I have been GASing about one of these units for a quite a while and this video was the push that I needed to pull the trigger, and I don't regret one bit. It's really, really great!
Мелкое уточнение: используйте карты памяти от 4 ГБ. У меня лежало "про запас" пару старых карт по 1 ГБ. Импульсы весят килобайты, думаю - вот, наконец-то пригодятся эти карты. Не тут-то было. Как не форматировал, прибор не хотел работать с этими картами. Час времени на это точно потратил. А вот microSDHC (4-32 ГБ) подходят. Да, сейчас, в 2022 году, когда в магазине и 16 ГБ непросто найти, это звучит глупо, но кто-то сэкономит себе время
Just pulled the trigger on this, anxiously awaiting - watching your videos definitely helped me come to a conclusion about my second bass preamp (have Sansamp Paradriver now). Good stuff Ivan!
That first song got me in a pelvic thrust funky dancing mood! 🕺🏽 Great sounds man. I have both the CabZone X and the LE and they, especially the X, are serious stuff from Shift Line.
What an excellent review !! I was planning to buy a WR Goliath pre/DI, but this Olympic pre sounds very good ! Would be cool to have an active mids management, like you said in your previous video : mid cut only is a bit "frightening". ;-) Thank you very much for your advices and impressions.
I'm powering it with a Cioks DC7. I love a good old simple tone stack and think it's a great preamp! It offers a lot more versatility than my Noble DI and also it is an excellent practise tool with the AUX input and very good sounding headphone output. For me, the Noble might be better in a studio setting and the OLYMPIC is great on the pedal board. Have a good one!
@@IvanBassist Ich erwarte einfach nichts mehr in 2021 und freue mich, falls doch noch etwas passieren sollte... verrückte Zeit. Bleib gesund und gut gelaunt!
Forgot to mention: I love the included IRs, especially in conjunction with distortion! That's something I wish every bass head would have. The great thing with the Olympic is that it has the IR on the XLR output but no IR on the jack output for your amp. Genius!
It might be heresy to say this, but I think the Olympic MKIIIS nails the Ampeg sound better than any Ampeg product! The B-15 is legendary, would be tied with this preamp, and would be awesome to own...but some of these vintage amps are being sold for more than 6 times the price of the Olympic MKIIIS! I'm normally not a fan of nearly all Treble controls, but this preamp has a great one - boosted with the Top + control, it adds definition without being brittle or sizzling. I'm not necessarily excited about the Mid control being cut-only...but, when you had it set anywhere between 12 o'clock and Max, it sounded great! Excellent video!!!
IvanBassist I think with two tubes the Olympic MKIIIs would give the best warm sound that you can get from any Ampeg amp, but right now it’s pretty close with a good IR that you can get for free from Shift-line.com or OwnHammer.com with an extra cost, and I would said paired with a decent compressor in my case with the Diamond Bass Comp, works great.
If the mid all the way to the right is flat, then what if you want to reduce the mids? How would you reduce them? The way they set it up is confusing, or is there something that I'm not understanding?
I have the NUX preamp, which you have also reviewed. How would you say it compares to the Olympic? The NUX is amazing for the price and for being digital, but I do miss the warmth of my Ashdown ABM (not the weight though).
Can i ask your opinion when comparing a Noble tubepreamp and this Olympic tube preamp? I´ve been drooling Noble quite some time now and never stumbeled on olympic before and i quite liked sound and the settings it offers. Cab sim was cool and really sounded nice too, atleast to me. So whats your take on this comparison Noble vs. Olympic? Nice review and i thank you for that and all other content on your channel. Informative and inspiring cheers!
Hey there! I’m gonna do a comparison video between both of them. That is probably one of the most asked questions I’ve gotten 😂 So far I can tell you this: The Noble has more low end extension (sounds deeper) and “clearer” when both are flat and the playing response is a bit more squishy/pillowy, which is something that I really like. However, i’d say the Olympic allows you to get the tube compression and drive, has the cab sim and a couple more in/outs.
That G&L sounds wonderful! The notes are clear and round and seem bounce right out. Do you attribute that clarity/roundness/bounce more to the pickup or the rest of the bass?
Another great video Ivan! Noble is my first choice. Oddly I preferred the tones without the cabs/IR's. What would you prefer for studio, the Olympic or Origin Effects Vintage? Does this seriously contend with the Noble Bass Preamp for studio?
