CARVIN BX 500 VS SWR SM-900

cocoune · #1 01-28-2012, 08:09 AM

I know there is alot of posts about these 2 amps but i need information for my situation

I own a working pro 400 right now and i like it but... I have a 2x10 golight and a 4x10 working pro ( soon another golight 2x10) and they are 400 watts each. The problem is i dont have enough power when i use only one because they are 8ohm. I have 3 options :

1- Someone i know is selling a 400 watts amp ( wich i will plug wiht my other amp) for 250 $... But it will be a bit heavy

2- Buy a swr sm-900 for 900 $ but i dont like how the speakers output works and i'm not sure if i really want to run 650 watts in my 400 watts cab XD

3- Buy a carvin bx 500 ( 500 watts 4ohmn 320 watts 8 ohm) for 375 $

MyMusic · #2 01-28-2012, 09:20 AM

Carvin BX 500.

bassgrooves2 · #3 01-28-2012, 09:30 AM

I second the carvin bx500. I have a Goliath III 8 ohm cab and the carvin works wonderfully for this cab, at the 350 watts. I also run a Genz Benz 6x10 cab for larger venues and the carvin works great for that at 500 watts @ 4ohms. I also use the carvin for several other cabinets depending on the venue. The Bx500 is insanely versatile, in my opinion much mor Dothan any of the other amps. I have used SWR, MESA, AMPEG, HARTKE in the past but once I tried Carvin, I hae stuck with them ever since. I still run my older Carvin BX1200 as well, but I like the portability of the bx500 and it is usually more than enough.

cocoune · #4 01-28-2012, 10:13 AM

ok thanks guys is this amp sound modern and hi-fi like swr ?
is it similar ? between 300 $ and 375 $ its a ok price ?

1954bassman · #5 01-28-2012, 10:14 AM

Heres a vote to stay with SWR. I love the tone of their amps.

Low Class · #6 01-28-2012, 10:19 AM

The SWR 900 is one the worst sounding amps ever made. You're better off with a SM400 which sounds way different. You didn't say what brand the 400 watt amp is, so I vote the Carvin.

fenderslaper · #7 01-28-2012, 02:20 PM

Carvin. I'm also using a BX500 with a Goliath III cab (or two) and couldn't be happier.

cocoune · #8 01-29-2012, 08:35 AM

Are eqs versatile? Because i'm not really a flat eq guy so i like when i can really change eqs. I heard that gk's amps was more versatile ? is this true ?

MarTONEbass · #9 01-29-2012, 09:01 AM

I just got a BX500 and it has a very versatile EQ. Additionally, you can EQ the parametric section and disengage the graphic EQ. Then you can engage the graphic EQ and you have a totally different sound. Add the compressor and Drive knobs, and the Carvin is one seriously versatile amp. I also have a Shuttlemax 9.2 which is a great amp, but the Carvin is giving it a run for its money.

cocoune · #10 01-29-2012, 12:56 PM

ok my decision is taken i think for 375 $ with a speakon cable im in buisness with the carvin

It will run my golight 2x10 8ohm at 320 watts for small gigs and run my 2 cabs at 500 watts ill have plenty of power. In the futur, if i need more power i will just buy and amplite by swr and mix the 2 amps :P thank you guys

Tim1 · #11 01-29-2012, 01:07 PM

Good call. My SM900 gave me constant trouble for reliability and was incredibly hard work to get a half decent tone - much preferred the SM400.

Texan · #12 01-29-2012, 01:19 PM

I vote Carvin. Alternatively, look at a Markbass lmii or lmiii, or a genz shuttle/shuttlemax series. The Markbass is a great amp, with a lot of watts as is the Genz. I have both and they bot sound awesome through my SWR Goliath 3 at 8 ohms. The both keep up with a 100 watt Marshall plexi with out breaking a sweat.

MontanaBassDude · #13 01-29-2012, 01:20 PM

Here's my 2 cents -- since you're already thinking about the future and needing more power, (and money isn't a huge problem) consider paying $220 extra for the Carvin BX1500 and you'll already be at the top. Better to have too much amp.
Then, someday you may get serious about having huge jaw-dropping bass tone, and you'll build a fEARful cab to go with that big Carvin 15k. Your rig can get no better after that.

(That's just the humble opinion of me... and a few hundred other fEARful/Carvin rig bassists. Do yourself a favor and look into it.)

evsax · #14 01-29-2012, 01:31 PM

The bx500 is working great for me. I run am running it through either my gk neo 410 (8 ohm) or a schroeder 1210 (4 ohm) Or sometimes together thanks to the 2 ohm switch on the back (i know some people say not to do this but it says it is ok in the carvin manual).

With either cab i get plenty of volume and I hardly ever turn it up past 2 or 3.

cocoune · #15 01-29-2012, 08:10 PM

well i dont need 1500 watts i only have 800 with my 2 cabs

MontanaBassDude · #16 01-29-2012, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cocoune

well i dont need 1500 watts i only have 800 with my 2 cabs

You're more likely to burn a speaker by driving them too hard with wimpy wattage. Bass speakers HATE that distortion.

Look, you said your cabs are 8ohm (each, I presume.) The BX1500 is only 300W at 8ohms per side. You could run bi-amped and have a killer high/low frequency setup. And if you bridge the outputs, you'll have 1500W into your 800W cabs. Life is great.

Bass Headroom is a good thing... just don't overdo it. No law that I know of says you have to crank your amp to 11 whenever you play.