Most of us are quite
at ease when playing an instrument in a purely acoustic setting,
such as in a small ensemble or a large orchestra with an attentive
audience. But what about those locations, such as cafés and
other small public venues, where you may be competing with conversation,
kitchen clatter, or other background noise while performing? If
you’re planning to play fiddle (or any other bowed instrument)
in a venue that requires a boost in volume but you want to maintain
the integrity of the acoustic sound, it may be time to invest in
one of the new generation of compact and reasonably affordable acoustic
amplifiers. When used with a good pickup or microphone, many of
the new models create a transparent sound that is close to the actual
sound of your instrument.
When shopping for an
acoustic amp, you need to be clear about how and where you’re
going to use it. If you need only a little boost for playing at
a coffeehouse or a wedding reception then a small, portable amp—not
much bigger than a bread box—is probably what you’re looking
for. On the other hand, if you need to compete with a loud drummer
or intend to use the amplifier as a self-contained public address
system (which may involve multiple instruments or a vocal mic),
you’ll probably want to look at some more powerful options.
For this review, we chose four new models that meet the requirements
of the former group by being small enough to easily carry with one
hand, but offering enough power to be used on the gig. We tested
the AER Alpha, the Ashdown Acoustic Radiator 1, the Crate CA30D,
and the Ultrasound AG-50DS2. All four employ solid-state technology:
no tubes.
If you already have
an elaborate preamp, it won't matter if the amp doesn't offer much
tonal equalization (or EQ), a DI output, or a special effects loop
(see glossary of terms below). But if you don't, then getting a
full-featured amp may be a good idea.
Strings enlisted
a panel of players and a technical expert to examine four new acoustic
amps that are small and very portable. Each player tested the amps
with his or her own pickup- or mic-equipped acoustic violin. The
reviewers were Irish and Scottish fiddler Paul Chaffee (Fishman
V-100 bridge pickup and Pro-EQ preamp), teacher and performer Bobbi
Nikles (Radio Shack clip-on lavaliere mic), Sue Draheim of the Irish-infused
folk-rock band Tempest (L.R. Baggs bridge pickup for her acoustic
violin, as well as a Jordan solid-body electric violin), and jazz
violinist Jeremy Cohen of Quartet San Francisco (wireless Sennheiser
300 series lavaliere mic and transmitter). We also used an L.R.
Baggs Para DI preamp to determine whether an additional signal boost
or equalization could improve the sound of certain pickups.
During our amp-testing
session, we quickly learned that different instruments and setups
sound vastly different with the exact same amps, so it’s essential
to bring your rig to the music store and try out some amps for yourself.
Chaffee sounded best on the Ultrasound and Crate amps. Cohen preferred
the AER and the Ashdown, but also sounded good through the Crate—all
of which he liked for different reasons (mainly the AER for its
transparency, the Ashdown for warmth, and the Crate for its great
price and comparable sound). Although the AER sounded spectacular
with Draheim's and Cohen’s rigs, Chaffee and Nikles had difficulty
getting a good sound from it. In fact, even though Nikles is very
fond of the way her microphone sounds through a larger PA, she had
trouble finding a satisfactory sound with any of the four amps we
looked at, finally deciding that the Ashdown was the best compromise.
Note: The four acoustic
amps reviewed here are designed primarily for the larger acoustic
guitar market, though the manufacturers agree that these products
also serve the needs of string players.
AER
Alpha
German-made AER amplifiers
are known for producing amazing sound in small packages. At about
ten inches cubed, the tiny Alpha is now the most portable (and least
expensive) product in the AER line. The amp features two inputs
(a combination quarter-inch/XLR on channel one and a quarter-inch
on channel two), 24 volts of phantom power, a three-band EQ and
digital reverb (that works on both channels), an XLR DI out, a quarter-inch
line out, an effects loop, and a connection for a footswitch that
controls the internal reverb and externally patched-in processors.
