Beta Aivin HM-200 Heavy Metal

[EugeneSmasher]

http://cw3.wallashops.co.il/pi/auction_product/1JP542643.jpg

Beta Aivin is a rather little-known Chinese brand manufacturing affordable analog pedals. Although Chinese made, these are really of good quality and yield awesome tone. Boutique-freaks would diss them like mad, but you gotta play one to believe it.

The HM-200 Heavy Metal is a high-gain distortion aimed at metal players. As opposed to the HM-100, this has a warmer sound and is more towards modern heavy metal. There are high (treble), low (bass), frequency, mids, level and distortion knobs, for you to tweak.

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FEATURES

The high, low, level and distortion are standard EQ, but the frequency and mids work together to range from a fat, natural high-gain sound (like the Marshall tone) to the mids-oriented, tight tone Metallica uses. Amazing versatility and tweakability.

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BUILD / APPEARANCE

The build is very solid, but the footswitch is quite sensitive, but once you get used to it its no longer a problem. The footswitch and most of the pedal is made of solid metal, with some plastic parts. Quite a classy-looking pedal, too.

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TONE

Here's where this monster blows. Like I said earlier, this pedal can range from fat, marshall tone to tight mesa boogie tone, and it aces it. This is actually a very bassy sounding pedal, and more towards modern metal. As compared to the Line 6 Uber Metal, this monster is bassier, more powerful and more natural sounding. The HM-100 has a nasal tone, but the HM-200 is more natural sounding. Shakes the floor, makes my 10watt amp sound like a 100watt. Yeah, tube-sounding distortion.

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9V power. Available at Standard Value (STANDARD VALUE) at $85. The HM-100 is also available at $75. Check it out, people! Any questions, feel free to ask. :mrgreen:

 

[astaroth]

do u have sound clips of it? issit as good as a metal muff in terms of gain and noise?

 

[EugeneSmasher]

I've never heard a Metal Muff before so cannot compare. I'll get to work on sound clips ASAP. I'll try to record them by tomorrow . But this pedal is very quiet, I barely get feedback even when gain is at 1/2. Its much quieter than my Uber Metal. Gain-wise, I'm not sure. But at maximum gain, it doesn't become fizzy like some other pedal's I've heard.

But basically, the HM-200 is not at all similar to the Boss MT-2 or Digitech Death metal, tone-wise. Its more like a Marshall Jackhammer perhaps, it has a natural tone, like what you'd expect on a Marshall JCM stack at high-gain.

 

[astaroth]

ahhh ic thx!

 

[loldude333]

This pedal has a much more cultured midrange compared to most other metal pedals out there. It can actually do a little blues, if u tweak ur amp right! Versatility? 10/10.

 

[subversion]

do u have sound clips of it? issit as good as a metal muff in terms of gain and noise?

i don't understand the noise aspect of the MM, maybe you'd like to say a bit more on the issue?

i own both the HM200 & the MM, 'as good as' isn't quite an objective comparison when it comes to the distortion voicing. the HM200 is distortion per se; if you like what you hear from BOSS' Metal Zone, chances are, it has something appealing for you. the MM's distortion voicing is laced with a touch of fuzz which IMO makes it a different player in this intense-distortion turf.

the primary attraction for me is that the HM200 sounds good at both low/ high volume levels.

 

[astaroth]

well i find that pedals like MT tends to hum a lot so thats why i asked abt the noise. and also thats why i wanna hear clips as well yea cos i cant find any on youtube.

 

[EugeneSmasher]

Hum is not due to the pedal. Humming is usually caused by the adapter picking up interference, or because its an unregulated power supply (onespot). Most high-gain pedals have feedback, but of all I've tried, none had hum. The feedback on the HM-200 is minimal, though. Even at high volume on both the amp and the pedal itself, feedback is barely audible.

On my Biyang adapter (regulated supply), there was no hum at all, and feedback was barely audible. On the Onespot (unregulated supply), there was loud humming, and loud feedback. I also used my Uber metal on the onespot and got the same result.

So yeah I'd say hum is not from the pedal. Its either from singlecoil pick-ups or unregulated power supply.

 

[astaroth]

hrm ok i see. how does one determine whether the adaptor is regulated or unregulated?

 

[EugeneSmasher]

I guess if there's hum for whatever pedal you use, and you're on humbuckers, then its an unregulated power supply. Its unstable (no max voltage) and the voltage tends to fluctuate or over-exceed what the pedal needs, causing the hum. A regulated supply has no hum at all. For digital pedals, you'll need one that can handle the higher voltage, but there shouldn't be any hum either.

Hum is the only tell-tale sign I know off, maybe someone has another method of determining regulated from unregulated?

 

[astaroth]

yepz im on humbucks and my mfx hums like crazy haha

 

[EugeneSmasher]

Is your MFX using the adapter than comes with the MFX itself? Because MFXs can only be powered by the provided adapter.

 

[astaroth]

hrm it din come wif adaptors so im using another one of my own

 

[EugeneSmasher]

In that case I think its the incompatibility that causes the hum. I think you should use an adapter of the same brand as the MFX, then hum should be gone.

Ah, another cause of hum to add to my list!

 

[astaroth]

is there no one size fits all solution? like the biyang u mentioned? btw how much and where did u get it?

 

[EugeneSmasher]

The Biyang is meant for single stompboxes. Most adapters that come with daisy chain are meant for single stompboxes, and if regulated, should be able to power most pedals, analog or digital. For multi-effects, I don't think there's one-size-fits-all. What brand is your MFX, by the way?

 

[astaroth]

mine is a korg ax100g. but i'll be switching to single pedals soon as i've found the sound i want.

 

[subversion]

well i find that pedals like MT tends to hum a lot so thats why i asked abt the noise. and also thats why i wanna hear clips as well yea cos i cant find any on youtube.

humming may not be the fault of the pedal, amp's unearthed condition is the primary cause. the other factor being the cables in use. i've set up the pedal amp-free (refer to pic below) & can prove to you that it's absolutely hum-free:

 

[astaroth]

what abt hums that dun occur all the time? cos i find that it sometimes hums but sometimes doesnt or at least not as loud

 

[wasp]

Hey sub which simlim shop you went to buy that small speaker?