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Been looking for a good quality small light bass amp. So I found the Trace Elliot 10" Neo Combo. It is clearly advertised as a 200w 10" *Combo*. However, when you read deep into the specs, you find out it's only 200w IF you add a 2nd speaker cab to the combo to bring it down to 4 Ohms. Otherwise the 8 Ohm combo itself is actually only 130w. I understand ya gotta read the fine print, but how do they get away with calling it a 200w Combo in almost all of the info, implying that the 200w is the single self contained combo box.
I get the reality, but it just peeves me.
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02-25-2026 01:23 PM
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Puffery is part of the Anglo-Roman legal tradition. You can "fib" in order to sell stuff (though there is a point where it becomes fraud).
As always, Caveat Emptor.
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Just one example from the ad copy:
"Weighing in at just 18 lbs., this pint-sized 200-watt 1 x 10" amp delivers big-rig tone in a package you can carry in one hand."
Well no, it's NOT. It's a 130w package you can carry in one hand. If you want 200w, it becomes a two cab 30lb+ package that you have to carry in both hands.
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Well, in a way it's a 200 Watt capable amp but I know what you're saying. I've also see the Fender Tone Master Twins described as 200 Watts, but I haven't I always seen, "It is 200 Watts because that's what it takes to mimic the 85 Watts of an actual tube loaded Twin". It's still 85 Watts of output.
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Never really bothered me. Been that way since day one. Old Ampeg ads were honest about that. Anyone want a 100 watt (probably closer to 120 watt) V-4 stack? With only one 4x12" 8 ohm cab, it will still push out 50-60 watts.
Last edited by Hammertone; 02-25-2026 at 03:20 PM.
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For the old SVT to push 300 watts, it needs two cabs. And a van.
Although, these days, I guess you can get a fancy modern lightweight 4-ohm cab for it.
Last edited by Hammertone; 02-25-2026 at 03:16 PM.
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The OP is barking at the right tree, but reality is a forest. Stated wattages may be peak only, rather than continuous. And they may simply be off the cuff. I swear my DV Mark 50M is louder than my R-E Luna 200R. There may be more THD involved, but who cares? A lot of us want some hair in the tone anyway. The difference between 200W @ 4 ohm and 130W @ 8 ohm is barely audible. Few people appear to pay attention to speaker sensitivity, even if what ultimately matters is decibels, not watts.
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That's just how the bass world works. There is very little difference between 200w into one 10" speaker and 130w into one 10" speaker. You want the ability to add a second cab.
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And who's going to run the amp at max volume anyway? I've never even come close to playing at full volume on any amp I've ever used. But I do admit I don't play to full stadiums with no other sound reinforcement.
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Just get one of those light weight fender rumbles. 100 watts is fine, if it’s not loud enough, I don’t want the gig. The drummer can bash all the people out of the bar along with me.
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All fun aside, there's the whole issue of sound quality, which is being lost a bit in bassworld. Take the Fender Rumble amps - light, loud, plenty of them out there, and they sound like utter dogshit. Not to say that there aren't some nice little Class D bass heads out there - put one in front of a widdle Barefaced 2x10" cab and you'll get decent sound combined with light weight, sure.
But the quality of the sound won't be the same as my regular bar bass rig. The head puts out 320 watts at 8 ohms, 600 watts at 4 ohms, to the OP's point. The 8 ohm cab is not huge, it can't take tons of power, it weighs a ton, the 15" EV is not engineered for 5-string bass, it's from the neolithic era, and so forth. I added honkin' big casters, and it has excellent handles, so, I'll use it until I can't get it in/out of the truck. I have a method. And the sound is WOW!
Last edited by Hammertone; 02-25-2026 at 05:08 PM.
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Could it not affect the clean headroom?
Originally Posted by sgosnell
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I've never hit a headroom problem. I don't play that loud.
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I think I would say exactly that - it is a 200W amp that is sold into a package. Originally Posted by jim777
I also agree that it is misleading - but how many examples of technically accurate marketing material can you show me?
I think VW made a big mistake with over-exaggerating sales material in the past 10 years and execs are serving time for it.
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There in lies the main problem, if you quote a performance figure, you must also define the test method by which you measured the result. Typically these test methods are developed (and agreed) by the industry body responsible for selling the kit. Originally Posted by Gitterbug
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look at GR Bass and Markbass Originally Posted by Woody Sound
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OP here, so here was my epiphany about bass amps. I did order the Trace Elf to see if it could significantly lighten my lifting compared to my heavy duty MarkBass CMD. (I'm 60's with serious back issues.)
Well it was about half the weight, but about half as good vol/tone. Sucked in comparison.
Then in a sudden inspiration, I decided to experiment. I disconnected the Elf head from its small 10" neo cab, did the same on the big MarkBass with its heavy-duty 12". And I crossed each. Voila! The MarkBass head feeding the little Elf cab sounded almost nearly as good as the full MB combo. Had to listen back and forth a few times to hear any difference. Made me realize that for bass amplification, it's all about the power, not the speaker/cab.
I only play bass for occasional theater pit or orchestral pops concerts, maybe 3x-yr. I'm a just a reader/interpreter in the bass world. Cannot do much improvisational accompaniment or other on bass. That's a special skill.
But now I think a higher powered (500w) little head would work great with this little Trace cab.
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