Construction: 10/10: great materials, solidly assembled.
Ease of use: 5/10: a lot of EQ options, perhaps too many.
Portability: 4/10: pretty heavy and cumbersome for the amount of sound you get.
Tone: 5/10: good for "scooped" sound. Pretty damn hard to EQ for anything else.

The construction on Trace Elliot gear is very cool. The gain and volume knobs are extra large, with solid detents. The other knobs and EQ sliders have a nice stiff feel that inspires confidence. The box is extremely solid and heavy, and the hardware has a solid, rubbery feel.

The BLX-80 has a unique design that hides the 10" speaker. The front panel has a slit that lets the sound through, and a port on the bottom channels air from behind the driver. A small tweeter covers the highs.

The GP7 preamp controls feel great, but the sound is a bit stubborn. It takes some work to get a sound out of it. The overall character of the tone is a bit mechanical and sterile, no matter how you set it. It seems to work the best with the mid scoop "shape" engaged.

The cabinet design definitely supports such an EQ curve! With the 10" driver hidden from view, it seems that the mids don't get much of a chance to shine through. On the other hand, if it's "scoop" you're looking for, this box is outstanding. It makes modern active basses sound especially tight and crisp, and low B strings sound devastatingly clear and strong.

Unfortunately, this only occurs when the amp is by itself, at lower volume levels. In a band setting, the bass gets buried pretty quickly. It's hard to get a sound that really holds up.

This wouldn't bother me nearly as much if the BLX-80 didn't weigh a freaking ton (well okay... 63 pounds)! I like strap handles on lighter boxes, but this rig is a bit too bulky and heavy for that. This thing is no fun to tote for any distance. The radical speaker porting is intended to make a small box sound big, but it seems to have had the reverse effect.

I found it to be not worth the bulk and size, but the BLX-80 does have a really super low-volume "scoop" sound that could be great fun for practicing or recording.