Darkglass Electronics Exponent 500

We always craved a clean head. A device that is “out of the box” is an amplifier without added effects. Uncomplicated, intuitive, and for each one of us to be able to unveil the layer of sophistication that better serves our projects and skills. The Exponent 500 is a new concept that once connected turns into a multi-effect, with fully programmable and presettable signal chains with all the components a professional bassist requires.

Front Panel Features

Input
Use this jack to connect your instrument via a standard ¼” mono cable.

Quick-Pots
There are five Quick-Pots on Exponent⁵⁰⁰’s front panel (A, B, C, D and E) .

By default, these pots are mapped to the Amp EQ’s four frequency bands and a preset-specific control.

In the Darkglass Suite, you can freely bind the Quick-Pots to your selection of any five controls from the effects in your signal chain.

Master
Use this knob to control the overall volume of the amplifier.

Preset
Pressing the preset button changes through presets 1 to 5 and a bypass signal. The current preset is shown with a single LED next to the preset number.

When Exponent⁵⁰⁰ is bypassed, all preset LEDs show a dim white color.

Long-press the preset button to start Bluetooth pairing. All preset LEDs will breathe white while pairing is active.

Mute
Pressing the mute button toggles mute on the physical outputs.

When Exponent⁵⁰⁰ is muted, all preset LEDs will illuminate with a dim red color.

Dimensions
Width: 21 cm / 8¼”
Length: 17.5 cm / 7″
Height: 6 cm / 2¼”
Weight: 1.65 kg / 3.64 lb

Darkglass Suite

Exponent⁵⁰⁰ comes preloaded with five versatile factory presets. Using Exponent⁵⁰⁰ with the Darkglass Suite isn’t necessary, but we recommend it!

Darkglass Suite unlocks the full potential of Exponent⁵⁰⁰ by providing an interface to interact and modify the signal chain running on each preset.

Use the iOS or Android versions of the Darkglass Suite to create, edit, share, and apply presets. Please make sure your Darkglass Suite version is 4.3.0 or newer!

Back Panel Features

Speaker Output
Use this connector to connect the amplifier to your cabinet. The SpeakON Combo jack allows for SpeakON or ¼” speaker cable operation. The minimum load impedance is 4 Ω. Exponent⁵⁰⁰ can be operated without a cabinet.

WARNING: Do not use an instrument cable with this jack. Using an instrument cable can damage your amplifier.

Effects send
Use this output to send the signal to your outboard gear.

Effects return
Use this input for the signal from your outboard gear.

Headphone Output
The 1/4″ stereo headphone output handles headphones with an impedance of 16 – 600 Ω. Connect your headphones and control the output level with the master volume. The headphone output has an output impedance of <1 Ω and a maximum output level of 13.3 dBu (3.6 Vrms).

XLR direct output
Direct output signal unaffected by master volume. The maximum output level before clipping is 2.2 dBu (1 Vrms).

Ground Lift
Use this control to lift the ground of the XLR output. If you are experiencing ground noise in your DI signal, try changing this control.

MIDI In
Standard DIN connector. Use the 7-pin MIDI connector only with the Darkglass MIDI footswitch, and use a 5-pin connector with other MIDI equipment.

USB
The USB-C port unlocks Exponent⁵⁰⁰’s USB audio interface capabilities and allows for software updates via the Darkglass Suite. USB MIDI In/Out is also supported.

AC Socket
Connect mains power to the amplifier. There is a voltage selector for 100-120 / 200-240 VAC, 50-60 Hz.