PG Bass Cube?

[Hypnoz 10+ year member]

Is this thing worth it for $120? Does it add non-clipping bass?

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[geolemon 10+ year member]

Is this thing worth it for $120? Does it add non-clipping bass?

Those are great questions, and you worded it really well...

"is it worth $120?"

Depends on what you are looking for in a bass-enhancement toy (I call them all toys.. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif)

As I understand it (I've never used the PG bass cube), the bass cube is simply a single-band parametric EQ. If you don't know what a parametric EQ is, it is one where you don't just pick how much cut or boost you want, but you also get to vary the [/i]frequency[/i] where you want that boost or cut to occur at.

...a true parametric EQ would also allow you to vary the "Q" of the band also, which is how narrow or wide you want the affected frequency range to be.

...the Bass Cube seems to allow you to pick "wide" or "narrow", just not variable. No biggie, IMO.

Spec says you can place that EQ band anywhere from 20Hz to 110Hz, and it's also got a subsonic filter which might be nice if you don't have one.

So if that's what you are looking for, something to allow you to pick a certain frequency (narrow "Q" setting) or surrounding range of frequencies (wide "Q" setting) and boost or cut them, to even out your sub's response for example, then this is your ticket.

But there are other types of bass "toys" out there...

I personally own an Audiocontrol Epicenter (and an Epic 150, for when I get the Pathfinder hooked up). Both of these are fun toys in a different way.

The Epicenter is certainly not a SQ toy... good thing it's defeatable. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

The Epicenter actually makes fake bass that doesn't really exist in the music, which can be really fun. It simply isolates out certain frequencies in the music (I think it's between 60Hz and 200hz, but I don't remember offhand), mathematically divides them in half, and mixes the new frequencies (between 30Hz and 100Hz) back in with the music.

If you are a guitar player, you might be familiar with an "octave" effect pedal - this is basically the same thing.

So the Epicenter actually makes fake bass, it's a different beast.

And finally, if you are happy with the frequency response of your subwoofer system, and you just want a control that allows you to bring the WHOLE THING up and down... turn the sub down for good sound quality, turn the thing to mind-blowing levels for some serious boom at any frequency, all you really need is an amp that comes with a remote gain control.

With most of these remote gain controls, you set the amp up to maximum output without clipping, and you can then use the gain control up front to throttle the amp back as needed, or to let it rip full-bore (which is generally, with these powerful amps, a really bass-heavy proposition.)

Don't confuse that with amps that come with remote bass controls, that are simply EQ's, that are less flexible than the Bass Cube above. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

Options, options.... //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/cool.gif.3bcaf8f141236c00f8044d07150e34f7.gif

"Does it add non-clipping bass?"

In a word, no.

Or yes.

It's an EQ. It has the ability to not only cut, but boost... I'd like to measure this one specifically to see if that is actually true, or if it follows the model of some EQ's of "cut, only" (and in reality, it's all in how you treat the midpoint, when setting your gains. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif).

Clipping is essentially controlled by how conservatively you set your gains on your amp.

The gain control is simply a knob that you use to tell the amp "expect a signal of THIS size to come through".

If you set that to 2v, for example, and try to shove a 2.5v signal through, you'll clip the top and bottom of the waveform off it, so that all that gets "into" the amp is a 2v signal, you lopped off some of the signal.

It's like building an invisible doorway with an invisible surgical steel knife blade at the top...

If you build an invisible doorway expecting only short people, and put that threshhold at 5'... (like setting your gain control way up... "expect a low voltage")

And then a 6' man tries to jog through the invisible doorway, his head would be cut off. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wow.gif.23d729408e9177caa2a0ed6a2ba6588e.gif

Likewise, if you set your amp gains with that Bass Cube at "0"... so the amp was right at the threshhold of clipping at that point, then obviously if you add any 'boost' with the Bass Cube, you have the potential to send a larger signal to the amp than it is configured to handle, and the input will clip.

...it's only potential, because the size of that signal is also dependent on your volume knob. If you don't have the volume all the way to as high as it was when you set your gains, then you'll have some headroom to add 'boost'.

None of this is REALLY associated with the Bass Cube though.

Clipping is dependent on how you set your gains.

 

[awalbert88 10+ year member]

Jeebus, man, you're really on a roll here lately. Next time I jog through an invisible doorway, I'll remember to duck.

I had understood clipping before reading your post, but that is definately the best explanation for it that I've read thus far.