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Old 09-17-2014, 05:37 AM
markcrawford markcrawford is offline
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Default K&K mach2 review

Well I sold my pure xlr preamp (kept one) in favor of the K&K mach2. I wanted the notch filter and also the tuner out and mute capabilities. What I did not realize is that the Mach2 is NOT a pure xlr with these added features. Not at all. The treble and mid range controls have different perimeters.

I started comparing them one day and was very surprised. the mach2 was not as loud as the pure xlr with the gain turned all the way down and volume at the midpoint. I thought something may be wrong with the mach2 and contacted "Jack" at K&K. After much consultation he informed me that the pure xlr has a different treble and middle filter and that it would be slightly louder because of some parts differences.

The mach 2 does not cut treble as much with the treble control and also does not have as much "low end bloom" (which is a great thing). The mach2 seems more balanced and the treble (on a super bright guitar of mine) was clearer which gave me the illusion of less cut if that makes sense.

I was thinking of sending the mach2 back to be looked at becaues it was way more than 2 db quieter than the pure xlr but it runs very quiet and sounds so clean. I think there is nothing wrong with it, it is just different and I did nt realize that. I like it mo-betta. Here is a comment from K&K:

"The differences you are experiencing may be from part differences in the two circuits. Also there is a difference in the filter response of the PureXLR midrange compared to the Mach2 which may account for the extra "bloom". The two circuits are not the same and it is probably a little unrealistic to want them to sound the same or have the same response curves."

The Low end of the mach 2 is easier to control even without the notch filter and the unit sounds "clearer" to my ear. Good investment if you have K&K pickups.
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Old 09-17-2014, 11:47 PM
chrono chrono is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by markcrawford View Post
Well I sold my pure xlr preamp (kept one) in favor of the K&K mach2. I wanted the notch filter and also the tuner out and mute capabilities. What I did not realize is that the Mach2 is NOT a pure xlr with these added features. Not at all. The treble and mid range controls have different perimeters.

I started comparing them one day and was very surprised. the mach2 was not as loud as the pure xlr with the gain turned all the way down and volume at the midpoint. I thought something may be wrong with the mach2 and contacted "Jack" at K&K. After much consultation he informed me that the pure xlr has a different treble and middle filter and that it would be slightly louder because of some parts differences.

The mach 2 does not cut treble as much with the treble control and also does not have as much "low end bloom" (which is a great thing). The mach2 seems more balanced and the treble (on a super bright guitar of mine) was clearer which gave me the illusion of less cut if that makes sense.

I was thinking of sending the mach2 back to be looked at becaues it was way more than 2 db quieter than the pure xlr but it runs very quiet and sounds so clean. I think there is nothing wrong with it, it is just different and I did nt realize that. I like it mo-betta. Here is a comment from K&K:

"The differences you are experiencing may be from part differences in the two circuits. Also there is a difference in the filter response of the PureXLR midrange compared to the Mach2 which may account for the extra "bloom". The two circuits are not the same and it is probably a little unrealistic to want them to sound the same or have the same response curves."

The Low end of the mach 2 is easier to control even without the notch filter and the unit sounds "clearer" to my ear. Good investment if you have K&K pickups.
So do you prefer the Pure or the Mach2?
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Old 05-29-2015, 11:37 AM
maxtheaxe maxtheaxe is offline
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OK, so I'm dredging up an old thread here because I'm seriously considering this unit. The main thing I'm wondering is whether the difference in price between this and the earlier-design Pure XLR is justified by its performance/features.

I currently have 3 guitars with K&K Pure pups in them; one is a Yamaha LL-16 12-string using the larger pads...it was way too "woofy" when I first installed them...better when I removed the middle pad.

The other 2 are a Larrivee L-03 and a Taylor 412-K respectively. I really like the pups, but I'm having more trouble than I should with the EQ...thinking that impedance mismatch might be the issue (going straight into a mixer through the onboard mic preamps.. It would seem to be a good solution to have the notch filter available if needed.

I have another axe on the way...my GAS acted up and made me buy a Larrivee L-10...and this one is also going K&K Pure.
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Old 05-30-2015, 10:05 AM
markcrawford markcrawford is offline
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Mach 2 by far....far.
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