I prefer the Noble as a DI. The Olympic sounds great as a “portable amp in a box” kind of sound. With that being said, everything run through the Noble sounds better and I sold my Olympic to pay for the Origin Vintage 😄
Felicidades Iván, que gran video !! Una consulta sirve como D.I.? Pregunto desde la ignorancia ya que nose si un preamp siempre sirve de D.I. o viene separado en algunas marcas. Gracias :)
I know you're a fan of Mesa Boogie gear. How would the Mesa Boogie Subway stack up against this pedal? I know it's not a tube preamp, but the Mesa Boogie seems solid. Yet, I like that the Olympic can add a splash of overdrive. As far as sound goes, what are your thoughts on these pedals side by side?
Hey Jack! I've got a vid coming comparing 1 bass and 5 different preamps. You might find that one interesting :) I consider the Subway DI more of a "true" DI. It's much more transparent even when using the EQ and you can even by-pass the EQ section entirely and just use it as a pre-eq DI. The Olympic colours your sound much more, specially when boosting some gain and using the Cab Sims. A lot depends on what you want of out the pedal :)
@@IvanBassist I've looked into both, and it's a tough choice. I know you probably wouldn't want to decide for me, but between the two, which way would you lean? I like the warm sounds from the Olympic, which seem closer to the Jamerson sound I like, but the Subway is close and the features are great. I'm not a pro by any means and want something that will last me a long time. Anything else I should know to help me decide? -- Oh, just pick for me! haha ;)
Nice review Ivan and nice playing man! This is a nice unit for sure. I see we have the same concerns with the power supply, typically this is the part I'm very wary of on the road, they really need to provide a sturdier unit for sure. It is a nice preamp though and I can't wait to hear your thoughts on the comparison to the Noble pre. Keep well Ivan.
Hey Ivan, Did you hear about the JAD Freer Audio CAPO pre-amp? Seems like a awesome pre-amp as well. Would love to hear the Shift Line Olympic and the JAD Freer Audio CAPO in a comparison video. Do you happen to have both units? If anyone who viewed this video or you wants to compare them in a video, that would be great.
Hey they recommend NOT connecting from the 1/4" out other pedals ftr - I guess it's too much power and could fry them. Do you ever go from the 1/4" out of the SLO into the front (1/4" in) of your amp (Mesa etc)? If so, what's you experience/opinion with the sound?
@@IvanBassist I just finished a new rig coupling them 😆 Midscooped shift line without IR through the DI,while the ouput sends the signal to the Bassrig to get the mid growl there with cab sim on. stacked, they work nicely together !
@IvanBassist Hello Ivan, I'm a bassist called Ivan as well ^^ How would you compare the Mesa Boogie WD-800 used as a DI (would be nice to have your thoughts on pre and post) to a boutique tube preamp such as the Noble preamp/di and to a lesser extension this Olympic Shif Line ?? I'm on the fence to buy the Mesa TT-800 to replace my current Aggie AG700 (nice and soft sounding but often too polite untill you push it very loud) and to avoid another expensive purchase in a preamp (Noble, WR Goliath, Shift Line Olympic...) I'm more of a Gig and Rehearsal guy than a studio bassist anyway, but would appreciate the option to have a nice warm DI at disposal when required. Thanks bro and congrat's for your quality vids and work ;)
Hey Ivan 😄 First take a look at this video: th-cam.com/video/7U1BGPWRCVA/w-d-xo.html Personally, I prefer the Noble, both for live and for the studio. It adds lots of depth and clarity to the signal. I haven’t tested the TT-800, because they’re impossible to get here in Europe at the moment, but I’ve heard great things about them. What exactly are you looking for? A more aggressive amp or a solid DI signal?
@@IvanBassist heyyy Ivan. Thank you for your return man I'm mostly looking at adding some tube depth and richness to my tone. And eventually at equipping my pedal board with a quality preamp that allows me to get a great tone and sound when I play at places where I don't need to take my amp and cabs with me. The TT-800 can be ordered again on Thomann. But it won't be delivered before a looooong time (5 months). So I'm questioning myself: do I wait that much time for a tt-800 without being sure it will end up my amp/preamp gas or do I consider a modular rig with the Aggie 700 and a quality tube preamp that can be used as it is, when playing ampless, and to improve my bass tone overall when playing amplified ?? This is my dilemma at the moment 😊 Cheers!