A handy carrying bag makes this one of the easiest-to-carry amps
around.
The AER's performance
varied greatly depending on the other equipment it was used with.
Chaffee and Nikles found the amp too bright with their setups, with
Nikles also fighting feedback problems. Chaffee's fiddle took on
an electric quality, which he attributed to some added harmonics.
Cohen on the other hand
got a great sound from the AER. His high-quality mic allowed the
amp to faithfully reproduce the signal without adding or subtracting
much of anything. Cohen found the sound "brighter and grittier"
than some other amps.
The true proponent of
this amp was Draheim. With her acoustic violin from an unknown German
maker (early 1900s), she concluded that the AER was "very good—this
is my winner." The amp sounded wonderful with Draheim’s
Baggs rig and she was able to play at an impressively full, clear,
and loud volume. Her Jordan electric also sounded good with the
AER–and carried especially well in the bass range.
At press time, AER was
getting ready to also distribute its Compact Classic Pro amp in
the United States. Designed specifically with "classical"
instruments in mind, the amp promises carefully voiced EQ, mic inputs,
and switchable presets for a variety of mics, pickups, and applications.
Specifications: AER
Alpha, $899. 40 watts, one eight-inch twin-cone speaker, two channels,
14.3 pounds. Two-year warranty. Fred Coyner Musical Instruments,
(800) 799-9733, www.aer-amps.de
Ashdown
Acoustic Radiator 1
This is the smaller
of two acoustic amps offered by the British manufacturer. The amp’s
distinctive vertically arranged control panel offers controls for
two channels: quarter-inch inputs for channels one and two, an XLR
input (with switchable phantom power) for channel two, and individual
gain, bass, and treble controls for each channel. Channel one also
includes a notch filter and push-buttons that let you set the amp
for active or passive pickups, reverse the phase, or activate a
"shape" function that uses a preset mid-cut EQ curve.
There’s also a master volume control, a master control for
the unit’s digital reverb, and more push-button controls that
let you choose between long or short and "hall" or "plate"
reverb settings (the first reproducing the sound of a concert hall,
the second that of a studio reverb).
The Ashdown sounded
very good overall, and everyone agreed that it had a certain warmth
that was very likable. The controls were a little confusing, and
we felt that it would be an improvement to have them up on the top
of the amp rather than down the side. Chaffee was the only player
of our bunch who didn’t care much for the way the amp made
his violin sound, saying that "this has a lot less dimension
in the sound" after his test run. However, Cohen was able to
coax some of the best sounds we heard during our session out of
the amp, and it also sounded great with Draheim’s Jordan electric
violin. The amp’s switch for passive or active pickups also
helped bring out the best with passive systems without using an
external preamp.
Even though Nikles experienced
a slight buzzing that didn’t seem to be an issue with the other
amps, she was the real proponent of
the Acoustic Radiator. Plugging her mic directly into the amp’s
phantom-powered XLR input yielded a sound that she felt was the
closest to what she’s used to hearing from a PA.
Specifications:
Ashdown Acoustic Radiator 1, $899. 100 watts, one eight-inch
speaker with dual tweeter array, two channels, 24.5 pounds. Five-year
warranty. HHB Communications USA, (805) 579-6490, www.ashdownmusic.co.uk.
Crate
CA30D
This wood-paneled unit,
the smallest member of Crate’s family of acoustic amps, features
two quarter-inch inputs with individualvolume
controls, overall three-band EQ (with frequency-selectable midrange
settings), and digital effects (which include reverb, chorus, delay,
and so on).
Considering the Crate’s
low cost, we were surprised by how well it performed. Although it
worked less than favorably for Draheim and Nikles (Draheim’s
rig and playing style made the amp distort, and Nikles was unable
to dial in a good sound at any volume), it performed admirably for
Chaffee and Cohen. "There is a good, woody sound through this,"
Cohen said. Chaffee also liked aspects of this amp, such as the
fact that "it has retained the punch of the ornaments, which
are so important to fiddling." He felt that the amp had less
"oomph" than the others (considering its lower power-rating,
this is no surprise), and felt that it really needed his Fishman
preamp to work. Overall though, this is an option worth considering,
and players who need more power or features would do well to check
out Crate’s larger offerings.
