Quantum Blender v D TAR Solstice

[alisterhrae]

I'm 'upgrading' my K&K western mini by adding the Trinity internal/external mike. I spent last evening in the company of John Doyle and the sound from his guitar, with the Trinity system in place going thru a Quantum Blend, doing hard celtic backup, was astonishing. My basic K&K suffers doing the same. I can't get a really good had strumming sound from my Santa Cruz VJ, unless I use an external mike.

Here in the UK the Quantum Blend seems very expensive? I'm hearing lots of good things about the D TAR Solstice which seems to be better value for money, but- will it work as well as the Quantum?

One of my gripes with K&K is actually seeing the controls on their preamps when on a dimly lit stage.

So which is the best or is there another preamp I should consider, I appologise in advance if this has been asked before!

Ali

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by alisterhrae

I'm 'upgrading' my K&K western mini by adding the Trinity internal/external mike. I spent last evening in the company of John Doyle and the sound from his guitar, with the Trinity system in place going thru a Quantum Blend, doing hard celtic backup, was astonishing. My basic K&K suffers doing the same. I can't get a really good had strumming sound from my Santa Cruz VJ, unless I use an external mike.

Here in the UK the Quantum Blend seems very expensive? I'm hearing lots of good things about the D TAR Solstice which seems to be better value for money, but- will it work as well as the Quantum?

One of my gripes with K&K is actually seeing the controls on their preamps when on a dimly lit stage.

So which is the best or is there another preamp I should consider, I appologise in advance if this has been asked before!

Ali

Hi Ali...
First of all stop apologizing. This is a discussion forum and topics can be repeated. If we wanted it to be a library or Guitar-wiki there would just be thread/topic pointers & links.

DTAR Solstice is equal in quality to the Quantum, with the added plus of a better layout, and form factor and far more important features.

For me having the channels situated one above the other, and dual XLR inputs or 1/4'' in (Quantum is 1/4'' in only), plus the true mute, and the tuner circuit which stays hot when the main channel is muted are all strongly in it's favor. The DTAR also has ground lift capability.

The FX channel on the DTAR also has it's own master volume control, and the XLR and 1/4'' inputs have separate volume controls for each as well as a master volume for the pair…and balanced separate XLR outputs as well as a Balanced XLR summed one.

Add to it that the DTAR sounds stellar, and in a side-by-side comparison through my UltraSound AG-50, I couldn't distinguish any difference in quality of output, self-noise or tone between the two.

These combined factors are why I own a DTAR not a Quantum.

I also love my Raven PMB; but they are not made any more. They are like a battery powered DTAR Solstice...and both the DTAR and the Raven have 15volt and 18volt power supplies respectively - more headroom before distortion.

Also, if you look at the Quantum all identifier markings are on the top rim, so if one puts it in a rack mount configuration, the markings become invisible.

Add to that the factor the Quantum is long and thin with the channels laid side by side, I lose my bearings if I need to adjust in a hurry and forgot which was mic and which was pickup (on the fly).

Hope this helps get you started...

[alisterhrae]

Very interesting Larry, just the information I was looking for! Like you I like the layout on the D-TAR, I was not sure if there would be impedence issues with the K&K? I was thinking about going for an external mike, as I heard from a few people there was a feedback issue with the Trinity? Last night John said he had no problems with feedback that could not be solved by moving or switching off a monitor. Honestly, his acoustic sound was outstanding and was pretty loud playing to an audience of 200 or so.
John told me he rolled the bass and middle almost off and pulled up a bit of treble to get the best sound with his acoustic. He sung the praises of the Quantum. The Quantum seems pretty expensive over here is that the case in the USA as well?
Thanks again for you thoughts.

Ali

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by alisterhrae

...I was thinking about going for an external mike, as I heard from a few people there was a feedback issue with the Trinity?

Hi again Ali...
Feedback with the Trinity would be far less than an external mic. There is no impedance issue - and Doug Young did tests and posted them here with supposedly mismatched preamps (a ParaDI as I recall) and a modified cable to match impedance as well as non-matched, and there is no audible difference. I own a Headway EDB-1 preamp with switchable impedance and there is no audible difference with it either.

I could not hear any issues when I compared them side by side - and for what it's worth, my backup mobile preamp is the little Pocket version of the K&K.

I also back off the Bass and mid when tone matching with any of my preamps. That is probably necessary to balance the K&K Mini - but they can be made to sound great in a PA without any preamp (the signal is sure hot enough).

I have dual source (K&K Mini plus K&K internal mic) on all 4 of my acoustics, and I work with an acoustic amp directly behind me up on an X-stand (keyboard stand) about 3-4 feet behind, and I ask the sound tech to remove my guitar in my floor monitor (the one aimed at me). My amp is all the monitor I want/need.

I run about 60% mic and 40% pickup and don't have feedback issues, even on aggressive stages.

