Mesa/Boogie Subway D-800

A First for MESA: The Ultra-Light, Professional Class D Subway D-800 for Bass!

With the Subway D-800, MESA’s passion for excellent design and portability meets the demand for great tone in a simple, accessible package. This first ultra-light Class-D bass amp from MESA offers an easy-to-use yet fully equipped preamp with all the essential shaping controls and a powerful, musical-sounding, reliable, featherweight 800-watt power amp. The result is an amp that masters everything from small clubs to large stages and everywhere in between — yet still fits inside your gigbag!

Pure MESA Bloodline

COMPACT POWER - Weighing only 2.5 kg, standing 8 cm tall and 25 cm wide, the Subway delivers 800 watts of power that lets you dominate any venue from small clubs to big concert stages, all while fitting neatly in your gigbag!

The SUBWAY D-800 is based on a blend of signature circuits ranging from classic tube models like the Vintage Bass 400+ and the newer Bass Strategy 8:88 to the MOSFET-driven precision and mid-focused definition of the Big Block 750 and M9 Carbine, embodying the best qualities of the entire MESA bass lineup.

Control Over Your Power

The SUBWAY D-800’s tone shaping starts with the front-panel INPUT section, featuring the INPUT jack and two switches: a MUTE and an ACTIVE/PASSIVE switch, letting you tailor the input gain to your instrument. The MUTE switch silences the signal from the INPUT jack to the SPEAKER output, HEADPHONE output, and DI output, enabling silent tuning. Convenient LED indicators for all switched functions are located on the right side of the front panel.

Even Deeper

Still craving more low end? We listen and obey. For those needing an especially powerful tone, a DEEP switch boosts the bass further and adds a distinctive sub-bass component to the mix.

4-Band Equalizer

Further tone shaping comes from the 4-band EQ, consisting of BASS, LOW MID, HIGH MID, and TREBLE controls. While the BASS and TREBLE knobs deliver musically useful lows and clear highs, the two powerful overlapping MID bands let you precisely sculpt the crucial attack range and body of your tone. LOW MID fills out the upper bass and defines fullness and character, while HIGH MID helps you dial in how your sound interacts with the drums and where you sit in the mix. With these four controls as a foundation and the VOICING knob for the final touch—or vice versa—any desired sound is just a quick turn away.

Find Your Sound

While VOICING controls have appeared on several MESA bass designs, the SUBWAY D-800 features a continuously variable control that lets you fine-tune your sound—from a relatively “flat” response to a radically boosted midrange with enhanced lows and highs. This stepless VOICING knob offers nearly unlimited tone shaping and lets you decide exactly how much “flavor” suits your individual bass and musical style.

Connections

The rear panel of the D-800 hosts numerous pro features that meet all your connectivity needs. The Speakon SPEAKER OUTPUT jacks provide a solid connection to the speaker cabinet of your choice. An IMPEDANCE switch lets you optimize the SUBWAY’s powerful output for a variety of speaker configurations and wiring schemes. Regardless of your impedance requirement, the SUBWAY delivers its confident power and great tone in full.

DIRECT OUTPUT - A standard XLR D.I. OUTPUT offers a pre/post routing switch, mic or line level output, and a ground lift switch to avoid ground loop hum when interfacing with other gear. To enjoy the SUBWAY’s great tone without disturbing others, there’s a headphone output. You can also get inspired solo by connecting recorded music, a sequencer, or drum machine to the AUX input and playing along with headphones.

The SUBWAY features a comprehensive DIRECT OUT that lets you share your sound with the world of recording and/or amplification. The standard 3-pin MALE XLR connector is controlled by three mini toggle switches that select both the SOURCE (PRE or POST) and LEVEL (MIC or LINE). Additionally, there’s a PIN-1 LIFT option on the XLR to solve ground loop issues when connecting to any console.