Trance Amulet M Dual Mono M-VT (Battery or No Battery?)

[martingitdave]

Doug, that was very nice. May I also add that if Donut wishes to be able to easily and simply plug into any pedal, he should choose the 9v option. It is certainly possible with the phantom power option, but requires a bit more knowledge about the signal chain. I would couch it like this, the 9v battery buys you the flexibility to plug directly into anything on earth with a 1/4" guitar cable. Without the battery, you must first plug into a device that provides power to the electronics.


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[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Petty1818

It's in now!

How do you like the amplified tone of your guitar using your recently installed Trance Amulet Dual M Mono pickup/preamp system?

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

Doug, that was very nice. May I also add that if Donut wishes to be able to easily and simply plug into any pedal, he should choose the 9v option. It is certainly possible with the phantom power option, but requires a bit more knowledge about the signal chain. I would couch it like this, the 9v battery buys you the flexibility to plug directly into anything on earth with a 1/4" guitar cable. Without the battery, you must first plug into a device that provides power to the electronics.


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You said it more concisely than me :-) Agreed, with the 9 volt battery version, you can plug into any 1/4 inch guitar input directly, but need an adaptor (DI) to plug into a mixer's XLR inputs. With the Phantom version, you can plug into any mixer that has XLR inputs with phantom power, but need an adaptor to plug into a 1/4 input.

[Donut]

Ahhh... I think that does it! The battery version seems to make the most sense for plugging into many different types of systems with a standard 1/4inch cable plug. For years, it was one system for me, (my own) traveling gig to gig with the exact same setup. But this will be an exercise in Patience vs. Frustration. As most of you either know or can at least imagine, plugging into various 'house' systems leaves you at the mercy of the quality of each system and the 'ear' of the persons running the sound.

So that leaves me wondering: Why did Trance create the Phantom system? Was it just to eliminate the battery? Or was it actually a noticeable improvement over the on-board battery version on sound and performance? As I mentioned earlier, I don't mind hauling the extra gear if the result is better sound quality.

So thanks again to everyone chiming in to help educate me in this matter. And Doug, that series of hookup sequences was exactly what I needed to understand the situation. I'm a very 'visual' person, and those little 'maps' of each connection possibility were great!

I'll let you all know what I end up with and how it works out.

-Donut

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Donut

Ahhh... I think that does it! The battery version seems to make the most sense for plugging into many different types of systems with a standard 1/4inch cable plug. For years, it was one system for me, (my own) traveling gig to gig with the exact same setup. But this will be an exercise in Patience vs. Frustration. As most of you either know or can at least imagine, plugging into various 'house' systems leaves you at the mercy of the quality of each system and the 'ear' of the persons running the sound.

So that leaves me wondering: Why did Trance create the Phantom system? Was it just to eliminate the battery? Or was it actually a noticeable improvement over the on-board battery version on sound and performance? As I mentioned earlier, I don't mind hauling the extra gear if the result is better sound quality.

So thanks again to everyone chiming in to help educate me in this matter. And Doug, that series of hookup sequences was exactly what I needed to understand the situation. I'm a very 'visual' person, and those little 'maps' of each connection possibility were great!

I'll let you all know what I end up with and how it works out.

-Donut

Both Trance Amulet Dual Mono systems have the same sound quality. The Phantom M eliminates the battery and a bit of wiring, along with the weight of these items. The Phantom M could be a nice companion to a condenser vocal or instrument mic, which is why I bought a Rolls PB224 Dual Phantom Plus, which is like a double-version of the Rolls PB23 Trance recommends as one of their approved phantom power supplies. The Rolls PB224 can be both wall-wart powered with the included power supply AND 9-volt battery powered with two 9-volt batteries in its built-in compartment: Rolls PB224 Dual Phantom Plus

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by Donut

Ahhh... I think that does it! The battery version seems to make the most sense for plugging into many different types of systems with a standard 1/4inch cable plug. For years, it was one system for me, (my own) traveling gig to gig with the exact same setup. But this will be an exercise in Patience vs. Frustration. As most of you either know or can at least imagine, plugging into various 'house' systems leaves you at the mercy of the quality of each system and the 'ear' of the persons running the sound.



