BBE BMAX preamp

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Author Message precarius Advanced Member Username: precarius Post Number: 326 Registered: 11-2005 Posted on Tuesday, February 08, 2011 - 8:16 pm:    Does anybody have experience with this preamp? I picked one up for $150 just for something different to play with. Anybody like it? Anybody hate it? lbpesq Senior Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 4742 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Wednesday, February 09, 2011 - 6:48 am:    I have their Acoustimax preamp for acoustic instruments. I love it. It also has their famous Sonic Maximzer included in the unit. Bill, tgo bsee Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 2532 Registered: 3-2004 Posted on Wednesday, February 09, 2011 - 7:39 am:    I have heard good things about the tube version, though less interest in the non-tube. Everything has a color and everyone has an ear. It's a rare item in the market that doesn't have some usable tones in it. If you have it, give it a whirl. Toss any preconceptions out the window and give all the knobs a thorough spin, you may find something interesting. precarius Advanced Member Username: precarius Post Number: 327 Registered: 11-2005 Posted on Wednesday, February 09, 2011 - 9:13 am:    Leaving the F1-X aside, to my ears, I can't tell that much difference between a solid state amp and an amp with a 12AX7 tube in the preamp. With the F1-X I can hear a big difference with a different brand tube. Everything else? Not so much. bassman4 Junior Username: bassman4 Post Number: 19 Registered: 3-2009 Posted on Thursday, February 10, 2011 - 6:12 pm:    A a general review, it's a good quality mid-line pre-amp; with the added clarity of the BBE circuit...The compressor function on it is very adequate, though it does not rise to the level of a DBX 160A...The gain structuring is very good...but the unit itself can be noisy in non-filtered power situations. Overall; I would not be ashamed to fire it up on stage at all. The Tube version; (BMax-T) is warmer in tonality, nothing more. bassman10096 Senior Member Username: bassman10096 Post Number: 1264 Registered: 7-2003 Posted on Sunday, March 27, 2011 - 7:37 pm:    I use the non-tube version in rehearsal and have occasionally taken it to a gig when I've had problems in my stage rig. It doesn't give me the sound I like in my main rig, but having heard a couple other players playing through it (we were responsible for providing the backline for a benefit), I'd say it sounded pretty good out front. A bargain for $150.