, TheGreek said:

I've been offered one in p/x - what's a fair price for a used example??

Is it a 502 or a 750?

I sold my 750, it might be a couple of years ago now, for about £400 or slightly less.  It was under a year old, in perfect condition in original box.

Frank.

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