Review: Roland Microcube; Sony7506 phones; and Bulletini
Recently, I bought the Roland, the Sony and the Bulletini. I had been eying these for a while, especially the Sony headphones, but really just never jumped, until recently that is. I had posted some questions and brshoemaker requested a review of the Roland so I thought I'd review all three as they do work as a package.
I want to preface this by saying that prior to my two years on this site, I have had no prior musical training. Although I've known lots of musicians in my life, and envied their abilities, I never actually tried learning until now. So, my experience is limited to these products and I can't really compare them to other products.
Bulletini
This mic has been reviewed by others, including David and also Ronnie Shellist on his youtube channel. Everything they say about it is true. This is a fantastic mic, especially if you have smaller hands like I do. It's solidly built and very responsive. I corresponded a bit with Greg Heumann from BlowsMeAway.com who was very kind and answered all my questions completely. The mic comes in two flavors, with and without a volume control. Greg recommended the slightly more expensive version with volume control and after one day of playing, I have to agree. This is definitely the preferred version as it provides greater ease of use. Also, on amps like the Pignose that do not have a gain control, the mic's volume control essentially acts as a gain control on the amp as it controls the amps input.
I have nothing to compare it to, but am very happy with this product and can wholeheartedly recommend it.
Roland Micro Cube
I went round and round on this one, looking at the Katana, Orange, and the Fly, as well as others too. Of the group I looked at, the Roland was the second most expensive, but still only $160 at Guitar Center. My one hard need was that it have a line out for headphones as I have no desire to upset my wife or my neighbors (in that order, btw) with my practice. So, although I'm sort of a purist on many things, this eliminated the Pignose as that does not have a line out. I also wanted a small amp that wouldn't occupy too much space and that could be batter powered in a pinch.
I chose this because of the many (guitar) reviews on youtube and also because of the many, many controls on the unit as well. Volum, gain, tone, delay, reverb, etc., it's all there, and it met all my above needs as well. It's small enought to fit on my desk but loud enough that my wife hears it downstairs.
I have nothing to compare it to, but am very happy with this product and can wholeheartedly recommend it as well.
Sony MDR-7506 Headphones
This was actually way easier than the other too as I do have experience with headphones, as I think most music aficionados would have. I have started watching "Playing For Change" videos on youtube. These videos feature musicians from all over the world playing to a master track that is then incorporated in the song. In these songs, the musicians are featured in the music videos and almost always wear headphones. This essentially informed my decision.
They mostly seem to use AKG, Audiotechnica, Beats, and the Sony 7560, but to use others as well. A bit of reaserch and I found that their prices were more or less about the same. I called one of my musician friends who recommended the Sony. I've used it since and must say I am very pleased. I now use it even when not using the amp and merely connect it directly to my iMac.
I am very happy with this product and can wholeheartedly recommend it as well.
Anyway, thanks for making it to the end of my review. Please post any questions you might have or reach me directly at RalphVentura@Gmail.com.
Thank you for the useful review. Roland Micro Cube is on of the amps I'm looking at as a battery powered option for playing outside.
brshoemaker, yeah, maybe. For a small room, yeah, I definitely think so. Some of my friends who play guitar will occassionally take these to open mic nights for smaller venues. However, a basketball auditorium, I can't say for sure but I would doubt it. As for busking on a street, yeah, I think so. People who want to listen will get in close anyway. Still, remember that Roland makes several so-called street cubes just for busking. Of course, they're about 2x the price too.
Thank you, Ace.
As stated above, In September of 2020, I bought my first amp, the Roland micro cube. Since then it has remained on my desk next to my iMac in an ac controlled environment And has not been subjected to shocks or abuse of any kind.
Recently I changed the gain, tone and amp settings on my Micro Cube and now everything sounds the same. Regardless of whether I crank the tone or the gain all the way down or all the way up and regardless of what amp model I choose, all my recordings sound exactly the same, not bad, just without any change or effects. Turn off, then turn on and still no changes at all.
Left it unplugged overnight to drain whatever residual charge it might have and then tried again. Nothing. All settings sound exactly the same. I've gone back to recording off my Yeti as there's no sense in using the hand mic and amp at this point.
I did find this, however: https://metrodcmusic.com/blogs/guitar-kit-builder-repair-bench/repair-bench-roland-micro-cube
So, this isn't an isolated problem. At this point, I have to withdraw my recommendation and warn people away from this product. Although it looks and works great, it self-destructs in one year even under the reasonably gentle use.
Ace,
Thanks for posting. I know you have not had your Micro Cube very long, so please, don’t feel like you have to answer these questions. I realize the Micro Cube does not have enough power to provide adequate volume for an auditorium, but how about playing in a small to medium size restaurant or playing for a sidewalk audience? Maybe even a room about the size of a basketball court (not including the area outside of the court boundaries?) Do you think the Micro Cube would have enough volume for these environments? I’m not looking for eardrum busting volume, just loud enough that no one is complaining they can’t hear.
Thank you,
Brian