alright, first off i want to give a HUGE shoutout to the Vertex Audio team. without andrew and his crew i wouldnt have this amp to review let alone run.
got the amp this morning and unpacked it. the amp is MUCH smaller than it seems in pictures. the build quality on this thing is fantastic, i dont have the proper wrench/socket to remove the RCA's to get gut shots but i will as soon as i can find one. knobs and switches operate smoothly and feel nice, and the manual is AWESOME! its on a CD(didnt know what it was when i took the video), and doesnt just cover the Mikro.
here is a quick unboxing video:
http://s161.photobucket.com/user/mat3833/media/VIDEO0001.mp4.html
now onto the good stuff
preliminary listening impression:
i really should cover install and crap first, but i dont feel like typing that boring crap up before i give my first quick listening impression.
first here is the setup im running:
Pioneer DEH-P6000ub headunit
Zed Mikro IV front stage amp
MB Quart 218.61Q comps(passive)
Monster RCA's
Stinger speaker wire
Mmats D2100.2 sub amp
JBL GT MKII 15 sub
the only change made was pulling out a Coustic Power Logic Amp-286 and putting the Mikro in and setting the gain by ear just like i did the coustic using the same song(Metallica-Battery)
just took my room-mate to work and had a chance to listen to the amp for about 20 min at moderate volume. with the EQ flat and just using the headunit crossover all i can say is WOW. the coustic is by no means a low grade amp, it may be old, but it sounds great and always has even running bridged. the Mikro is on a whole different level. when i was running the coustic i had to cut the top end on the EQ by a good bit. the only EQ i have running the Mikro is -1 at 2K to clean up the crossover point. honestly i could run the EQ dead flat and it sounds tons better than the coustic or really any amp ive ran.
i have been fighting to tame the Tweets since i put them in. simply swapping the Mikro in COMPLETLEY changed how they sound. highs are still bright(how i like them) but not even remotley harsh. i really have no way to describe the change other than fantastic. "Pantera-Cemetary Gates" has always had a hard harmonic in the guitar throughout the song, using the EQ i had mostly tamed it running the coustic. once again, the Mikro running flat has almost completley removed the harmonic. playing "Santana- Black Magic Woman" is a completley diferent experiance now. i dont have the ability to run time alignment yet, and as such my stage is centered. but even sitting in the driver's seat it now sounds like the stage is much wider. playing songs that bounce from left to right channel alot(Avenged Sevenfold - Save Me) sound much better. midbass is "fuller" but still not where i want it(my doors are still not finished. COMPLETLEY not the amps fault here.). there is more detail in the 80-400hz region and things just sound smoother and warmer.
overall, in the first 20 minutes of listening to this amp i can honestly say that i am more than impressed. i cant wait to get to open this thing up and see what how it sounds at full tilt.
Matt
got the amp this morning and unpacked it. the amp is MUCH smaller than it seems in pictures. the build quality on this thing is fantastic, i dont have the proper wrench/socket to remove the RCA's to get gut shots but i will as soon as i can find one. knobs and switches operate smoothly and feel nice, and the manual is AWESOME! its on a CD(didnt know what it was when i took the video), and doesnt just cover the Mikro.
here is a quick unboxing video:
http://s161.photobucket.com/user/mat3833/media/VIDEO0001.mp4.html
now onto the good stuff
preliminary listening impression:
i really should cover install and crap first, but i dont feel like typing that boring crap up before i give my first quick listening impression.
first here is the setup im running:
Pioneer DEH-P6000ub headunit
Zed Mikro IV front stage amp
MB Quart 218.61Q comps(passive)
Monster RCA's
Stinger speaker wire
Mmats D2100.2 sub amp
JBL GT MKII 15 sub
the only change made was pulling out a Coustic Power Logic Amp-286 and putting the Mikro in and setting the gain by ear just like i did the coustic using the same song(Metallica-Battery)
just took my room-mate to work and had a chance to listen to the amp for about 20 min at moderate volume. with the EQ flat and just using the headunit crossover all i can say is WOW. the coustic is by no means a low grade amp, it may be old, but it sounds great and always has even running bridged. the Mikro is on a whole different level. when i was running the coustic i had to cut the top end on the EQ by a good bit. the only EQ i have running the Mikro is -1 at 2K to clean up the crossover point. honestly i could run the EQ dead flat and it sounds tons better than the coustic or really any amp ive ran.
i have been fighting to tame the Tweets since i put them in. simply swapping the Mikro in COMPLETLEY changed how they sound. highs are still bright(how i like them) but not even remotley harsh. i really have no way to describe the change other than fantastic. "Pantera-Cemetary Gates" has always had a hard harmonic in the guitar throughout the song, using the EQ i had mostly tamed it running the coustic. once again, the Mikro running flat has almost completley removed the harmonic. playing "Santana- Black Magic Woman" is a completley diferent experiance now. i dont have the ability to run time alignment yet, and as such my stage is centered. but even sitting in the driver's seat it now sounds like the stage is much wider. playing songs that bounce from left to right channel alot(Avenged Sevenfold - Save Me) sound much better. midbass is "fuller" but still not where i want it(my doors are still not finished. COMPLETLEY not the amps fault here.). there is more detail in the 80-400hz region and things just sound smoother and warmer.
overall, in the first 20 minutes of listening to this amp i can honestly say that i am more than impressed. i cant wait to get to open this thing up and see what how it sounds at full tilt.
Matt
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