Henriksen Bud head with Raezor's Edge Twin 8

[voyage]

I have a Twin 8 cabinet. I'm wondering how a Bud head might work with it, compared to just buying a Bud 10 Combo. Or, compared to my old Polytone 15". I would appreciate opinions or experience people have had. Thank you very much.

[Gitterbug]

I have tried neither, but expect them to pair up perfectly. The question is, do you need two channels? If not, you will find broadly similar-sounding Class D amps with the same IcePower power amp/power source module inside, for a lot less. Raezer's Edge Luna 200R, for example.

[markesquire]

I have tried neither, but expect them to pair up perfectly. The question is, do you need two channels? If not, you will find broadly similar-sounding Class D amps with the same IcePower power amp/power source module inside, for a lot less. Raezer's Edge Luna 200R, for example.

I'm interested to hear more about this. What other alternatives have the same IcePower amp? Obviously, one of Henriksen's selling points is the EQ design, but there's quite a price premium, and I wonder how many other small/micro amps there are out there with pretty similar hardware.

[marcwhy]

I love 2x8 cabs!
If you buy the Bud 6/10, however, you won't be able to use the RE as an extension cab (in case you wanted to) because the Ohm load would be off. [The RE is @ 4 Ohms, and the Bud combo needs an 8 Ohm load.] Yes, tech people will argue whether this is "ok" or not; I prefer to stay safe, so I wouldn't mix them.

The Bud head, however, can take the 4 Ohm 2x8, and that will be plenty loud!

[Gitterbug]

I'm interested to hear more about this. What other alternatives have the same IcePower amp? Obviously, one of Henriksen's selling points is the EQ design, but there's quite a price premium, and I wonder how many other small/micro amps there are out there with pretty similar hardware.

It's easier to name those Class D makers who survive without ICEPower (an offshoot of B&O, founded in 1999). Quilter and DV Mark/Markbass for sure rely on their own circuits. The ICEPower client list is dominated by big HiFi, pro audio and car audio names, against which most guitar/bass amp makers are too small potatoes to be mentioned. Let me drop in a few: Seymour Duncan, Milkman, Raezer's Edge, even Fender (at least on Tone Masters). On the bass side, just about all: Aquilar, Gallien-Krueger, Genz-Benz, Eich etc. Obviously, the makers of "unique", "American" or "Made in Germany" amps aren't too keen to admit the affiliation.

What I don't know about is my hobby horse: the dynamic trio of TC Electronic BAM200 (an obvious Danish connection), Warwick Gnome and Trace Elliot Elf. These appear too small to house the ICEPower modules. But in that case they have been even better in downsizing. Although nominally 200W bass amps, I call them intelligent or tweakable power amps. Add any preamp or pedal of your preferred flavor, and you have a combination costing less and achieving more than any single amp head. The opportunity cost is more clutter from power and connecting cables. For some, a deal breaker; for others, no problem as they already are dancing over a board of pedals.

It's interesting to see what happens when the ICEPower patents expire. Do they have a next generation up their sleeves, or will they try to retain leadership relying on the brand, quality reputation and volume benefits? I presume the current products come from Asia anyway, so margin pressure will be tremendous. It's somehow indicative that there are now several vendors of ICEPower units for self-builders. At the same time, you can order Class D amps from Alibaba a few bucks apiece. From our perspective, the preamp is the key.

[Stringswinger]

I have paired my Bud 6 with my Raezer's Edge Stealth 12ER and it sounds great. There is no doubt in my mind that the Henriksen Class D amps do well with the Raezer's Edge cabinet design.

[omphalopsychos]

I pair my bud with my RE cab all the time. Sounds excellent. Very clear and very "immediate" for lack of a better word. The RE cabinets are wonderful for being heard in a band.

FYI it looks like while the bud combos require an 8 ohm minimum load, the bud head can take 4 ohm. EDIT: oops marcwhy already said this.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

you can order Class D amps from Alibaba a few bucks apiece.

True - but I'm sure you'll agree that they're very far from ICE quality and power. For those who have not seen the range of ICE modules, here's a link to their page. I'm pretty sure QSC uses the 2000W modules in their big sound reinforcement systems.

My original Pignose finally died, so I'm putting one of those inexpensive class D boards in it, along with the biggest 4.5" driver I can squeeze into the case and still close the back.

Behold the Nasal Boogie Mk 1.....

[Gitterbug]

My son and a couple of friends have tried some of these cheap class D amps from China. Agreed - the sound quality is so-and-so at best. Weight-conscious but understanding nothing about electronics, I keep wondering how small those cheapos can get for a stated output. There also seems to more substantial-looking alternatives in a slightly higher price category. I keep getting questions about powered Toobs/Metros, which is why I keep a lazy eye on the field.

