Small "Hifi" amp head recommendations sought!

[Stub Mandrel]

Curve ball alert.

 

If low fan noise and transparency are important what about an Orange Terror?

 

Before you mock me, remember it has a clean switch that gets rid of all that lovely Orange overdrive. 

[Clarky]

50 minutes ago, stevie said:

The amp I actually use is the Trace Elliot TE1200, which is superb - and does the 3D/projection thing very well. I know @Clarky has a Monza and a TE1200. Maybe he'll chime in if he sees this. The Trace is a bit pricey, unfortunately, and probably not as portable as the OP is looking for.

I would concur the TE-1200 and Monza sound fabulous, although I think of the Trace as a small/mid sized head (its not a micro/mini in any sense). The Trace is really quite clean (doesn't overdrive like a valve or hybrid head) but sounds superb. It is not, as noted above, a cheap head and there are many other alternatives with more Watts for your pennies. Disclosure: I have only used at home so far, so haven't tested volume capabilities with a loud band (first rehearsal in a week or so's time)

[Linus27]

@andyhaines Tested my Gnome tonight and I can confirm that the fan is silent .... sort off. The fan noise is silent, no wooshy noise etc. The only thing you can hear is the sound of a component moving but it's so minimal that you can only hear it if you put your ear right next to the amp. At any other time it is silent and like I say, no fan noise in the traditional sense.

[Linus27]

Oops, double post.

Edited 22 hours ago by Linus27

[BassAdder60]

I have the MarkBass LM IV and with the newer 58R series lightweight cabs it sounds very transparent 

 

Older MarkBass cabs sounded woolly to me or dark perhaps in tone. 
 

I’ve had EICH T900 and TE1200 and the LM IV is as good in tone and can go warm / vintage with the old school control 

[Linus27]

1 hour ago, BassAdder60 said:

I have the MarkBass LM IV and with the newer 58R series lightweight cabs it sounds very transparent 

 

Older MarkBass cabs sounded woolly to me or dark perhaps in tone. 
 

I’ve had EICH T900 and TE1200 and the LM IV is as good in tone and can go warm / vintage with the old school control 

 

I actually run my LM IV with all the dials at 12 and the two filters turned off and it gives me a really nice clean tone. Only occasionally depending on the room will I drop a bit of bass and low mid if I have to.

[andyhaines]

Thanks again for all the responses - it's invaluable hearing everyone's real-world experiences to balance up against the usual marketing nonsense and slappy online demos! Most helpful to me so far has been people's different takes on "hifi" and "transparent" which has certainly made me re-frame what these things actually mean to me. @Phil Starr - good to hear from you (and thanks again for the Monza recommendation!): Your take on "hifi" is I think pretty close to my own - not swamped by bass with a light and airy top end, so in that sense it could be that I'm not actually looking for "flat". In this sense the Monza is ideal as it is just that - flat, so whatever I sculpt on the preamp/pedals/amp is what it will produce. I would therefore like to risk knocking the discussion off track by redefining what I think I need from the amp physically and sonically, bearing in mind all of the excellent comments so far:

 

Physically:

-Needs to be small enough to go in my gig bag and sit on my desktop for DI'ing into Cubase or Zoom for recording/teaching

-Really want to avoid fans if I can (but do appreciated the thoughts expressed so far)

-Must have pre/post DI and FX Loop

-Loudness is not critical. It does not need to have huge wattage - my Monza's efficiency has shown how much can be produced with comparatively little input. I don't need to compete with loud drummers or guitarists.

 

Sonically:

-Must have a low noise floor from the preamp and poweramp- this is primarily what I mean by "silent" (rather than fan noise etc). To provide context here: I used the Spectrum Curve tool in Cubase on the DI from the PJB D400, impedance on passive, gain up 100% (so worst case for noise), but with the connected bass turned right down and compared it to the same situation but measuring the DI from my Headway external preamp. The Headway was near as dammit silent - almost nothing on the spectrum curve  above -100db apart from a slight 50hz bump from the mains. The D400 on the other hand had noise ripples going all the way up the frequency spectrum at around -76db.  So anything I did on top of that for EQ, reverb, compression was just going to make that a lot worse.