It's all dependent on your situations you play in. If you are in a nice concert environment on a quiet audience, and the mains well in front of you - you might get away with an external mic.

My playing usually involves leading music for venues where the people are singing and participating with us, so I have to overcome the room noise level - and you get 150-300 people singing and it's like playing in a room full of Boom-boxes.

And for coffee houses and dinners, receptions etc. we still need to exceed the noise of the coffee grinders and steam wands. So internal rigs always do us better.

Hope you find the rig you love. I sure love my K&K dual source rigs...a lot. They are usually the best rig in the house, and easiest to manage hands down (according to the sound techs).

[alisterhrae]

I was wondering if the Headway pre amp may be an option? I e mailed them directly and they tell me it will work, but I seem to remember LJ demoing the headway preamp and there was an issue sending the correct power to the Trinity Mike, have Headway resolved that?
The D-TAR price here in the UK has shot up from £240 to £419.00 (thats pounds) a huge increase in price, the Headway offers great value for money but it's no good if it will not power the mike on the K&K?

I have to admit I'm not the greatest tech' The guy at headway said I had not given him enough info, when I asked him to confirm if the headway would work with the K&K, he mentioned something about a special lead?

I'm confused!

Ali

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by alisterhrae

I was wondering if the Headway pre amp may be an option? I e mailed them directly and they tell me it will work, but I seem to remember LJ demoing the headway preamp and there was an issue sending the correct power to the Trinity Mike, have Headway resolved that?
The D-TAR price here in the UK has shot up from £240 to £419.00 (thats pounds) a huge increase in price, the Headway offers great value for money but it's no good if it will not power the mike on the K&K?

I have to admit I'm not the greatest tech' The guy at headway said I had not given him enough info, when I asked him to confirm if the headway would work with the K&K, he mentioned something about a special lead?

I'm confused!

Ali

Hi Ali...

I own an EDB-1 preamp and it is not in the same category nor league as the DTAR Solstice nor the K&K Quantum.

It is a mono preamp with multiple inputs, and not to be confused as a dual source preamp. There is not a separate tone control for each of the different sources, and to make it work as a dual source, one must wire up special "Y" cables, or use an external mic and an internal pickup. It is limited compared to either of the others under discussion, and not better tone/sound quality.

I bought the ad copy, and even emailed with the inventor early on, but his philosophy is that dual source rigs are compromised and to be avoided. I would not buy this product again.

Anything that can be done with a Headway EDB-1 can be duplicated with the DTAR Solstice, and have added features. The only thing it can do that the DTAR cannot is run on a battery.

It's extra fine tuning tone controls didn't produce any better results with any of my or my gigging partners 6 guitars and different pickup systems.

[alisterhrae]

arry,

thanks again for the info, I have had 2 e mails from Headway telling me it will work fine! Thank goodness you are able to keep me straight on this! I hope you dont mind me asking, but what is the 'going rate' for the D-TAR in the USA at the moment?

Many thanks, Ali

[corbetta]

Anything that can be done with a Headway EDB-1 can be duplicated with the DTAR Solstice, and have added features. The only thing it can do that the DTAR cannot is run on a battery.

Not that what I'm about to say has anything to do with the purpose of this thread, but...

The Headway can do one thing better than the DTar, and that is to serve as a "one-stop" solution for a single external microphone rig. The low-pass filter, 5 band EQ, and semi parametric notch filter are all features conspicuously absent from the Solstice in this scenario; furthermore, the +18v Phantom Power might (theoretically) provide a tad more headroom and less noise than the Solstice's +15v (but that really depends on the mic).

For blending separate sources I agree that the Solstice is a better option, but I just wanted to chip in with my .02 regarding what I consider the best application for the Headway (and the reason why I own/use one!)

[mchalebk]

Originally Posted by alisterhrae

I hope you dont mind me asking, but what is the 'going rate' for the D-TAR in the USA at the moment?

http://www.shorelinemusic.com/amplification/dtar.shtml

[alisterhrae]

Great information, thanks. The difference in pricing is terrifying!

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by corbetta

Not that what I'm about to say has anything to do with the purpose of this thread, but...

The Headway can do one thing better than the DTar, and that is to serve as a "one-stop" solution for a single external microphone rig. The low-pass filter, 5 band EQ, and semi parametric notch filter are all features conspicuously absent from the Solstice in this scenario; furthermore, the +18v Phantom Power might (theoretically) provide a tad more headroom and less noise than the Solstice's +15v (but that really depends on the mic).

For blending separate sources I agree that the Solstice is a better option, but I just wanted to chip in with my .02 regarding what I consider the best application for the Headway (and the reason why I own/use one!)

Hi Corbetta...
True - it could be serve as single condenser mic preamp/mixer, or a single pickup mixer/preamp which is what it was invented to be.