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Zoom B2 Four


MarshallBTB

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11 hours ago, funkydoug said:

Thanks for spotting it.

Been waiting for this to appear , looks interesting 

 

+1^^

 

Look forward to hearing your thoughts on it @MarshallBTB. Not currently seeing enough of a benefit on this to switch up to this from my existing (and regularly available for £50 used) Zoom B1-4 which I'm still loving and using as a standalone pedal board & tuner for gigs, instead of paying a bit more and getting something like a Helix PodGo.

Edited by Al Krow
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On 25/02/2023 at 06:56, funkydoug said:

Thanks for spotting it.

Been waiting for this to appear , looks interesting 

++1^^^^

This seems to be a neat halfway house between the B1Four and B6.

I own 2 x B1Fours and a B6 so I think I qualify as a Zoom Fanboi.

I use one B1Four as a standalone HPF,  compressor,  tuner and tailored presets for songs in my covers band.

The second B1Four sits in a micro pedal board with a BDI21 and HB wireless. ( same presets as the standalone)

The B6 is housed in a neat case with a HB wireless unit.

I'm pretty well sorted at the moment so I'll be in no rush to get a shiny new B2Four.

BUT YOU NEVER KNOW 🙄

Edited by JohnDaBass
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It's up on the Thomann website for order at a reasonable £241 although the date suggests that it won't be in stock for 3 or 4 months yet - https://www.thomann.de/gb/zoom_b2_four.htm

 

As has already been speculated, it looks like a slimmed down version of the B6, which from what I've read, people are saying is a step up in terms of sound quality over the cheap and cheerful B1 Four, no doubt down to it having the latest chipset. But with an XLR output and 6 DI models, and if I understand the display correctly, you can choose up to 6 fx blocks which is more than enough for my needs and probably the majority of us too for usable bass sounds and the off effect or two. 

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1 hour ago, Osiris said:

But with an XLR output and 6 DI models, and if I understand the display correctly, you can choose up to 6 fx blocks which is more than enough for my needs and probably the majority of us too for usable bass sounds and the off effect or two. 

+1

While the fancy B6 sounds great ( definitely a sound & usability improvement on the B1Four) if this had been around earlier I would have probably opted for this over the B6.

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I think the fx patches are going to be identical to those on the cheaper models, and many will have no need for 6 flavours of DI out as they can go directly into the HiZ input on their desks. 

 

I do love the Z synth on the Zoom multis though! Puts many other more expensive multis to shame. And there are a ton of usable features and fx on even the cheapest Zoom multis. But if I'm forking out a lot more than I paid for my B1-4, I'd probably want to be getting parallel path routing for fx, and I think the entry point for that is something like the Helix Stomp. 

 

@JohnDaBass are you hearing a noticeable step up in sound quality between your B1-4s and your B6? 

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29 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

 

@JohnDaBass are you hearing a noticeable step up in sound quality between your B1-4s and your B6? 

IMHO with my 70 year old abused ears I think the patches sound richer fuller, more authentic and open, a real improvement in sound quality. I'm pleased with what I'm hearing through headphones and Fender Rumble thro BF SC. But each to their own  and with great returns policy from the big retailers everyone can make up their own mind and not rely on an old Duffer like me.

Here's samples @jimfist put up last year. There's quite a lengthy thread on TB.

 

https://soundcloud.com/jimfist/sets/zoom-b6-demo?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

 

Edited by JohnDaBass
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@JohnDaBass sums up my feelings on the B6, highlighting things that *might* be deemed intangible or not necessarily discernible to another player or listener.

No real comment on the B2 Four, other than to say that it gives a sniff of some of the new B6 models while not quite really implementing the same B6 architecture, compared to for example the HX Stomp vs. Helix (LT).

To me the sampling frequency of the B6 is noteworthy, though not published (yet) on the B2 Four.

IMHO the higher B6 sample frequency is what gives it the more "open" and realistic sound and feel. All JMHO.

A question: does the B2 Four stack up favorably to something like the NUX MG-30, feature by feature?

Things are getting awfully crowded now toward the low-cost end of the market, and Zoom recently hasn't been exactly delivering many knockout products in the multi-fx pedal line, much as I do enjoy them.

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On 26/02/2023 at 15:59, funkydoug said:

I’m slightly confused by the B6 and B2 Di features to be honest.

 

Do any of the zooms allow pre- and post- fx recording over USB? And can the Di be used to send a pre-fx signal while the regular out send post-fx? 
Thanks guys. 

Nope to both as far as I'm aware. The DI selections are POST everything, or bypassed. No option to change it.

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 01/04/2023 at 11:26, Machines said:

 

Came today. Initially a bit confusing as very different interface to the B3n. However underneath that is it much the same and once you can navigate the UI quickly it's no issue (couple of hours). A few new sounds to the B3n and the Djent Preamp will be good for me. Overall not a necessary upgrade, but it was reasonably priced and has a lot better connectivity which will give me easier ways to record at home than the B3n.  Annoyingly there is an iOS app but not Android (maybe in time), so i'm only using the buttons for now.

 

I think it looks cool, it's sturdy and totally reminds me of an F-117A.

 

Check out this comparison !

 

Zoom B2 Four:

image.png.b36802858dd02cb898aac9f6c8d9384a.png

 

 

Lockheed F-117A:

image.thumb.png.dfdb5323edcf14b1399536cef82e5f17.png

Edited by Machines
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9 minutes ago, Machines said:

 

Came today. Initially a bit confusing as very different interface to the B3n. However underneath that is it much the same and once you can navigate the UI quickly it's no issue (couple of hours). A few new sounds to the B3n and the Djent Preamp will be good for me. Overall not a necessary upgrade, but it was reasonably priced and has a lot better connectivity which will give me easier ways to record at home than the B3n.  Annoyingly there is an iOS app but not Android (maybe in time), so i'm only using the buttons for now.

 

I think it looks cool, it's sturdy and totally reminds me of an F-117A.

 

Check out this comparison !

 

Zoom B2 Four:

image.png.b36802858dd02cb898aac9f6c8d9384a.png

 

 

Lockheed F-117A:

image.thumb.png.dfdb5323edcf14b1399536cef82e5f17.png

Stealthy! ThNks for the comments, given your experience I’ll probably not upgrade!

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9 minutes ago, King Tut said:

Stealthy! ThNks for the comments, given your experience I’ll probably not upgrade!

 

Needs a few rehearsal/gigs to be fully reviewed, but. I will admit I am fully bored of looking at the claret red of the B3n (had it about 5 years) and this looked so much better. I actually grabbed a B6 when they came out to try, and yes it has a better/bigger colour LCD, but I feel there are no differing sounds/effects available to the B2 Four. I also prefer a smaller footprint that can fit in the front pocket of  a gigbag, which this does fine.

 

It's actually a bit smaller than the B3n  top to bottom and definitely lighter (1.2kg vs 0.9kg)

Edited by Machines
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