Ashdown MAG300

Mark Russell · #1 07-30-2011, 10:20 PM

I have just bought a Mag300 evo II head, running through a Mag 4x10 450w 8ohm cab. I love the sound but I'm a bit dissapointed with the lack of volume, I know the head is 307w and capable of peaking to 500w, but the oomph just isn't there. My old Trace Elliot AH250 seems much louder. Is it because of the 8ohm cab? Can I get the power output section upgraded on the head or do I need to a buy a beefier amp? Flat out it seems to be just about adequate. I'm sure the cab is wired correctly inside, I don't think it's 16ohms!

Anyone else have this problem?

RickBlair · #2 07-30-2011, 10:52 PM

I bought a Mag 300 combo with a 15" speaker about a month ago. I find that you can get more volume plugging into the high impedance input regardless if your bass is passive or active. Boosting any of the eq knobs will also increase volume a lot.

The EQ controls are very interactive with each other and it's suprising how many variations of tone you can get out of these.

Rick B.

alexofc69 · #3 07-30-2011, 11:04 PM

sorry, I always cap on MAG 300s. i had the same experience. Even through 2 cabs. Just couldnt get any volume. So i had the online retailer send me out another. It went POOF up in smoke about a month later. They offered to send me another. i said no way. let me just spend 5x more and get an Ashdown MK500. Now that was the ticket. 100% reliable and a megaton of volume!! I just think the MAG heads are worthless.

KeithPas · #4 07-30-2011, 11:14 PM

Different experience for me; I have had mine for 3 yrs or so and it has been a real workhorse and plenty loud.

RickBlair · #5 07-30-2011, 11:15 PM

I played a gig with an 18-piece big band tonight. The input and master volumes were only ~12:00 on the dials and the EQ was totally flat. Nobody had any trouble hearing me.

Rick B.

Kraken · #6 07-30-2011, 11:28 PM

@Mark Russell - yes I think it could be because your Cab is 8 Ohms that you don't seem to be getting the volume, I ran (and still have as a backup) the Original Mag 300 H (pre evo...) head through 2 of the Ashdown Mag 2x10's that were 8 ohms each and it made a whole world of difference.

@alexofc69 That doesn't sound good, I'd be careful plugging your MK500 into the same sockets I would suggest there is something else wrong there rather than the MAG heads in this case.

obviously this is all my opinion and I would wait for someone with more knowledge to add their thoughts before taking what I say as fact.

Mark Russell · #7 07-31-2011, 12:43 AM

Thanks for the information guys, I think I might email Ashdown and ask their opinion.

JAUQO III-X · #8 07-31-2011, 01:14 AM

The Mag 300 is 307 watts into 4 ohms.

If you run it into an 8 ohm cab you will get less than 200 watts.

Therefore decreasing your required volume output.

GeoffByrne · #9 07-31-2011, 03:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JAUQO III-X

The Mag 300 is 307 watts into 4 ohms.

If you run it into an 8 ohm cab you will get less than 200 watts.

Therefore decreasing your required volume output.

^This.

I have a UK-built MAG400 (485W into 4 Ohms)

I play it into 2x15 custom cabs built for & loaded with an Eminence 2515 (big cab) & Eminence 3015 (small cab) respectively.

Flat, I find I get, to my ears, a wonderful tone, but not huge amounts of volume.

It is my experience that these amps, while often being labeled 'wooly' or 'muddy', suffer from the bass-playercentric problem of 'Must Have Flat EQ'!!!

MAGs in particular benefit greatly from screwing up the knobs - quite a bit!

I bung everything round to about 3 o'clock, except the mids which I cut a little (but that's just me, & my mids-heavy bass).

I don't understand why so many bassists are scared to utilise the EQ on the amp - that's what it's there for.

I see so many posts 'Which pickups for more mids' or 'less mids' or whatever.

Just use some EQ, Dude!!!

Anyway, dear Reader

plug into the input, turn tone knobs up a bit to taste, adjust Gain until just peaking into the red and blast away!!!

JAUQO III-X · #10 07-31-2011, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeoffByrne

^This.

I have a UK-built MAG400 (485W into 4 Ohms)

I play it into 2x15 custom cabs built for & loaded with an Eminence 2515 (big cab) & Eminence 3015 (small cab) respectively.

Flat, I find I get, to my ears, a wonderful tone, but not huge amounts of volume.

It is my experience that these amps, while often being labeled 'wooly' or 'muddy', suffer from the bass-playercentric problem of 'Must Have Flat EQ'!!!

MAGs in particular benefit greatly from screwing up the knobs - quite a bit!

I bung everything round to about 3 o'clock, except the mids which I cut a little (but that's just me, & my mids-heavy bass).

I don't understand why so many bassists are scared to utilise the EQ on the amp - that's what it's there for.

I see so many posts 'Which pickups for more mids' or 'less mids' or whatever.

Just use some EQ, Dude!!!

Anyway, dear Reader

plug into the input, turn tone knobs up a bit to taste, adjust Gain until just peaking into the red and blast away!!!

I fully agree. Eq really can be a great friend.