What's new in Acoustic Amps..(october 1999)
The German-designed Acousticube incorporates just about every feature imaginable in a highly portable, 120-watt powerhouse. It sports two quarter-inch inputs on channel one (one of which is capable of delivering nine volts of phantom power), a clever combined quarterinch/XLR input (capable of delivering 48 volts of phantom power) on channel two, and separate three-band EQ. The only type of input that would add to the package is a TRS for players who use stereo pickup setups, but one can be connected via a simple Y cable (the amp can also be special-ordered with a TRS input built in). The Acousticube's back panel is more complicate d than som some amps' frontpanels. It houses several different outputs (seperate lines out for each channel as well as outputs for DI, tuner, headphones, stereo effects loop, etc.) along with their controls and switches. It also includes built-in, 32-bit digital effects, whose 100 presets are accessible by footswitch.The sound of the Acousticube defines the term transparant. All of the guitars we played through it were reproduced with extreme accuracy, and the amp highlighted each pickup system's strength s and weaknesses. The voices of the Huipe and the Lowden came through with a complexity I've prevlously achieved only through a fullscale PA system. Some noticeable compression kicks in at higher volumes, but it is never unmusical and I suspect that this is the only way to keep the bass response from overpowering the small unit. The amp's superlative performance can be further improved with an optional sub-bass box (Sub 10/250 P, $500), an active extension speaker designed to provide lower bass response and additional volume. Although $1700.00 for an amp could cause serious sticker shock, the Acousticube is a professional tool that is bound to please connoisseurs of high-end guitars as well as gigging pros who need the ultimate in sound and portability.