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BBE 482i Sonic Maximizer (Unbalanced)

Stellar sound for a very down-to-earth price. The 482i is perfect for semi-pro applications not requiring balanced jacks. (If you need balanced inputs, check out the 882.) Learn More...

    • New $179.95
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Overall User Ratings

Overall:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

Individual User Ratings

Overall:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

Quality:
The unit is sleek, and only takes up one space in your rack. Havent had it for long enough to say it holds up under duress... but cant imagine it getting damaged sitting in a rack.

Value:
This unit is a great value for the money. When considering $2000 pre-amps and amp heads, this thing is fantastic bang for the buck under $200. And well worth it too.

Sound:
This unit does exactly what it says it does, makes the sound fuller, punchier and have that "pro" sound I've been looking for in our guitars. The reviews I read about it are true, this unit is like "taking a blanket off your speakers."

Ease of Use:
Two knobs per channel, one handling the bass frequencies and one for the treble. So easy to use, a child could work it. However, dont let its simplicity trick you into thinking its not effective. Its just a perfect marriage of slick user interface and great performance.

Overall:
This will become a new fixture in our guitar setup, and will probably try it on other parts in recording down the road. Amazing unit, would highly recommend to anyone.

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Overall:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

Feature:
Good Features....two nobs....that is unbeatable

Quality:
very sturdy product... not breaking or getting dented anytime soon!!!!

Value:
Value is awsome... this thing is cheap...but it has pro quality sound... good bang for your buck

Sound:
Ive used this version...and the plug-in version on my dads home studio... the thing i like about this thing is it takes the all the mud out of your mixes... hardware version is even better

Ease of Use:
Two nobs are for no brainers....im extremly good at working equilizers but this thing i could have used when i was five.... this thing will never be replaced.... i sold my EQ when i got this... if you have an EQ sell it and get this or its big brother

Support:
havent had to use it yet

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Overall:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * . . . . . . 4 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10

Feature:
Average

Quality:
Not bad, alttle above average.

Sound:
Too much delay or too much bottom. I am trying to record dry voice that sounds like real life, then add effects. But this is giving too of one sound either way.

Ease of Use:
To play on a sound system it is good, but for recording, am not feeling it.

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Overall:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

Feature:
A no brainer, 2 knobs, no fuss and games in setting it up.

Quality:
Solid, well built.

Value:
One could spend a lot of maney trying to enhance the quality of sound. This thing does it cheap.

Desirability:
Put it in a SKB rack and be cooler than what you were before. Actually, I care less about the looks. It's how it works, what it does that makes it the coolest sound enhancement device on the planet for the buck. Nonthe less, it matches the colour of my Xtreme module.

Sound:
Great and then some. I hooked the BBE up to 2 x Sound Tech 15" powered mid cabnets and ran an MP-3 player and my Yamaha Xtreme drum kit through it. Never happy with my snare sound, but dialed it in with the BBE and have the snare I always wanted. What it did for the entire mix was amazing. Excellent technology. Anyone using electronic drums must have one of these.

Ease of Use:
Easy to use, if one is not technically inclined, it's even easyer.

Support:
The support so far has been great. All my questions about the unit was replied to quickly from tech. support. not that i had any issues, but tested the waters to see if they jumped when I turned the rope, and they did.

Overall:
If it were stolen, I'd buy two more. I am buying a second anyways as i have two drum rigs, one for the road, and one for studio.

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Overall:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10

Feature:
It's all pretty simple...there are two seperate channels, 2 knobs per channel and a button in the middle to switch the processing on and off(so you can hear the difference between processed and un-processed). Nothing else came with the maximizer except the manual and these little sticky things to put on the bottom of the unit, which I suppose you could use if you don't plan on putting it in a rack. The box itself seems very sturdy and probably would handle well on the road, especially after it gets in a nice sturdy rack.

Quality:
Everything on the maximizer is in perfect condition and of high quality. Seems to be very sturdy and also manages to look very cool. It's probably not as tough as a stomp box, but this thing wasn't meant to be kicked at. Put it in a quality rack and leave it there, it should last forever.

Value:
I ended up paying 155.99 at a guitar center and I must say, it was well worth it. At 199.99 it's slightly expensive and on top of that, I would go the extra mile and buy some high quality 1/4" instrument cable to connect it, but all in all it's worth the money.

Desirability:
This product is a very good looking product, very sleek and compact. I wouldn't say it's something that everyone would want because it is something I picked up just to see if I could enhance my live sound. It is not a necessary piece of equipment, but from what people have told me so far, it definately livens up my guitar rig and gets rid of the muddiness that I used to have. So if you have any problems such as muddiness or any other issues with clarity, this product is something you should really look into.

Sound:
This is a cool piece of gear. I've only had it for 1 day now, but I can already see its potential. The knobs themselves are very easy to use and their effect on the actual sound is very obvious. The only thing you will have to do is dial in a sound you like and play with the knobs a bit. The only place that you might really have to work to get a nice sound is with the effects loop of your amp(if you are using it with an amp). I am running my maximizer in the effects loop of my mesa/boogie dual rectifier and the sound changes drastically depending on the amount of the processes signal i put into the mix. Other than that, getting this thing to improve your sound should be no problem at all.

Overall:
Since I just got this thing I'm not looking for a replacement and I'm still learning how to use it. I think the only thing I would ever want to replace it for is probably a newer version sonic maximizer. From what I can tell, BBE is hard at work creating better versions of this technology, so if they make anymore breakthroughs, I might want to check it out. I can't really compare the 482i to anything else because its the only thing like it on the market. I have yet to find another product that does exactly what this one does, or even, another product that claims to be able to do it. If this thing were stolen, I'd flip out because I just bought it and spent a lot of money on it. I think I would replace it eventually, but I don't think I'd rush right out and buy another because you can do without it. This product, although it is great...it is an "extra" and not essential to a guitar rig.

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