Bass Gear Review

Reviewer	Pete Brunelli
Experience	25
Review date	April 23 2002
Manufacturer	Acoustic Image
Model	300IA Clarus
Price	525 USD
Item owned for	1-6 months

Dimensions	8x6x4 inches
Weight	5 lbs
Power	300W@2Ohms
EQ	4 band
Other	small, light, loud

After a few years of using a GK MB150S and a variety of extension cabs, I started looking for a better solution. As nice as the GK is it has a very "GK" sound and I usually set it flat. I have a QSC PLX but by the time I fitted it with a suitable preamp and rack case I was dealing with a 60+ pound hassle. The sound from the QSC was what I wanted, clean, accurate, loads of headroom, but the weight was a penalty. I don't play huge rooms at high volume, so having a huge rig isn't for me. After trying the Coda combo, and then the Clarus and Contra, I was sold on the AI products. Not only did my basses sound the way they did in the studio, the individuality of the cabinets that I use was distinct. As much as I don't play big loud venues, the volume that this rig makes into a pair of 4 Ohm cabs is impressive. You won't be competing with the drummer if you set this up properly.

Physical rundown: Heavy steel chassis with solid-feeling high quality pots on the control deck. Parallel Neutrik output connectors, a nice DI out, and an effects loop mean that you don't need a lot of outboard wiring. The killer feature for acoustic players is that the hi-Z inputs can take a piezo transducer directly. The low-gain input works great with active or passive basses. A combination of good input buffering and excellent gain structure makes it a no-brainer to get a tight punchy sound.

What it won't do: You can't get a raunchy distorted sound like an SVT or Marshall out of it, but... It will reproduce an amp/cab/disto modeling box perfectly. My bassdriverDI on SVT sounds fab.

Three thumbs up!

Construction	98%
(built like a tank)
Clarity	98%
(crystal clear uncolored sound)
Versatility	95%
(not just a bass amp)
Volume	90%
(very loud with a 4ohm cabinet)
Value	95%
Overall	98%
(I'd buy another in a heartbeat)