Bass Amp Head Through Power Amp, Then Through Bass Cabs

[Mr Antt]

Hi there,

Now, this may be really obvious, but.. I was just wondering. And I've done a search but can't seem to find anything. Is it possible to take an amp head, plug it into a power amp before plugging into the bass cabs?
This may make no sense, so I apoligise if it doesn't

Thanks, Anthony.

[Oobly]

Do you mean, use the amp head as a preamp / EQ only? Many heads can do this, just plug the effects out or line out (if it has one) to the power amp with the power amp connected to the cab.

[bassgod0dmw]

What are you looking to accomplish?

And...+1 to the above.

[Mr Antt]

Just looking to add more volume thats all.

For example, With a 50watt head and a 400watt+ cab for example, there's 350Watts going to waste, am I correct?

[bassgod0dmw]

Originally Posted by Mr Antt

For example, With a 50watt head and a 400watt+ cab for example, there's 350Watts going to waste, am I correct?

Well, not exactly.

If you want/need more volume, yes, something with more than 50w will be a good start. I usually recommend at least 300. Just don't equate that with the 400w cab business. There is more info on the subject in the Amp FAQ sticky.

[JTE]

First- yes you CAN do this in general. What amp do you have? If it's got a pre-amp out or an effects send, you can use that to send the pre-amp signal to a different power amp and use that amp's power to drive your cabinet. DO NOT use the speaker output of your bass amp however.

And 50 WRMS is probably just not enough to do much good in any kind of loudish music. I know there're folks on here who do use small amps succesfully, but generally 200 WRMS is the minimum I'd want for gigging, and 300 is safer.

However, your final point is just way way off. The power hanlding capacity of the speaker cabinet is one of the MOST useless and misleading speaker specs there is. First, the speaker cabinet doesn't create watts. That spec is merely how much the manufacturer's advertising department says it can handle. And "handle" in this case is pretty vague. It really means how much power you can dump into it before you melt the voice coil wires. The thing they don't tell you is that you'll hear nasty distortion and destroy the speaker cone physically well before you get the voice coil melted. A 50 watt head with a 400 watt cabinet is fine and you're not leaving anything behind. It's just that the head isn't going to create much volume no matter what it's hooked to because it's only 50 watts.

John

[Mr Antt]

Originally Posted by JTE

First- yes you CAN do this in general. What amp do you have? If it's got a pre-amp out or an effects send, you can use that to send the pre-amp signal to a different power amp and use that amp's power to drive your cabinet. DO NOT use the speaker output of your bass amp however.

And 50 WRMS is probably just not enough to do much good in any kind of loudish music. I know there're folks on here who do use small amps succesfully, but generally 200 WRMS is the minimum I'd want for gigging, and 300 is safer.

However, your final point is just way way off. The power hanlding capacity of the speaker cabinet is one of the MOST useless and misleading speaker specs there is. First, the speaker cabinet doesn't create watts. That spec is merely how much the manufacturer's advertising department says it can handle. And "handle" in this case is pretty vague. It really means how much power you can dump into it before you melt the voice coil wires. The thing they don't tell you is that you'll hear nasty distortion and destroy the speaker cone physically well before you get the voice coil melted. A 50 watt head with a 400 watt cabinet is fine and you're not leaving anything behind. It's just that the head isn't going to create much volume no matter what it's hooked to because it's only 50 watts.

John

This I do understand, I don't think I've worded things right my end. Yes, I do know that the wattage rating on a speaker is just the amount it can handle. I just needed to know if I could use the Power Amp before the cab.

I believe my question has been answered, just don't use the speaker output. Yes, I do have an effects send so my problem is solved, correct?

Thanks everyone, helped me out there.

Anthony.

[1958Bassman]

Originally Posted by Mr Antt

Just looking to add more volume thats all.

For example, With a 50watt head and a 400watt+ cab for example, there's 350Watts going to waste, am I correct?

An amp or speaker doesn't "have" power. A speaker will produce sound when AC voltage is applied (never connect it to DC voltage) up to its thermal capacity and thermal limits. An amplifier takes an input voltage and increases the amplitude, which is what it's doing when it "puts out" power. If you want more volume, you need a more powerful amplifier but you can't connect the speaker output to the second power amp's input- you need a preamp output or effects send jack with a level control.

If you want more output and you're playing outside, you'll need a more powerful amplifier, mic the cabinet or use a DI box. If you're playing inside and are close to a room corner, place the cabinet in the corner and you'll be quite a bit louder. If you can use a corner outside, it will help there, too.

[bassgod0dmw]

What is your current 50w amp that you're using?

[Mr Antt]

It's a Titan 50Watt. I know nothing about it, I can't find anything online. I've even asked here before but still no closer to any info. It was £30 from eBay, did the job for rehearsals. If you know anything that'd be great. But without being rude, I doubt anyone does.. I'm looking to buy a new head anyway. So really it's not all that important. Just make sure it has an effects send right?

Thanks Anthony.

[bassgod0dmw]

Well, if you're going to buy a new amp just get something that has enough power in the first place.

[Mr Antt]

Which would be the logical thing to do in the first place.. I know. But for £30 it seemed like such a steal at the time. GAS maybe?