Product: Acoustic Amplification AB50
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted
03/20/2008
at
10:29pm
by
Don P
Features
:
8
Nice features, 2 inputs, 2 volume controls give 2-channel operation, 3-band equalizer, various input and output jacks. Very good looking, classic Acoustic style. Solid state, 50 watts, 1x10" Eminence speaker. Tilt-back wedge design. Tolex covered. Made in China.
Sound Quality
:
2
This where the amp has a problem. First, the cabinet is made of MDF. Good damping, not so much for stiffness. That in itself is not uncommon, but the cabinet has two basic design flaws. First, it has just a single interior compartment housing both the speaker (which in itself seems to be a decent Eminence) and the amp. So the excursion of the speaker cone causes jets of air to woofle in and out of all the jacks, pots, and any other openings in the control panel. This causes a loud and extremely annoying noise like something is rattling or buzzing inside the cabinet, or the speaker is farting out. The second issue is that the speaker baffle board (3/4" MDF) is supported only on 3 sides. The free edge vibrates like crazy, which accentuates the first problem. This can be fixed with some added internal bracing; the first problem is a lot harder to fix as there is no other ventilatin for teh electronics. I laid a folded-up towel over the control panel, and it actually sounded pretty good. If you play only in loud environments, the noise may not be objectionable. But for playing acoustic-electric settings, not so good. I compared it to another unit at GC which had the same noise. As it is a function of the basic design of the cabinet, I suspect they will all be just as bad. I returned it.
Reliability
:
No Opinion
Customer Support
:
1
I sent two emails to their support address, never got any response. No help at all.
Overall Rating
:
2
I have been playing bass & guitar off & on for 40 years. Have played through a lot of great equipment, including the real Acoustic hardware. Acoustic Amplification aquired the name and aspires to the legacy of Acoustic Control Corp., but I found the problems with this amp to be basic and amateur. Not at all a robust design. I had high hopes and was extremely disappointed. With the towel on it, the sound was actually pretty good, but I refuse to live with a folded towel covering the control panel. I returned it. What were they thinking!?
