Acoustic Image 400 1A Clarus 1 Reviews 
5 / 5 based on 1 reviewsBass Northwest $400, near mint with case,
AC cord and 6ft Speakon to 1/4" lead.
I was looking for one of these after I'd
briefly played one, and they don't turn
up used very often.
300W into 2 ohms from 5lbs [2.3kg] !!!!!
Not only am I trying to miniaturize and
lighten everything in my kit, but I've
also been looking for a head that could
drive 2 ohms.
It's US-built in a small shop, with very
obvious care.
I especially like the Hi-Z & Lo-Z inputs
of matched gain that produce noticeble different voicings, and equally like the
sweepable hi-pass-or-notch filter.
Only one "dislike" and it's not a real
problem:
Although the power section has protective
circuitry, in case of even a momentary
short across the output, the makers remind
you that no protection can be 100%, that
a short could possibly destroy the power section, and so Speakon connectors rather
than 1/4" plugs are hugely encouraged.
OK, so I spent $40 on a pair of 10ft 12ga
speker wires. It's just that paranoid
attitudes are unpleasant, so I list this
in the "don't like" section.
Not a dislike but a warning: It's a very
honest amp. It may just rap you on the
knuckles to improve your technique.
It's tiny. It won't cover a letter-sized
sheet of paper and is not over 3" [75mm]
in height. Outer casing is made of sheet
steel and it comes in a small well-padded
tote bag, smaller than Ms. Diva's purse,
that holds the head and connecting cords.
It has an effects loop with return level
control, an XLR out jack, Hi-Z and Lo-Z
inputs OF MATCHED GAIN, bass, mid, treble
and brite knobs, and hi-pass/notch filter
toggle button with frequency sweep knob.
There's one pre-amp gain knob and one
master power output knob. The Lo-Z is
seperately buffered and can take direct
input from a piezo ribbon.
AC in can be 50/60hz at 115 or 230v.
For the non-headbanger crowd, this is the
Holy Grail. Also it never runs dirty, so
you can't do the Jimi/SRV thing, but it's
not specifically a bass head and is just
as well suited for jazz guitar, keys etc.
All your tonal coloration comes from your
ax and your cabs. This thing is neutral.
BTW, there is a model with an independent
mic channel for horns, vocals etc.
Golem rated this unit
on
2004-09-17.
