Most Liked Positive Review

Little Mark Tube 800

I have had the same pair of Acme Sound B1 cabinets for nine years. I like them for their portability, flat response and three-way design. Over the years I have struggled to find a bass head to pair them with that matches their functionality. I started with an Eden WT-400, then a Euphonic Audio iAmp 500, an Ashdown Labs Superfly, an Acoustic Image Clarus 2R Series III and a Mesa Walkabout before settling on the Little Mark Tube 800. I needed something compact, which all of these were, except that the iAmp 500 didn't sit atop the B1's well. I needed something with warmth, which the Superfly and the Clarus both lacked and I needed something with headroom, which the Mesa had, but with a lot of added noise. I've found that most Class D switching amps really don't live up to their output ratings. Giving up the weight generally means that clipping will occur long before a Class D amp is ever at full output. For example, the Clarus actually showed artifacts on its waveform at about 87 watts. The Little Mark 800 is everything I've been waiting for. It's true power from a well designed and lightweight Class D power section that lives up to its promise of 800W @ 4 ohms. The VLE and VPF filters help to give it the vintage tone I liked from the Mesa but without the weight and loud cooling fan. I can easily revert back to a more solid state sound as well by adjusting the Solid S/Tube knob. This amp is very portable, but still has enough girth to let you know that there are some solid components inside that are going to work for you night after night. The push/pull mute switch on the master volume knob is another great innovation except that it gets a little difficult to pull at times if your fingers are sweaty. I double on upright and electric and having the ability to provide +48V phantom power to an additional channel as well as having independent gain settings is, quite frankly, AWESOME. It also works when doubling on active and passive basses that have vastly different output levels. The price on this amp is also staggering. MarkBass is killing the competition here in the boutique Class D market and their components are obviously far more superior. The MarkBass power section is actually comparable to Class H power, which is usually reserved for very high end audiophile equipment.