Good review! That's a nice tone indeed, and it seems quite versatile. It's quite amazing that you don't need to be an experienced powerlifter today, in order to bring your sound to a gig!😁 I once considered the Olympic before ultimately deciding to get the Markbass Vintage Pre.
@@IvanBassist It's a pretty solid piece! Built like a tank, and with large knobs. Usually I have it set on the "flat" preset, and then I turn up the mids and highs just a bit. I'd like to see a review of it, even though I already bought one. 🙂
*Update* Something that I forgot to mention is that you can load your own impulse responses (IRs) using a micro SD card! shift-line.com/irpackbass
Do impulse responses work with amps or are they for going into computers only?
I know I am quite randomly asking but does anyone know of a good site to stream newly released tv shows online ?
@Jaime Memphis I watch on flixzone. Just search on google for it =)
@Terrell Dean definitely, been watching on flixzone for years myself :D
@Terrell Dean Thank you, I signed up and it seems like a nice service =) I appreciate it!
I have been GASing about one of these units for a quite a while and this video was the push that I needed to pull the trigger, and I don't regret one bit. It's really, really great!
Awesome!! Congratulations 🎉
Мелкое уточнение: используйте карты памяти от 4 ГБ. У меня лежало "про запас" пару старых карт по 1 ГБ. Импульсы весят килобайты, думаю - вот, наконец-то пригодятся эти карты. Не тут-то было. Как не форматировал, прибор не хотел работать с этими картами. Час времени на это точно потратил. А вот microSDHC (4-32 ГБ) подходят. Да, сейчас, в 2022 году, когда в магазине и 16 ГБ непросто найти, это звучит глупо, но кто-то сэкономит себе время
Ivan, thanks for the video. I loved the neck pickup sound/jam in the beginning, so funky, meaty and awesome. 🙂
Just pulled the trigger on this, anxiously awaiting - watching your videos definitely helped me come to a conclusion about my second bass preamp (have Sansamp Paradriver now). Good stuff Ivan!
Awesome!! Congratulations :)!
That first song got me in a pelvic thrust funky dancing mood! 🕺🏽 Great sounds man. I have both the CabZone X and the LE and they, especially the X, are serious stuff from Shift Line.
Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching!
What an excellent review !!
I was planning to buy a WR Goliath pre/DI, but this Olympic pre sounds very good !
Would be cool to have an active mids management, like you said in your previous video : mid cut only is a bit "frightening". ;-)
Thank you very much for your advices and impressions.
I've heard great things about the Goliath DI, too. But this one is pretty cool as well
Hey, Ivan! Bass and treble controls are passive too. If you turn down all eq knobs counterclockwise you will hear only silence))
Yes. You can hear that happening around the 7:00 mark :) Thanks for watching!
I'm powering it with a Cioks DC7. I love a good old simple tone stack and think it's a great preamp! It offers a lot more versatility than my Noble DI and also it is an excellent practise tool with the AUX input and very good sounding headphone output. For me, the Noble might be better in a studio setting and the OLYMPIC is great on the pedal board. Have a good one!
Ich muss noch beide (mehr) live benutzen. Hoffentlich wenn gigs wieder da sind 😄😄
@@IvanBassist Ich erwarte einfach nichts mehr in 2021 und freue mich, falls doch noch etwas passieren sollte... verrückte Zeit. Bleib gesund und gut gelaunt!
Forgot to mention: I love the included IRs, especially in conjunction with distortion! That's something I wish every bass head would have. The great thing with the Olympic is that it has the IR on the XLR output but no IR on the jack output for your amp. Genius!
Do you need a special Cable to power the Olympic MKIII from a Cioks DC7 ?
It might be heresy to say this, but I think the Olympic MKIIIS nails the Ampeg sound better than any Ampeg product! The B-15 is legendary, would be tied with this preamp, and would be awesome to own...but some of these vintage amps are being sold for more than 6 times the price of the Olympic MKIIIS!
I'm normally not a fan of nearly all Treble controls, but this preamp has a great one - boosted with the Top + control, it adds definition without being brittle or sizzling.
I'm not necessarily excited about the Mid control being cut-only...but, when you had it set anywhere between 12 o'clock and Max, it sounded great! Excellent video!!!
