Hi there,

I've been playing guitar for a while now and I noticed that the active circuits have a lot hotter signal which translates into better overall sound(higher fidelity) and more dynamic range (punch). You may not notice it as much with a bass, but the setting on the instrument is important as well as the setting on the amp. Your instrument should always be turned up almost all the way. Give yourself a little room to turn up more, but always have it turned almost all the way up. Do the other adjusting at your amp. Keep it as high as possible also and limit the volume at the master or the power limiter if it has one(on the back with Vox amps) You can hear the differences better if you monitor through good headphones at the line/headphone out jack.