-Rather than specifying "flat" or "hifi", I think "refined" now best defines what I look for in tone. I don't rock, I don't slap. What I need is a solid warm low bass, well projected upper mids/lower highs with a smooth, airy top end. Most of this I can sculpt with my Source Audio EQ2 but I have to start with a good fundamental tone. Basically I really want to only use the amp's EQ for compensating for room / stage issues. The older PJB kit was a close match but much less so with their newer preamps. The D400 was (I think) the last of that "old" sound, which is why the noise issues were so frustraing.

 

Forgot also to say that health-wise, charging up to Warwick or Camden Town is no longer a practical proposition for me, so I'm fairly restricted to what I can purchase on approval or take a risk on used.

I entirely understand if the collective group throws up their hands in despair at my pickyness - but just wanted to express again how valuable your thoughts have been in getting my own thinking right!

 

[Beedster]

On 31/08/2025 at 15:42, andyhaines said:

Sadly my new PJB D400 is going back. Much as I love the open, clear "hifi" sound, the preamp section is just a bit too noisy for my fussy tastes

 

Might be worth mentioning that I had a similar issue with a PJB Briefcase, sent it back, got a replacement, issue solved (and Phil himself was really helpful). Perhaps worth a try? 

[stevie]

If you could make it to the SW Bash in five weeks' time, there will be lots of heads for you to try.

[stevie]

26 minutes ago, Beedster said:

 

Might be worth mentioning that I had a similar issue with a PJB Briefcase, sent it back, got a replacement, issue solved (and Phil himself was really helpful). Perhaps worth a try? 

 

Sounds like a solution. Maybe get the retailer to check it for noise before shipping.

[andyhaines]

Thanks @Beedster, The head’s already gone back - tbh this didn’t feel like a faulty device, I think this particular amp is just a bit on the noisy side (and I’ve since heard from one other previous D400 owner that theirs hissed a bit too). The preamp on my Flightcase combo is certainly quieter and is also rated at 90db SNR whereas the D400 is 85db SNR

[andyhaines]

12 minutes ago, stevie said:

If you could make it to the SW Bash in five weeks' time, there will be lots of heads for you to try.

Sounds promising! Whereabouts and when?

[stevie]

 

[Hellzero]

So, the small amp heads (still available today new) without fans are:

 

Ampeg PF-20T (and can be used without speaker even if full tube): https://www.andertons.co.uk/ampeg-pf-20t-all-tube-20w-bass-head/

Ampeg PF-50T (and can be used without speaker even if full tube): https://www.thomann.co.uk/ampeg_pf_50t_bass_head.htm

Eich Amplification T300: https://www.thomann.co.uk/eich_amplification_t300.htm

Phil Jones BP-800: https://www.thomann.co.uk/phil_jones_bass_amp_head_bp_800.htm

Trickfish Bullhead 0.5K (but hard to source)

Trickfish Bullhead 1K (but hard to source)

 

That's it!

 

You can add the GR Bass One series with their defeatable fan.

 

That said, as you don't need so much power, the Eich Amplification T-300 is a good choice, but remember that it's in reality a 220 Watts into 4 Ohms head.

 

The two Ampegs are excellent sounding, but the form factor is not that convenient for your use.

 

[Stub Mandrel]

As electrical noise, not fan noise, is the issue the choice is very broad.

 

For your needs you could be best off with an advanced di/preamp pedal for recording and then a fairly basic power amp for stage use.

[andyhaines]

@Hellzero thanks for the list, much appreciated. Hadn’t considered Trickfish - Bass Direct have a Mini500 but looks like it has a fan and is top end of my budget. The Eich would be my choice from that list.

@Stub Mandrel yes I’ve been wondering about the separate preamp, poweramp plan as well

[Musicman20]

I am not sure of the noisefloor/fan situation, but the Genz Benz Shuttle/max amps and then the Genzler amps are VERY precise and clean.

 

https://www.thomann.co.uk/genzler_magellan_mg800.htm?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=1581403900&gclid=EAIaIQobChMImovYv4i6jwMVQJdQBh0_lQG_EAQYASABEgL87PD_BwE

 

A Markbass amp would probably get you there as well. LM4?

[Hellzero]

37 minutes ago, andyhaines said:

@Hellzero thanks for the list, much appreciated. Hadn’t considered Trickfish - Bass Direct have a Mini500 but looks like it has a fan and is top end of my budget. The Eich would be my choice from that list.

@Stub Mandrel yes I’ve been wondering about the separate preamp, poweramp plan as well

The Trickfish mini 500 does indeed have a fan, only the Bullhead series is fanless.

