Mooer Micro Preamp Series & Baby Bomb 30 Power Amp
ToTal GuiTar september 2017
100
Head to Head
The best of the bunch
of board amp solutions
t
he Mooer preamps can be used to DI
into a recording interface, but the
results when used with a cab are
markedly better. Meanwhile, the
PowerStage 170 needs to be used with
a speaker cab and can’t be used for direct
recording. On the ip side, the Two Notes
preamps and CAB can be used for direct
recording or run into a mixer and PA for live
use, but can’t directly drive a speaker cab. The
BluGuitar sits neatly between these two camps
as it can be used for direct recording or used line
out to a PA, but can also drive a traditional
speaker cab if required.
There’s quite a range of prices between these
products, though not quite as great as you
might initially think. For instance, the
combination of a Mooer micro preamp and the
Baby Bomb 30 power amp come to nearly as
much as one of the Two Notes Le Preamp
pedals, although the CAB adds substantially
more to the bill if you want dedicated cab
modelling. One of the Two Notes preamps with
the addition of the CAB is in the same ballpark
as the BluGuitar.
In terms of sound, it’s the case that you get
what you pay for. The BluGuitar and the Two
Notes oer the best sound quality, with the
BluGuitar being the best all-rounder for both
recording and live use. The combination of the
Two Notes preamp and CAB sound consistently
the most convincing and is also the easiest to
get a good sound out of – but not being able to
run a standard cab is potentially a drawback, if
you’re anything more than just a bedroom
player. Out of the less expensive units, the
PowerStage oers a full-range clean slate to
run pedals into, and the combination of Mooer
preamp and Baby Bomb 30 is somewhat more
characterful by comparison, even if it has a lot
less headroom, with just 30 watts to the
PowerStage’s 170 watts.
The PowerStage boasts
a mighty 170 watts
Le Lead: a high-gain
modern tube amp
There’s quiTe a range
of prices... iT’s The
case ThaT you geT
whaT you pay for
The Tg TesT
TGR297.gear_test.indd 100 8/16/17 12:41 PM