The Headway EDB-1 Acoustic Preamp is one product that we have been waiting a long time for, and we are very excited that it has finally reached our shores. The prefix 'EDB' is short for Equalizer Direct Blend.
If you are familiar with the Headway Shire King acoustic amplifiers, you would know that Headway has an elevated status in the acoustic guitar world, and for good reason too.
This particular preamp has been generating so much attention on the various forums, long before Headway even started shipping it, and I have read nothing but rave reviews for it. I cannot wait to actually try it out myself.
The EDB-1 is their first foray into the preamp/D.I box realm, and I feel that they have really outdone themselves with this little magic-box.
In a nutshell, the EDB-1 is a mega-multipurpose, pro-audio quality, compact external preamplifier box.
Here are some key feature of the EDB-1, I shall highlight and run through some of the more interesting features later on in the review.
- Pro-audio quality
- Refined Class “A” inputs with 2 FET stages
- Mono/Stereo input jacks
- XLR input
- Switchable input impedance to optimize various pickup types
- 3-way “Range” control selects high-pass filter (guitar, bass and violin)
- 2 channels
- 5-band interactive EQ
- Tunable Notch Filter with variable band-width with in/out switch
- Phantom power to inputs via switch.
- Balanced XLR line-out (mix of 2 channels)
- Earth-lift switch
- True-mute switch
- Jack line-out in mono-mix of 2 channels
- Powered either by battery or external 18V adaptor
- Low battery indicator
- Mount via rubber-feet, belt-clip or optional mic stand bracket
- Weight = 500g
- L=138mm, W=93mm, H=38mm (or 43mm including knobs)
REVIEW:
Upon un-boxing, the first thing that struck me was how light and compact the EDB-1 is.
Looking at its specifications prior to actually handling it, I was genuinely expecting something a lot bulkier, considering how many functions and features this box has.
With it being so light and compact, it would fit nicely into the front of most guitar cases without causing too much of a bulge.
The enclosure itself is a classy black, textured one that is not unlike the enclosures of the newer Barber pedals. The textured enclosure not only looks good, but helps with giving the box more grip in your hands. And being matte, your fingerprints are not visible.
The knobs are small enough to remain low-profile, yet big enough to fiddle with on the fly easily.
Overall construction is superb, This preamp is built to last.
The EDB-1 can be powered by two 9V batteries or through an external power supply. This battery function is especially useful, and furthermore, it boasts 100hours of usage with phantom power engaged.
Next thing that impressed was the existence of switches for the common features, such as a power switch, true-mute switch, in/out switch for the notch-filter and phantom power switch.
Yes, it is a simple thing, but you would be surprised at how many preamps lack an on/off, mute, and in/out switch for the notch filter.
These switches avails to the user a lot more control over the preamp, and is a much welcome feature for me.
The layout is simple and very intuitive, it is evident that Headway has put a lot of thought into making this product.
The EDB-1 has two input channels, each with an individual gain control.
The gain control works great here, say sometimes if you wish to fade into the mix, or to have more presence and want to cut through the mix, it is all here at your fingertips with the gain-control knob.
The interactive 5-band EQ is comprehensive and has a very usable range.
It was very easy to dial in some nice tones, and it did not take me long to find the sweet spot for the guitar that I was testing the preamp with.
Tone wise, I was taken aback by how warm and lush the EDB-1 sounds; very musically pleasing and not the slightest bit artificial. Clarity is impressive too, and so is the noise level, there is literally none that I can hear of.
For further tweaking, there is the impedance switch and notch filter to fiddle with.
The impedance switch has three modes, +Hi at >20MegOhm, Hi at >5MegOhm and Active & Instr at >1MegOhm.
It basically allows you to optimize the EDB-1 with your pickup type for the best possible tone.
'+Hi' at >20MegOhm is optimized for the feed of ultra high impedance passive pickups, 'Hi' at >5MegOhm would be most suited for commonly used passive, under-saddle ceramic pickups while the 'Active & Instr' at >1MegOhm is best for normal active pickups.
We tried this mode with high-output passive pickups, it works too, but there is an audible treble roll-off.
The notch filter comes with an in/out switch, and also a Q width and Freq controls.
It is extremely versatile and acts as a very good supplementary tone control to the 5-band EQ. It can be used subtly or severely, depending on your needs. It is also the most precise method of eliminating problematic sounds such as feedback, excessive boominess, body-handling noise, background rumble, honky upper-mids, muddy lower-mids, ice-picky highs, etc.
And on the topic of extraneous noise, the EDB-1 has a ground lift (earth lift) switch to eliminate the earth hum or 'hum loops', if you are encountering any. And also there is the Phase Reverse switch, which can also help with eliminating feedback. More on the Phase reverse; switching to 'reverse' reverses the polarity of the signal in CH2. There are times where signals from two different types of transducers, such as piezo pickups and mic, for example, are out of phase. In this case, as you turn up the Gain to mix the two signals, you may experience a drop in level or a 'thinning' out of your tone. If this happens, setting the phase switch to reverses helps.
Another unique feature of the EDB-1 that we especially liked is the 3-way range control. What it does is to set a high-pass filter, which rolls of low freq according to the requirements of the three key instruments that it supports: Guitar/ Bass/ Violin. In essence, the EDB-1 can be optimized for these three instruments, and I also discovered by accident that the Range switch may be countered by playing the L.Mid of the EQ section. Useful little tip there for you.
And then there is the phantom power feature.
We tested it with a commonly available condenser mic and it works perfectly. It is also switchable to 12V mode to CHN1, enabling the external powering of active pickup systems onboard the instrument, with no battery inside the instrument itself.
In summary, this preamp is a winner.
It is a beautifully voiced unit, and I cannot emphasize that point enough. It just sounds awesome.
Furthermore, it packs into a elegant, compact unit a ton of practical and usable features to cater to the diverse and demanding needs for high-quality acoustic musical instrument amplification.
Also, for preamps, it is by far one of the easiest and most intuitive units I have used to date.
I can foresee it being a total hit with both gigging musicians as well as pro-studio usage.
The EBD-1 would invariable be compared to the popular LR Baggs Para-DI.
And here is a little comparison for you; the EDB-1 can do everything that the Para-DI can and much more, except that it does not have an effects loop.
Here are the additional features of the EDB-1 that the PARA-DI does not have.
- Supplies phantom power to condenser mic or other other source
- Two input channels
- True mute
- XLR input
- 1/4” + TRS input
- High-Pass Filtering
- Switchable impedance
- Switchable in/out for notch filtering
- Ground Lift
- Can be powered by batteries
If you ask me, I would readily admit that I love this preamp.
It can do everything I need, and more. And it does what it does very well.
In the words of a fellow guitarist, “Why didn't anybody think of making something like this earlier?”
regards,
Phil
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