It sounds pretty good, right? You could get even more variations by loading some of your own impulse responses
IvanBassist I think with two tubes the Olympic MKIIIs would give the best warm sound that you can get from any Ampeg amp, but right now it’s pretty close with a good IR that you can get for free from Shift-line.com or OwnHammer.com with an extra cost, and I would said paired with a decent compressor in my case with the Diamond Bass Comp, works great.
If the mid all the way to the right is flat, then what if you want to reduce the mids? How would you reduce them? The way they set it up is confusing, or is there something that I'm not understanding?
It’s a cut only control. The knob cranked all the way = Flat. Rotating counter-clockwise from that and you are reducing mids
Sweet! Thanks for the review!
Thanks for watching!
I have the NUX preamp, which you have also reviewed. How would you say it compares to the Olympic? The NUX is amazing for the price and for being digital, but I do miss the warmth of my Ashdown ABM (not the weight though).
Can i ask your opinion when comparing a Noble tubepreamp and this Olympic tube preamp? I´ve been drooling Noble quite some time now and never stumbeled on olympic before and i quite liked sound and the settings it offers. Cab sim was cool and really sounded nice too, atleast to me. So whats your take on this comparison Noble vs. Olympic? Nice review and i thank you for that and all other content on your channel. Informative and inspiring cheers!
Hey there! I’m gonna do a comparison video between both of them. That is probably one of the most asked questions I’ve gotten 😂
So far I can tell you this: The Noble has more low end extension (sounds deeper) and “clearer” when both are flat and the playing response is a bit more squishy/pillowy, which is something that I really like.
However, i’d say the Olympic allows you to get the tube compression and drive, has the cab sim and a couple more in/outs.
@@IvanBassist Have you tried with different tubes, to make it sound closer to a Noble?
That G&L sounds wonderful! The notes are clear and round and seem bounce right out. Do you attribute that clarity/roundness/bounce more to the pickup or the rest of the bass?
Do you mean the J-Bass or P-Bass?
@@IvanBassist sorry the P bass
@@yaacovweiner4726 Hard to tell, but the bass itself is an awesome instrument. It records extremely well and the playability is also pretty nice!
Another great video Ivan! Noble is my first choice. Oddly I preferred the tones without the cabs/IR's. What would you prefer for studio, the Olympic or Origin Effects Vintage? Does this seriously contend with the Noble Bass Preamp for studio?
I prefer the Noble as a DI.
The Olympic sounds great as a “portable amp in a box” kind of sound.
With that being said, everything run through the Noble sounds better and I sold my Olympic to pay for the Origin Vintage 😄
Felicidades Iván, que gran video !! Una consulta sirve como D.I.? Pregunto desde la ignorancia ya que nose si un preamp siempre sirve de D.I. o viene separado en algunas marcas. Gracias :)
Hola! Si. Lo puedes usar como DI :)!
I know you're a fan of Mesa Boogie gear. How would the Mesa Boogie Subway stack up against this pedal? I know it's not a tube preamp, but the Mesa Boogie seems solid. Yet, I like that the Olympic can add a splash of overdrive. As far as sound goes, what are your thoughts on these pedals side by side?
Hey Jack! I've got a vid coming comparing 1 bass and 5 different preamps. You might find that one interesting :)
I consider the Subway DI more of a "true" DI. It's much more transparent even when using the EQ and you can even by-pass the EQ section entirely and just use it as a pre-eq DI. The Olympic colours your sound much more, specially when boosting some gain and using the Cab Sims. A lot depends on what you want of out the pedal :)
@@IvanBassist I've looked into both, and it's a tough choice. I know you probably wouldn't want to decide for me, but between the two, which way would you lean? I like the warm sounds from the Olympic, which seem closer to the Jamerson sound I like, but the Subway is close and the features are great. I'm not a pro by any means and want something that will last me a long time. Anything else I should know to help me decide? -- Oh, just pick for me! haha ;)
@@blankvrs Where are you located? You might be able to order the Subway DI online and still be able to ship it back if it doesn't suit you :)
@@IvanBassist California. I'll do this and give it a try. Thank you 👍
Nice! Hit me up if you have any questions :)
If I wanted to add reverb at end-of-chain, would I use the send/return for that on this pedal?
Exactly!
Nice review Ivan and nice playing man! This is a nice unit for sure. I see we have the same concerns with the power supply, typically this is the part I'm very wary of on the road, they really need to provide a sturdier unit for sure. It is a nice preamp though and I can't wait to hear your thoughts on the comparison to the Noble pre. Keep well Ivan.
