The variable notch filter sweeps from 50Hz to 1kHz, but it did not prove very useful in my testing. The features you need are there, along with a backlit 8-band graphic EQ, compressor, super-lo and super-hi boosts, and link in and out jacks to daisy-chain to another amp. The input pad was useful, as the onboard preamp proved too hot, but the B1000HD spat back my attempts at Marcus-style funk with clarity and depth. Plugging in an active Jazz Bass, I was equally surprised by how well the amp conveyed more modern sounds. One of the coolest things about the old 360 was the built-in fuzz circuit, and the footswitchable overdrive on the B1000HD sounds great, whether set for a light browning or full-throttle thrash - I annoyed my neighbors for hours.
Diehard 360 fans will no doubt argue the point, but to my ear, it was close enough. My inner skeptic didn’t expect this amp to remind me of the legendary 360, but upon plugging in my passive Jazz Bass, I heard it - the crystal-clear top end, the almost strident midrange, and taut bottom jumped right out - with the amp set flat.
The brand was resurrected in 2007, and the B1000HD is Acoustic’s new entrant into the Class D world, along with 300-watt and 600-watt models. The solid-state Acoustic 360/361 was a cornerstone of high-volume music from the late ’60s into the ’70s, and fans of Jaco Pastorius and Larry Graham know the amp was an integral part of their tone. Acoustic B1000HDīottom Line A powerful mini that comes close to capturing the classic Acoustic 360 tone, but can dish up modern hi-fi, as well. It limits wasting power reproducing low frequencies that are below almost every bass cabinet’s low-end rolloff. To further ensure stability, the Subway includes an internal, always-on high-pass filter with a cutoff around 30Hz (this lowers a bit when the deep switch is engaged). The 700ASC/X is an exceptionally high-performing unit that’s more than up to the task, and unlike some other Class D/SMPS modules, it’s perfectly happy cruising along at a nominal 2Ù impedance. A well-engineered amp/PS module ought to just make the preamp sound louder. Rather, the unique stamp of each amp builder is better seen in the preamp tone and overall design integration of a given head. The know-how and R&D resources required to design a high-performing Class D amplifier and robust switch-mode power supply are simply out of the scope of most bass amplifier manufacturers, especially given the extraordinary performance of modules from ICE power and other manufacturers selling amp/power supply modules as original equipment. Like virtually every other lightweight Class D/SMPS head on the market, the Subway D-800 utilizes a 3rd-party power amplifier and power-supply module, in this case the ICEpower 700ASC/X. There’s also a deep switch, which slightly boosts low frequencies and lowers the cutoff of a high-pass filter (more on that below).
The 4-band EQ is standard fare, with shelving bass and treble filters accompanying two bands of peaking midrange.įinally, master operates as expected, controlling the input signal’s gain as it enters the power amp. The voicing filter is a complex, variable-frequency response curve that is essentially flat when it’s fully counter-clockwise and progressively more 'smiley-face' as it’s rolled up, with boosted bass and treble and a progressively attenuated midrange at higher settings. Input governs gain at the J-FET-based first stage and couples with the o/d indicator to precisely monitor overdrive. Save cash with one of the best budget bass ampsīottom Line The latest in an emerging trend of no-compromise lightweight heads, the Subway D-800 offers tons of headroom, volume, and flexibility, with grit for rockers and clean punch for the rest.Īs is almost universally the case with Mesa/Boogie amps, the Subway D-800 is handsome, with a no-nonsense exterior and elegant front-panel graphics and layout.My benchmarks were a Fender Road Worn Jazz Bass strung with DR Strings flats for the old-school side, and a ’74 Jazz loaded with a first-generation J-Retro preamp and spankin’ fresh Dunlop Marcus Miller strings to represent the modern thing.
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