Anybody A/B'd DTar Equinox and Taylor K4???

WeddingGuy · #1 03-03-2009, 07:12 PM

I'm in the market for a good preamp for an ES Taylor. Does anybody have any real experience with both of these two units? Does the K4 really justify the extra $$$?
Thank you,

zb0430 · #2 03-03-2009, 10:52 PM

The more I learn how to really dial in what I'm looking for with the K4, the more I enjoy it with my 814ce. It's a wonderful live setup, for me. Feedback proof, good sound, control on stage with me... I haven't had personal usage experience with the Equinox, but hearing it left the impression of a more analytical, less warm sound. That's a very limited opinion, though.

The only additional thing I wish the K4 had was a main-output footswitch option for muting the main outputs, leaving the headphone and tuner lines hot. Dual notch filters would be nice in some circumstances, but I deal with great techs that are always (rightfully so) going to make adjustments at the console to suit the needs of the mix. I send what I consider a great quality signal to them as a starting point, and they work from there. So for my needs the K4 works wonders.

Hapa · #3 03-04-2009, 11:31 AM

"The only additional thing I wish the K4 had was a main-output footswitch option for muting the main outputs, leaving the headphone and tuner lines hot. Dual notch filters would be nice in some circumstances, but I deal with great techs that are always (rightfully so) going to make adjustments at the console to suit the needs of the mix. I send what I consider a great quality signal to them as a starting point, and they work from there. So for my needs the K4 works wonders."

I understand the interest of a footswitch. The mute button on the K4 does mute the main output and leave the tuner line hot. I'm not sure about the headphone jack, as I've never used it. I had a friend of mine help me weld up a little bracket so the K4, using the mic stand adapter, attaches to the bracket which is bolted to my mic stand about 3 feet off the ground. That way it's easy to reach from a sitting or standing position. Prior to the bracket, I had been using another mic stand but felt like it was pretty much closing in on me having 2 mic stands, a music stand, guitar stand, monitor, etc.

WeddingGuy · #4 03-04-2009, 02:40 PM

Thank you for the input. My own needs are pretty simple--my wife & I have a guitar/cello duo and we play at weddings & cocktail parties & such. Classical, a little jazz & pop. I don't sing (she does with her 'cello) and we rarely need to turn up very loud. We both are plugged in to small combo amplifier and occasionally use that to power another external speaker as well. I usually sit as we're not on a stage, just on the side of a room usually, and I just want to have a great tone. I really don't need all the cool stuff on board that you guys are talking about.

So, with all of that in mind, is the tone itself of the K4 really THAT much different than it would be through a DTar Equinox?

jalbert · #5 03-04-2009, 06:44 PM

I haven't A/B-ed the two units, but I can vouch for the Equinox as a very versatile unit. One interesting thing to know would be the input impedance on the K4 (obviously it's optimal for the ES). I'm not sure that value is published anywhere. For comparison, the Equinox has an input impedance of 4.7 megohms.