So that leaves me wondering: Why did Trance create the Phantom system? Was it just to eliminate the battery? Or was it actually a noticeable improvement over the on-board battery version on sound and performance? As I mentioned earlier, I don't mind hauling the extra gear if the result is better sound quality.



So thanks again to everyone chiming in to help educate me in this matter. And Doug, that series of hookup sequences was exactly what I needed to understand the situation. I'm a very 'visual' person, and those little 'maps' of each connection possibility were great!



I'll let you all know what I end up with and how it works out.



-Donut

Ding ding ding! You got it! Phantom is only to eliminate the battery from the system. Some folks don't like batteries in their guitars. They rest of us just put up with it.


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[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by Donut

So that leaves me wondering: Why did Trance create the Phantom system? Was it just to eliminate the battery? Or was it actually a noticeable improvement over the on-board battery version on sound and performance?
-Donut

I don't notice any difference in sound quality. We'd have to ask Trance "why they did it", but I'd say the benefits are:

No batteries in the guitar. This must rank as the #1 request about pickups on AGF, and you had it as one of your wish items, just like many other people.

Low-impedance balanced line - means you can run virtually any length cable, even 100s of feet, without loss and with no noise. (Taylor tried to promote this same feature, altho in a battery powered pickup)

Plug directly into a mixer, without the need for a DI

Those are probably enough reasons for some people to go this route. On the other hand, there's no free lunch, and the tradeoff is that you will need a power supply box if you aren't plugging into an XLR input with 48 volts of phantom power. And that could be a deal-breaker for some people as well.

All in all, my guess for why Trance did it, is that they think it will fit some people's needs. And there's always the battery version for those who don't find it useful. (There's also the original stereo Trance for those who find its features preferable - also with no battery, but with an external box/special 5-pin cable required)

[Petty1818]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

How do you like the amplified tone of your guitar using your recently installed Trance Amulet Dual M Mono pickup/preamp system?

Will report back soon! It's exam week at the high school that I work at so I am busy marking grade 11/12 English essays. Can't wait to try it out though. I did an initial test to make sure everything was working okay but honestly, I don't really want to say too much about it yet until I can really try it.

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Petty1818

Will report back soon! It's exam week at the high school that I work at so I am busy marking grade 11/12 English essays. Can't wait to try it out though. I did an initial test to make sure everything was working okay but honestly, I don't really want to say too much about it yet until I can really try it.

Cool! I can't wait to hear your assessment, especially because you do some heavy flatpick strumming in a Celtic band.

[martingitdave]

I'm heart broken. It looks like the bridge plate on my incoming Authentic is even smaller than the Marquis. I don't think Trance will fit. I was very excited about finally getting an Amulet system. Bummer.


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[Groberts]

Originally Posted by Petty1818

It's in now!

How do you know the battery only needs to be changed literally once every six months if it was just installed?

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

I'm heart broken. It looks like the bridge plate on my incoming Authentic is even smaller than the Marquis. I don't think Trance will fit. I was very excited about finally getting an Amulet system. Bummer.


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David, what will you put in your Authentic? A B-Band A1.2N-1470 may fit the bridgeplate but likely a K&K or Trance won't unless you overhang one of the transducers. Are you still getting the Eastman E20D?

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

David, are you still getting the Eastman E20D?

I got it yesterday! It's great!


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[Groberts]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

I'm heart broken. It looks like the bridge plate on my incoming Authentic is even smaller than the Marquis. I don't think Trance will fit. I was very excited about finally getting an Amulet system. Bummer.


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Did you call Maury to see if they have ever installed an Amulet M in an Authentic Martin like yours?

What is your next best alternative option? K&K

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Groberts

Did you call Maury to see if they have ever installed an Amulet M in an Authentic Martin like yours?

What is your next best alternative option? K&K

+1. Trance also has, I believe, instructions on their website for making a cardboard template to see if the two Amulets will fit on a guitar's bridgeplate.