![]() Later models make the 12:00 MASTER position near to full output, a more familiar circuit to most players. A conversation with the folks at Hartke explained at least some of the problem: Early models like my tester require the player to dime the MASTER knob to get the amp’s full clean output. It’s best to think of the TX600’s EQ as an abstract set of frequency-dependant filters that combine to produce a host of musical tones.Īs I somewhat expected, given the Hypex Class D module’s published output rating, the TX600 didn’t seem as loud as I might expect from a 600-watt amp. Plus, no matter your familiarity with the circuit, it’ll never be precise by any normal standard. The EQ will be familiar if you’ve used a Fender-style tone stack, but if you’re accustomed to a conventional Baxandall-inspired boost/cut circuit, there’s a learning curve. The compressor, which offers control only over the circuit’s threshold, does well for a one-knob job, taming transients and smoothing out sound without being too aggressive, thanks in part to its 2:1 ratio. The attack is a bit soft, but that never bothered me, given its inherent personality. Its creamy, syrupy texture is just right with passive basses or anyone looking for a smooth sound. If you love vintage amps’ guts and thrust but don’t want to deal with the schlep, I can’t think of a better value out there than the TX600. The Hartke is one of the rootsier-sounding Class D/SMPS heads I’ve heard: authentically tube-y and colorful, in the grand tradition of the Ampeg B-15 or Fender Bassman, but with much more output power. ![]() Test cabinets included everything from an Ampeg SVT 8x10 to a Markbass New York 121 1x12. I tested the TX600 with a big variety of basses and cabs, including vintage Fenders, a Callowhill, an F Bass BN5, and a Moollon J-V classic. How, then, does the TX600 manage 600 watts into the same speaker load, as Hartke claims? Light & loaded This leads me to my one real concern about the TX600: According to Hypex’s own literature, the UcD400 outputs a maximum 400 watts into a 4Ω load. Given the broad product range in the Samson line, I imagine Hartke easily leveraged its in-house engineers for the task.) Hartke chose one of the best Class D manufacturers, Hypex, sourcing its UcD400 model. (Interestingly, Hartke provides its own power supply. There’s no problem with that, as the complex nature of a well-designed Class D amp is best left to specialists rather than the bass-amp generalists in our community. Like every bass-amp company I’m aware of, Hartke did not design or manufacture the TX600’s Class D power section. Sure enough, both plates measured over 200 volts-a good sign. Without a schematic, it’s hard to know its role in the circuit, but one quick test of whether a tube is merely a marketing ploy is to check the voltage on the dual triode’s two anodes, or “plates.” If it’s high, there’s a good chance the tube is being put to real use. In addition to the tone-stack EQ, the TX600 makes another nod to the old school with its integrated 12AX7 preamp tube. Hartke added a cool twist to the standard tone-stack circuit with the FREQUENCY control, which allows a player to adjust the center frequency of the midrange filter, here confusingly called “SHAPE.” Tone stacks are passive filters, meaning no gain is directly added when you turn up a knob, but in an amp’s signal chain, the tone stack is often followed by a stage that amplifies the signal (in a sense), creating a sensation that a boost has occurred. Since a bass signal “sees” the sum total of all of the tone stacks’ component values (including the shifting resistance that occurs when one or more of the potentiometers is turned), each knob setting substantially affects the signal’s overall frequency character. Compared to an EQ with a series of buffered, active filters, the tone stack is a highly interactive series of highpass and lowpass filters. This circuit, first popularized in the Fender Dual Showman, is one of the most prevalent in bass and guitar amps-not because of precision or fidelity, but rather its intrinsically musical sound. The source of this interactivity is the design Hartke chose for its EQ: a Fender-style tone stack.
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