[BassAdder60]

Yes Magellan amps are quiet and neutral sounding if you want it 

 

Build quality is awesome too 

[Obrienp]

Sorry I may be a bit behind the curve here (I tried to read all the posts above but my other half was insistent on telling me about somebody, whom I have never met, kids latest news, despite the fact I was clearly reading something).
 

I see @Phil Starr stepped in about the Warwick Gnome. I think they are far from transparent in the EQ sense. I have owned the basic 200 watt version and now own the iPro 280 watt. I also have two LFSys Monzas and the first time I tried the iPro through a Monza it sounded horrible to my ears. Fortunately, @Phil Starr clued me in about the Gnome’s baked in EQ profile and I now have the weirdest looking settings, which make it sound good through the Monza. Conversely it sounds OK through my Barefaced Two10S without the tweaking but that is because it is unravelling the Two10S’ default vintage colouring. It is definitely the antidote to vintage; does that make it HiFi?
 

I have never found the jack out on the Gnome a problem and all my cabinets have speakon sockets. Just get a jack to speakon loudspeaker cable, available for very little on fleaBay and the like. If you want an effects loop, pre-post DI out and speakon sockets on a Gnome, you are going to have to go for the iPro 600 watt v2. It is still within your budget but is a bit bigger and heavier than the lower powered versions. It may still fit in a gig bag pocket though and it also benefits from 4 band EQ. I have no idea whether the baked in EQ is different from the original.

[Linus27]

29 minutes ago, Obrienp said:

Sorry I may be a bit behind the curve here (I tried to read all the posts above but my other half was insistent on telling me about somebody, whom I have never met, kids latest news, despite the fact I was clearly reading something).
 

I see @Phil Starr stepped in about the Warwick Gnome. I think they are far from transparent in the EQ sense. I have owned the basic 200 watt version and now own the iPro 280 watt. I also have two LFSys Monzas and the first time I tried the iPro through a Monza it sounded horrible to my ears. Fortunately, @Phil Starr clued me in about the Gnome’s baked in EQ profile and I now have the weirdest looking settings, which make it sound good through the Monza. Conversely it sounds OK through my Barefaced Two10S without the tweaking but that is because it is unravelling the Two10S’ default vintage colouring. It is definitely the antidote to vintage; does that make it HiFi?
 

I have never found the jack out on the Gnome a problem and all my cabinets have speakon sockets. Just get a jack to speakon loudspeaker cable, available for very little on fleaBay and the like. If you want an effects loop, pre-post DI out and speakon sockets on a Gnome, you are going to have to go for the iPro 600 watt v2. It is still within your budget but is a bit bigger and heavier than the lower powered versions. It may still fit in a gig bag pocket though and it also benefits from 4 band EQ. I have no idea whether the baked in EQ is different from the original.

 

I also run my Gnome 280w through my Barefaced Two10 and it sounds so much better through my TC 208 cab. It is much cleaner and punchier. I run my LM IV mostly through my Barefaced Two10 and the vintage colouring is noticeable. I think @Phil Starr worked out that the flat setting on the Gnome was bass at 10, Mids at 2 and Treble at 10 ..... I think.

[andyhaines]

2 hours ago, BassAdder60 said:

Yes Magellan amps are quiet and neutral sounding if you want it 

 

Build quality is awesome too 

Yes, listened to some Magellan 350 demos earlier, could possibly make a an exception on the fan if it’s as quiet as people say as it sounds promising and has the right features.. so far I’m also zeroing in on the Eich T300 and the GR Bass One 350

[andyhaines]

… just seen that the Magellan 350 has no fx loop and the fan is audible in a quiet room (which would be where I teach). Ah well!

[Hellzero]

It's funny how the fan can really drive some of us nuts.

 

The GR Bass One 350 doesn't have the Studio Mode (fan defeating), IIRC, it starts only from the 800 version on, which is close to the below mentioned head price wise, £60 more, but the possibility to totally bypass the EQ section (Pure Mode), way more power (so more headroom), 3 different low & high mids EQ presets, a fan that will start when needed (so you won't cook your head) and a built-in tuner (not that fast, but it's there).

 

On the Eich T-300, the Taste knob is an interesting function to rapidly tame the highs.

[Hellzero]

@andyhaines, there's an Eich T-300 in the classified at £460...