[Franz 1997]

My son and a couple of friends have tried some of these cheap class D amps from China. Agreed - the sound quality is so-and-so at best. Weight-conscious but understanding nothing about electronics, I keep wondering how small those cheapos can get for a stated output. There also seems to more substantial-looking alternatives in a slightly higher price category. I keep getting questions about powered Toobs/Metros, which is why I keep a lazy eye on the field.

There is a difference between " full sized" Class D boards such as Icepower, AlCo, Connex and more, and the sub-miniature units such as those used in TC amps like the BAM, and many others.I understand the very small units are built around chips that contain the class D circuitry, whereas Icepower etc full -sized units are built with discrete components and are repairable ( by an expert!). Typically, the very small units eg BAM 200 only put out their rated power on peaks and are not rated for "continuous power" , whereas the spec sheets of the "full-sized" class D boards suggest they will put out their rated power continuously ( hence the larger size and discrete construction). The small, chip-based amps are designed to run very hot ( hence the fans), so I imagine that in theory the amps could get even smaller, if running even hotter without imploding. Heat dissipation would be the limiting factor.

In theory, all functioning class D amps should put out the same, clean signal, up until the clipping point ( whether they do this in practice is another matter..I doubt it)

[voyage]

So then any differences in tonality between the Henriksen Bud head and the Raezor's Edge head would be due to the preamp?

That makes me wonder if the often mentioned darkness of the Henriksen combos is due to the speaker and cabinet, or due to the preamp? And if the Bud Head will also have a dark sound?

[omphalopsychos]

I wouldn't describe the Bud as "dark" sounding at all. In fact, it's quite midrangey compared to most American tube amps. The midrange emphasis primarily comes from its EQ settings. With all the knobs set to noon, the tone is flat, but it may seem like a boost in the upper mids because we're accustomed to the more scooped sound of American tube amps.


This flat midrange can easily be adjusted by tweaking the EQ knobs. Some people enjoy the default flat settings at noon because they provide clarity for single notes, helping them cut through a band's mix. However, I prefer to dial back the mids to achieve my desired tone.


The EQ is quite flexible, allowing you to adjust the tone from darker to brighter as needed. Despite my preference for brighter tones, I've never found the Bud to be too dark.

[rpjazzguitar]

Bear in mind that the center frequencies of the EQ are different in Bud vs Blu.

[voyage]

Bear in mind that the center frequencies of the EQ are different in Bud vs Blu.

How so?

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

How so?

[Cunamara]

Those are hugely different. I did not know this.

[rpjazzguitar]

It looks to me that the Bud is set up more like a PA and the Blu is more like a guitar amp.

It made me wonder if I could get a good sound out of a small powered PA speaker and a preamp in my pedalboard. I posted about that experiment ad nauseum and ended up giving up. I couldn't consistently get a sound I liked. I never did compare it to the Bud or Blu.

[Skip Ellis]

My son and a couple of friends have tried some of these cheap class D amps from China. Agreed - the sound quality is so-and-so at best. Weight-conscious but understanding nothing about electronics, I keep wondering how small those cheapos can get for a stated output. There also seems to more substantial-looking alternatives in a slightly higher price category. I keep getting questions about powered Toobs/Metros, which is why I keep a lazy eye on the field.

I built a mini PA for backing tracks using a 150W/$20 Chinese class 'd' board from Amazon. Power it with a 24V DC power supply and input from a Mackie board with effects; I run the guitar and tracks both through the board so everything comes out together - not the best by any means but it was really cheap and it does what I need it to do. Cabinet has a 10" 300W Faital speaker and a dome tweeter with crossover. If I run the backing tracks from my tablet, I can USB out of the board and record the whole thing on Reaper on my laptop. Mostly built from stuff I had laying around - nothing close to the 12" Mackie Thumps that I used to use with my duo.

[Stringswinger]

Bear in mind that the center frequencies of the EQ are different in Bud vs Blu.

I have a Bud 6 and a Blu 6 and I cannot hear a difference using the same guitar into the two amps with the EQ controls on both amps all set at 12 o clock. Perhaps the differences are in the respective ranges of the two amps? Or perhaps the speaker and cabinet sound overrides any difference in the EQ?

I also have a Blu 10. That amps sounds very different than the other two. I like the Bud 6 for it's two channel versatility. I like the Blu 6 for it's lighter weight (it is about a pound lighter than the Bud 6). I like the Blu 10 for gigs where I want a really dark sound (and I don't want to carry my 35 pound Raezer's Edge Stealth 12ER (Which these days I combine with a Milkman The Amp 100), The Blu 10 (Like the RE Stealth 12ER) gets me into Pat Martino dark tone, the smaller amps do not get me there.