The features you need are there, along with a backlit 8-band graphic EQ, compressor, super-lo and super-hi boosts, and link in and out jacks to daisy-chain to another amp. The input pad was useful, as the onboard preamp proved too hot, but the B1000HD spat back my attempts at Marcus-style funk with clarity and depth. Plugging in an active Jazz Bass, I was equally surprised by how well the amp conveyed more modern sounds. One of the coolest things about the old 360 was the built-in fuzz circuit, and the footswitchable overdrive on the B1000HD sounds great, whether set for a light browning or full-throttle thrash - I annoyed my neighbors for hours. Diehard 360 fans will no doubt argue the point, but to my ear, it was close enough. My inner skeptic didnвЂ™t expect this amp to remind me of the legendary 360, but upon plugging in my passive Jazz Bass, I heard it - the crystal-clear top end, the almost strident midrange, and taut bottom jumped right out - with the amp set flat.

The brand was resurrected in 2007, and the B1000HD is AcousticвЂ™s new entrant into the Class D world, along with 300-watt and 600-watt models. The solid-state Acoustic 360/361 was a cornerstone of high-volume music from the late вЂ™60s into the вЂ™70s, and fans of Jaco Pastorius and Larry Graham know the amp was an integral part of their tone. AcousticВ B1000HDД«ottom LineВ A powerful mini that comes close to capturing the classic Acoustic 360 tone, but can dish up modern hi-fi, as well. It limits wasting power reproducing low frequencies that are below almost every bass cabinetвЂ™s low-end rolloff. To further ensure stability, the Subway includes an internal, always-on high-pass filter with a cutoff around 30Hz (this lowers a bit when the deep switch is engaged).

The 700ASC/X is an exceptionally high-performing unit thatвЂ™s more than up to the task, and unlike some other Class D/SMPS modules, itвЂ™s perfectly happy cruising along at a nominal 2Г™ impedance. A well-engineered amp/PS module ought to just make the preamp sound louder. Rather, the unique stamp of each amp builder is better seen in the preamp tone and overall design integration of a given head. The know-how and R&D resources required to design a high-performing Class D amplifier and robust switch-mode power supply are simply out of the scope of most bass amplifier manufacturers, especially given the extraordinary performance of modules from ICE power and other manufacturers selling amp/power supply modules as original equipment. Like virtually every other lightweight Class D/SMPS head on the market, the Subway D-800 utilizes a 3rd-party power amplifier and power-supply module, in this case the ICEpower 700ASC/X. ThereвЂ™s also a deep switch, which slightly boosts low frequencies and lowers the cutoff of a high-pass filter (more on that below). The 4-band EQ is standard fare, with shelving bass and treble filters accompanying two bands of peaking midrange.ДЇinally, master operates as expected, controlling the input signalвЂ™s gain as it enters the power amp. The voicing filter is a complex, variable-frequency response curve that is essentially flat when itвЂ™s fully counter-clockwise and progressively more 'smiley-face' as itвЂ™s rolled up, with boosted bass and treble and a progressively attenuated midrange at higher settings. Input governs gain at the J-FET-based first stage and couples with the o/d indicator to precisely monitor overdrive. Save cash with one of the best budget bass ampsД«ottom LineВ The latest in an emerging trend of no-compromise lightweight heads, the Subway D-800 offers tons of headroom, volume, and flexibility, with grit for rockers and clean punch for the rest.ДЄs is almost universally the case with Mesa/Boogie amps, the Subway D-800 is handsome, with a no-nonsense exterior and elegant front-panel graphics and layout.My benchmarks were a Fender Road Worn Jazz Bass strung with DR Strings flats for the old-school side, and a вЂ™74 Jazz loaded with a first-generation J-Retro preamp and spankinвЂ™ fresh Dunlop Marcus Miller strings to represent the modern thing.

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