This pre-amp gets all the classic tones, just like Sansamp preamps. Class-D power amps are only good for profitability, not for tone or power. They are not necessarily bad; it's just that manufacturers use them because they can advertise high-power ratings in small packages. It is over-rated because of the ohmage. In real-world watts, my $300 QSC amp kills this without even breathing hard. This TC amp performs like a 150-watt amp at best. I usually do not have to play very loud at jazz gigs or sessions, so that isn't a big problem for me. If you want to use this to ROCK, you will need more and probably bigger speakers. The coaxial speaker is a good idea stolen from old-school monitor cabs. It's better than a separate compression driver and far better than any piezo, but the idea is nothing new. It's just cool that someone got the idea to use it in a bass cab. Of course, if they used better drivers in the first place, they wouldn't need the coaxial tweeter. It's a cost-cutting / marketing gimmick, but it works.

Lighted knobs help my old eyes on dark stages or in the pit. "Spectra-comp" is really just a three-band frequency-dependent compressor. That's nothing new for pro-rigs, but it is nice to have in a small amp and it is pre-adjusted for PHD use. ( PHD stands for "Press Here Dummy.") The wheels and extendable handle are nice. I buy those from tool stores for $12 bucks and install them on all my cabs, but it's still nice to have one from the factory. Three position memory buttons are useful for switching styles. To do that quickly live, TC wants another $150 bucks for the foot-switch. My Old $200 Sansamp does the same thing as this preamp and the footswitch. You could get a lot better speakers than the Eminence drivers in these, but these are OK for most situations. For this kind of dough, they could have included really good B&C drivers.

I have to admit, this is one of the most convenient designs ever. That's why I got it. The versatility and built-in features rival my other pro-rigs, but this is in one neat, light-weight package. That's really what they are over-charging for; convenience and style.

For this money, we could have a cleaner / more powerful amp and MUCH better speakers... but hey, most manufacturers have been selling us junk for so long, this seems like a step forward. BTW... Don't believe that hype about the Staccato model. There is nothing different about it except the color and the price. Hey I like Rocco. I met him back in 75 and we talk when he's in town. But I would rather take him out for dinner than hand TC an extra two bills for his signature color. You can check the specs for yourself on the TC website. The tone-controls, frequency-centers, comp-settings are EXACTLY the same.

Class-D chip amps are so cheap they are practically free. In fact, I have gotten several Class-D chip amps from manufacturers like Motorola and HP and ITT for free just to try them out. Of course it takes some engineering and other components to make the whole amp work, but generally, Class-D amps are just good for profit and advertising claims; not tone, not real-world power. They are pretty reliable though. The preamp is good, very similar to the $200 sansamp, but you have to pay more for the TC footswitch, so that is a rip-off. At this inflated, profiteering price, they should include that and a free tank of gas. I have built similar systems with all these features and better components for 2/3rds the cost, (Half the cost of the Staccato model!) and that was buying components retail! But my system isn't quite as small or nifty and doesn't have the cool-looking eye-friendly lighted knobs. Price it out for yourself! QSC GX3 power amp- $289 ( more power and MUCH better) SansAmp bass driver with three button memory, balanced-out, same tone and built in compression... built-in foot-switch, the works just $190 Eminence CA 2010 speakers ( better than those in the TC cabs and the wider frequency response means no tweet needed. $96 each, x's two... so $192 Hand-cart accessory pack with x-tend handle... $12 So far that's $683 for all the components and that's buying everything separately at RETAIL. You can figure the cost of a decent stock cab or great custom cab at $200 if you're a builder. We're still looking at less than $900 for the whole schmear with much better components. You have to figure that if a schmoe like me can build this for less paying retail, a major manufacturer can build this for MUCH less with their volume discount buying power. They could still make a fair profit at 8 or 9 hundred if they threw in the foot-switch and a cover. So here again, the value is non-existent. They are extorting money from ignorant consumers for convenience... Hey, I'm a sucker sometimes. A fair price for this with the foot-switch AND a cover would be $800. TC could still make a great profit and not be such greedy capitalist pigs about it.

terrible... frustrating, slow, infuriating, snobby, ...just slightly better than none. I've never had any problems with my old analog TC gear, but EVERY one of their digital products have caused me nearly as many headaches as Microsoft. If you want to test TC support, just try to get them on the phone... go ahead... I'll wait... and wait... E-mail isn't much better. They start by referring you to FAQ pages, where you search and read and search some more. Then they ask you to visit their user forums where other frustrated users try to slog out answers for themselves, basically doing TC's work without pay. The last step is when a person actually returns your e-mail without a "cut-and-paste" form-letter. My luck has been about 35% getting answers or problems resolved. Then they have the testicles to send you a feed-back form for their support. I suggest you try to reach them in advance if support is important to you. This type of product doesn't typically require much support, but you might want to know just how much TC cares about it's customers before you buy. I've had great support from Eden and Genz-Benz though for similar products. If support is important, check out their stuff.

It's the convenience and sleek look that made me pay 30 to 50 % more than it's worth.

Pro studio and touring

whatever is on the sheet music