Specifications:
Crate CA30D, $480. 30 watts, one eight-inch speaker, one high-frequency
tweeter, two channels, 38 pounds. Five-year transferable
warranty on amplifier, two years on speakers. St. Louis Music, (800)
738-7563, www.crateamps.com.
Ultrasound
AG-50DS2
As a relatively new
company, Ultrasound has the distinction of producing nothing but
acoustic-instrument amps and related accessories. Although Ultrasound
also makes both smaller and larger amps, the compact 50-watt version
we checked out is considered by many to be a classic. The AG-50DS2’s
control panel is split into two channels. Starting out is a mic
channel, which features an XLR-input (unfortunately without phantom
power) that is complemented by controls for bass, treble, and channel
volume. The instrument channel (labeled "guitar") features
a quarter-inch input, effects loop, controls for the amp’s
built-in digital effects (which include various reverbs, choruses,
delays, and so on), channel volume, bass and treble EQ, a notch-filter,
and "shape" switch (which provides a preset EQ curve).
A master volume control completes the array. The amp’s back
offers an XLR DI-output, as well as quarter-inch connectors for
interfacing with Ultrasound’s powered extension speakers.
The Ultrasound proved
to be a more difficult match to our array of violins and pickups
than the other amps. Draheim and Nikles were unimpressed, finding
the amp’s darker sound muddy and lacking volume for their setups.
Using our external preamp helped in getting more power out of the
amp, but we felt that it would benefit from a hotter input stage.
Cohen liked the Ultrasound, but with reservations: "This has
a nice sound, mellower altogether. But the response feels less focused,
and I hear it breaking up on some of the low notes," he added.
To demonstrate how much
mileage can vary, Chaffee found that this was the amp that worked
the best for him. "The response is good, there is no crackle,
and I like the darker sound," he explained.
Specifications:
Ultrasound AG-50DS2, $480. 50 watts, two eight-inch speakers
with cone-mounted tweeters, two channels, 23.7 pounds. Five-year
transferable warranty. Ultrasound Amplifiers, (888) 308-1557, www.ultrasoundamps.com.
GLOSSARY
Amplifier: The
"black box" used to boost the signals transmitted from
the pickup. Most amps include one or more speakers, a preamp with
volume and sound-shaping controls, and the actual power-generating
circuitry.
DI (direct injection)
Box: A small device that converts a high-impedance signal (such
as that from a pickup) into the low-impedance signal needed to pass
through long cables without signal loss. An active DI includes preamp
circuitry that requires an AC adapter, batteries, or phantom power.
A passive DI means that no power is required. A DI output is a low-impedance
output (usually using a balanced XLR connector) on an amp or preamp,
eliminating the need for a DI box.
Effects: Alterations
made upon the tone of an amplified instrument. Some effects, like
reverb, can enhance a natural sound, while chorus, delay, distortion,
and others add unusual characteristics. An effects loop lets you
plug in effects between the preamp and the power amp.
Lapel/lavaliere Mic:
A small microphone type that was originally designed to clip onto
a clothing lapel, but is also used for mounting on the violin bridge,
tailpiece, or body.
Pickup: A tiny
sensor (often made from piezo material) that converts string vibrations
into a continuous electrical signal. Some pickups can be mounted
to a standard bridge without modifying the instrument, others are
fitted to specially made violin bridges.
Preamp: A small
device used to match the impedance of a pickup with that of an amp
or PA. Often, a preamp is also used to boost the signal-strength,
resulting in more volume.
XLR: A three-pin
locking connector widely used in professional audio, normally for
transmitting balanced mic and line-level signals.
