Hartke LX Series Bass Amplifiers with Class-A Tube Preamp

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When it comes to bass guitar, Victor Wooten is considered a master of the craft. So, when he speaks (and plays), people pay attention and listen closely. That’s why his announcement of Hartke’s new LX5500 and LX8500 bass amplifiers before the NAMM 2020 show piqued the interest of bass-heads everywhere.

Both models weigh less than 9 pounds even though they’re laden with Class-D amps. After testing them at power for 8 uninterrupted hours with a 55 Hz sine wave in a 100°F chamber, Hartke proudly clocked the LX5500 at 500W and proclaimed the LX8500 to be its highest-power mono amplifier to date at a stunning 800W.

Putting their different power output ratings aside, the LX5500 and LX8500 offer the same feature set and form. The input section incorporates a Class-A tube preamp for warmth and responsive dynamics, plus a new Drive control that can bring anything from a little gritty texture to full-on fuzzy goodness.

Next to the input section, you’ll find a one-knob compressor to smooth out your dynamics and tame those peaks, a gain knob, and a “Brite” switch. When you need to sculpt and sweeten your tone, just reach for the Tone Stack EQ; its bass, treble, and frequency- and shape-adjustable midrange bands interact with each other to yield far more control than your typical 3-band EQ. As you would expect, there’s a master volume control, which I’m sure you’ll be tempted to crank.

The LX Series amps also provide a couple of cool bonuses—3.5mm aux input and headphone ports in case you want to practice along with some backing tracks and keep the sound to yourself, and a cutout in the enclosure that serves as a convenient carry handle.

You don’t have to be a legend like Victor Wooten to appreciate what the Hartke LX Series has to offer. Talk to a specialist at the B&H SuperStore or check out our website to learn more!

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