Thanks! You could use a pedalboard power supply, but you gotta make sure that it’s at least 12v abs 650 mA
@@IvanBassist Hi Ivan, do you know of any PSUs that will supply 650mA ? From a quick search most don't seem to go above 500 at 12V
@@EwanLynch I think you can hook up several of the outputs of the Cioks DC7 to reach that number.
Hey Ivan, Did you hear about the JAD Freer Audio CAPO pre-amp? Seems like a awesome pre-amp as well. Would love to hear the Shift Line Olympic and the JAD Freer Audio CAPO in a comparison video. Do you happen to have both units? If anyone who viewed this video or you wants to compare them in a video, that would be great.
Hey there, I haven’t tried the CAPO, but I have heard many great things about it.
A friend of mine has it, so I might give it a try some time.
@@IvanBassist nice.
✅
Awesome stuff!!
Tack så mycket!
too many ways to use it, muito bom Ivan!!!
Obrigado!
Sounds better and with more features than the Noble at 1/3 the price!
I disagree, but i’m glad you like it better! That’s the cool thing about having different products in the market :) thanks for watching!
Hey they recommend NOT connecting from the 1/4" out other pedals ftr - I guess it's too much power and could fry them. Do you ever go from the 1/4" out of the SLO into the front (1/4" in) of your amp (Mesa etc)? If so, what's you experience/opinion with the sound?
You should be fine if you keep the master volume low. Depending on how much Gain you have
What do you prefer, The Bassrig Super Vintage or the Shiftline Olympic?
I sold my Shiftline to buy the Bassrig 😄
@@IvanBassist I just finished a new rig coupling them 😆 Midscooped shift line without IR through the DI,while the ouput sends the signal to the Bassrig to get the mid growl there with cab sim on. stacked, they work nicely together !
@IvanBassist Hello Ivan, I'm a bassist called Ivan as well ^^
How would you compare the Mesa Boogie WD-800 used as a DI (would be nice to have your thoughts on pre and post) to a boutique tube preamp such as the Noble preamp/di and to a lesser extension this Olympic Shif Line ??
I'm on the fence to buy the Mesa TT-800 to replace my current Aggie AG700 (nice and soft sounding but often too polite untill you push it very loud) and to avoid another expensive purchase in a preamp (Noble, WR Goliath, Shift Line Olympic...)
I'm more of a Gig and Rehearsal guy than a studio bassist anyway, but would appreciate the option to have a nice warm DI at disposal when required.
Thanks bro and congrat's for your quality vids and work ;)
Hey Ivan 😄 First take a look at this video: th-cam.com/video/7U1BGPWRCVA/w-d-xo.html
Personally, I prefer the Noble, both for live and for the studio. It adds lots of depth and clarity to the signal.
I haven’t tested the TT-800, because they’re impossible to get here in Europe at the moment, but I’ve heard great things about them.
What exactly are you looking for? A more aggressive amp or a solid DI signal?
@@IvanBassist heyyy Ivan. Thank you for your return man
I'm mostly looking at adding some tube depth and richness to my tone.
And eventually at equipping my pedal board with a quality preamp that allows me to get a great tone and sound when I play at places where I don't need to take my amp and cabs with me.
The TT-800 can be ordered again on Thomann. But it won't be delivered before a looooong time (5 months). So I'm questioning myself: do I wait that much time for a tt-800 without being sure it will end up my amp/preamp gas or do I consider a modular rig with the Aggie 700 and a quality tube preamp that can be used as it is, when playing ampless, and to improve my bass tone overall when playing amplified ??
This is my dilemma at the moment 😊
Cheers!
nicer Groove
Danke!
Good review! That's a nice tone indeed, and it seems quite versatile. It's quite amazing that you don't need to be an experienced powerlifter today, in order to bring your sound to a gig!😁
I once considered the Olympic before ultimately deciding to get the Markbass Vintage Pre.
Indeed 😂😂
How are you liking that Pre? It looks pretty interesting
Thanks for watching!
@@IvanBassist It's a pretty solid piece! Built like a tank, and with large knobs.
Usually I have it set on the "flat" preset, and then I turn up the mids and highs just a bit.
I'd like to see a review of it, even though I already bought one. 🙂
Too many long ads.