Alto mac 2.2 as bass power amp?

[callingltu]

EDIT:

Could anyone suggest some cool preamp, smth sounding like ashdown abm, ampeg svt, trace elliot? And that is easy to getable

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Hi guys,

So i might get this amp Alto MAC 2.2 1500W Professional Power Amplifier really cheap. And how would it be as a bass power amp. I mean if i would buy some pre amp like svp-pro or smth similar and run into it. And how much power would it give if i bridge stereo to mono and run it into 8omhs cab?

Cheers

[callingltu]

Btw, could anyone explain me drawbacks and benefits of using pre amp and power amp instead of normal head? I have no idea about that, just have seen that lots of guys are doing that

[BassmanPaul]

If the amp is bridgeable, it's not mentioned in the ad, you should be able to get 600W into an 8Ω load.

IMO there are very few drawbacks to a pre/power setup.

[callingltu]

And what are the drawbacks?


Thanks for reply

[Selta]

I honestly can't come up with a drawback off the top of my head. I'm glad I moved to that setup, and I don't see me going back anytime soon.

One drawback I guess could be if you have a company's amp you like and they don't make a preamp?

[callingltu]

I've read the manual of that amp, and it says that it has bridge mode. So what should i look at now? Is it suitable for bass?

Manual:
http://www.directproaudio.com/images...ac2-manual.pdf

[seamonkey]

Power amps are sonically all the same if they're true to their ratings. "Alto" looks like an honest company.
This things kind of big and heavy just for bass.
If you can get it cheap - then it'd be fine. You can replace it with a lighter amp when you need it.

[BassmanPaul]

Originally Posted by callingltu

And what are the drawbacks?

In my mind none - I was being generic!

Until very recently I've used the pre/power solution since the late Sixties. It's only the weight of my Carvin BX1500 and its fairly cheap price that made me switch.

[callingltu]

Thanks for help guys
If i'll get that amp cheap i'll sell my combo and buy preamp

Btw is there any decent thread about pre = power amps on forum? i couldnt find

[ogar]

With pre/power setup you have to haul two pieces of equipment instead of one (so there are two power chords to forget at your rehearsal space instead of one, been there :-)). Moreover, compared to small classD heads, most of the power amps are still quite bulky. If you gig or move your stuff a lot this may be seen as a drawback.

Also, with pre/power scenario sometimes you struggle to fit both pieces together so they work optimally. Some dedicated bass preamps don't have the output voltage to drive power amps to their full potential (it happened to me with the Warwick Quadruplet couple of years ago) and you have to spend some time with gain-structuring.

Don't get me wrong, I am also using pre/power setup right now and am happy camper.

cheers

[callingltu]

Thanks ogar. i also read your 8years old thread about your warwick problems

Well, weight is not a problam, i'm used to it. When you have to move few cabs, guitarists tube combos and etc you get used to it

I just dont know what preamp i would like to take. Because i love ashdown sound, i'd really like ABM sound, but as i can see they are not making RPM anymore, and if you can find it used it costs almost the same as ABM head. Ampeg is not making preams anymore too, so its a bit a problem

[ogar]

Wait a minute, it's 8 years already? Man I am getting old. As for what preamp to choose, I think you should have opposite problems, as there are so many good preamps available...

If you like Ashdown tone, you may also like Alembic F1 or Trace Elliot V-type? They both have a fender tone stack though, for some it is enough to not even consider it.

If you like Ampeg tone, there should be plenty of used CL or Svp-pro preamps around, or Sansamp RBI or PSA. I'd definitely recommend going used for now. If you don't like it, you don't lose much on resale. If you insist to have a new unit, you can buy it later, when you firm on what you want.

Right now I use Phil Jones Bass Buddy and like it very much, but it may be too sterile in your eyes given your tone preference. I also had EBS Valvedrive and it was perfect for that clean but warm fender-like tone and could get more drive to it, when needed. The only problem was the lack of DI, which made it unusable as a standalone preamp for me.

anyway, good luck with your search

[callingltu]

The problem is, that i dont live in USA or atleast UK. I live in eastern europe, and i dont know why, but in my country people dont use bass pre+pa. Even in the shops only bass pre is Behringer v-bass and line 6 pod xt pro (or smth like that), but both are digital proccesors and i dont want that. My only option is buyin on ebay or smth like thomann.de. But there i couldnt find most of preamps you have mentiodent apart sansamp.

I'd love to have trace v-type, ampeg svp-cl, svp-pro, ashdown rpm etc. but i cant find where to buy em

Btw, could you suggest some other not very expensive tube preamps? Smth around 300$ ?

[callingltu]

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