Harley Benton Block-800B

My Humble Opinion

The title is vague huh? Well all I'm saying and this is my Humble opinion. 27+years live performance. Not gonna give you my resume but I have lived a little. Maybe you're like me and saw the stats and the price and here you are. I didn't hesitate to buy for obvious reasons. And they're not getting this one back don't even ask. Thomann backs up their product. The results:
Well, well well, that's where all the power is hiding. In this head.
Sound: there is none, well Kinda. You provide the sound, hehe. This head gets out of the way and delivers sheer power. You will want a pedal preamp in line to shape your tone. That's absolutely fine with me. Preferred by some. Especially these days. This is a smart play by Harley Benton considering all the pre-amps, cabinet simulation, amp simulation out there. Almost all I see these days is one company one up'ing the previous with there AMP, or CAB or FX simulator pedal boards. Thier getting fierce and the quality has never been better. Back to the amp. Here what you get, ALL the power you could ever need for the sound you have in your hands and beneath your feet.
Put your tone in front of this amp and get out of the way. For real. Move, this head is a MAC Truck.
I'm good. Thanks Thomann.

For the cost this amp cannot be faulted. Plenty of power and volume, more headroom than I think I would ever need. The sound of the amp alone is really quite neutral which I see as a good thing given the choice of pre-amps available now days.
As for the features, the EQ works nicely as you would expect. The compressor is a nice touch that was missing on the smaller Block model. The aux in/headphone out options are great for home practice and of course the DI out is always a useful addition for gig use.
All in all I'm very impressed with this amp, it suits my needs perfectly, seems solid enough and comes in at half the price of what the name brands put out similar products at. Highly recommended.

First, I'd like to mention that I am a guitarist and a producer, not an expert on bass amps, but I do have a good understanding of what constitutes a quality bass sound.

This amplifier exhibited malfunctions straight out of the box, emitting strange crackling sounds, especially during the decay of low notes. Regrettably, this isn't my first experience with receiving a faulty item from Harley Benton upon delivery. Could this be a mere coincidence? Probably not. Consequently, I will think twice before considering any future purchases from this brand.

The amplifier was paired with the matching Harley Benton SolidBass 410T, a 450-watt cabinet. On paper, the amp was supposed to deliver 800 watts at 4 ohms, while the cab operated at 8 ohms. So in my case, the amp's output should have been around 400 watts.

Given my familiarity with 100-watt all tube amp heads for guitars, I anticipated the 400 watts to destroy my rehearsal room. Unfortunately, the 400 watts were barely sufficient to cover a drum set played with medium to hard intensity without triggering the amp's clipping indicator to turn yellow. Don't get me wrong; you can still cover the drums or perform in a small venue with this amp, but it invariably pushes into clipping territory.

Clipping this amp isn't necessarily a bad thing; when the LED is in yellow, you'll hardly hear any distortion—instead, it tends to impart a sense of signal compression. Depending on the musical style, some may find clipping to be a pleasant effect. However, in terms of clean headroom, as I mentioned earlier, this amp barely covers a drum set.

Is this amp truly delivering 800 watts at 4 ohms? Are the watts in solid-state amps different from tube amps? I have no idea, but in terms of volume and clean headroom, my expectations were higher.

The EQ section of the amp is quite musical; you can sculpt most basic bass sounds using the built-in EQ, which is a positive aspect. The compressor is also usable, and the potentiometers provide a satisfying tactile feel when adjusting them. Unfortunately, I can't comment on the amp's other functions due to the malfunction, which discouraged me from exploring the equipment further. Fortunately, the Thomann team approved my request for a return, and I will be sending it back tomorrow.

Had this amp not been malfunctioning, I would have kept it. In terms of sound, it was decent but nothing extraordinary. It could produce a respectable sound suitable for work, and who knows, with the addition of pedals, it might even sound great.

In all likelihood, I'll invest in something slightly more expensive, but I won't be considering Harley Benton. I feel insecure relying on their products for a gig, fearing it might malfunction in the middle of a session.

I need to feel that I own something more reliable for sure.

As a manufacturer of boutique bass cabinets, and Pro Audio gear, I am very impressed with the sound of this amp, and sound is the bottom line.

The EQ section is accurate, and very easy to use. The compressor adds some growl to the tone. Be careful with this, if you run it too hot, it will start to clip, so turn down the input and this will solve the problem.

I tested this amp with a Music Man sting ray 5, Sire v7, Ric 4003/5 and an Ibanez AFR thru a DrBass DRB 210 and 1243 cabinets, both 4 ohms, with the amp set flat, only adjusting the input, and compressor. It handled the 5's with ease, and gave a very impressive tone with the AFR using the piezo's on the bass. When I backed off the piezo's and let it have it with the Bartolini candy bar p/u, which is very hot, I got a great growl comparable to the drive section on the Darkglass. I then plugged in the Ric with the 210 cab, and a Boss ME50B, added some overdrive and chorus and slammed it with a pick and ripped off a couple of "Roundabout" riffs, and it just smiled and took everything I gave it.

So I decided to take it on a gig with the 1243, (1-12" Beyma and 4-3's) with my Sire V7, and it gave me a great slap tone, and finger funk.

All told, a very versatile, impressive amplifier at an amazing price.

I purchased the block 800B as a backup unit because of reviews and ICE power section, I’m very disappointed it only has 300 watts of output power at a 4 ohm load, I compared it to my Aguilar Tone Hammer 350 and I had to turn the gain and volume to max and it still isn’t as loud, very disappointing.
And to return the item you must first take it to your local customs office have it checked, cleared and stamped, which is over an hours drive for me, then you can mail it back.
I think this particular amp mistakenly has the 300 watt power section installed. And I’m not sure they’re still using the ICE power section for the Block 800B at least they’re not saying that on their description like they do for their 300 watt version.