Could a 200 watt Accoustic sound better than my 800 watt Carvin??

bcolins · #1 11-18-2011, 07:07 PM

I have a Carvin B800 that puts out 800 watts at 2 Ohms, into my Avatar 212 and Avatar 210 cabs,...both are 4 Ohm NEO cabs rated at 500 watts each.

I play the Carvin/Avatar rig in my home,....carpeted floors,....lots of things buzzing in the house on certain notes......sounds....well.....OK.

A friend has a 200 watt Accoustic head in to 410 and 15" Accoustic cabs.

When we play at his place,....I play through his Accoustic.....on hard wood floors.

I have to say that the Accoustic has an incredible sound.....very solid bottom end,....lots of punch,....and it really cuts through the mix well,......My thought is that it sounds better than my Carvin/Avatar rig.

Could it be the Carpet versus hard wood floors,....or....is it possible that the 200 watt Accoustic rig could be out performing my Carvin B800 with the Avatar cabs??

Brian in Austin

bassteban · #2 11-18-2011, 07:25 PM

Dunno about all the carpet/buzzy stuff- you might try to A/B the two rigs in the same room to get a better fel for the facts there- but I'd suggest that you may very well like one over the other strictly for it's tone.

will33 · #3 11-18-2011, 07:37 PM

The room you're in and where both you and the rig are positioned within that room will affect the sound as much as and often more than anything else. You have to A/B the 2 in exactly identical situations to have any idea.

newbold · #4 11-18-2011, 07:43 PM

I don't think you're comparing apples to apples.

What do you mean by 'outperforming'? is it louder or deeper or you just prefer the sound?

**B-string** · #5 11-18-2011, 07:52 PM

Carpet and carpet pad absorbs sound, hardwood reflects sound. You need them both in the same room to tell anything.

tjh · #6 11-18-2011, 10:08 PM

absolutely .. you can definitely prefer the sound of one over the other, and the selling price does not mean one will be the preferred ... with that said, I get a tone out of my little 35 watt Peavey Minx practice amp (at practice volume levels) that I would love to match at higher volumes out of any of the half dozen amp/cab combinations I have tried in the last couple years ... However, if I take the Peavey out of its 'comfort zone', and into an area above where it performs well, ANY of the other amps I have used will be much more desireable over the little practice amp ...

... my guess is that may be what you are experiencing ... you are splitting 200 watts between 5 speakers, and they are handling that very nicely, and you like the sound .. if you were to get into an environment where the Acoustic was simply challenged beyond its reasonable expectations, the 800 watt Carvin would be IN its comfort zone still ...

... long version of an answer, but you absolutely can prefer the sound of a less expensive unit over a larger/more wattage/more expensive unit ... but then, I (or the next guy) might not ... thats why we all go broke chasing after what somebody else recommends .. hoping ...

bassman10096 · #7 11-18-2011, 10:17 PM

Quote:

you might try to A/B the two rigs in the same room to get a better fel for the facts there

For my purposes, the simple answer - requires no analysis or technical knowledge - get them both in the same room and compare. Then take each out on a couple of gigs (an odd-shaped room with poor acoustics full of bodies is the first real test) and compare each in a couple of rooms. Then I would have an idea which I like better.
But that may not be your need - perhaps you are less likely to play out, more likely to jam in a particular location. Then just test both rigs in the same spot and voila! you know what's more to your liking.

Bass_Pounder · #8 11-19-2011, 07:28 AM

Seeing that the B800 is the little brother of the very well respected B1500, and the other amp is a cheap chinese made amp re-branded for Guitar Center,,,,,,,,,,,,,

I would say that the rooms were making the difference.

Side by side there would be no comparison.

bcolins · #9 11-19-2011, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bass_Pounder

Seeing that the B800 is the little brother of the very well respected B1500, and the other amp is a cheap chinese made amp re-branded for Guitar Center,,,,,,,,,,,,,

I would say that the rooms were making the difference.

Side by side there would be no comparison.

I actually have a B1500 as well, but thought the B800 might be better matched to this cabinet combination.

Bass_Pounder · #10 11-19-2011, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bcolins

I actually have a B1500 as well, but thought the B800 might be better matched to this cabinet combination.

Could also be due to the different tone shaping of the cabs.

The ones you are using are more clear and open, just like the amp.

The Acoustics may have a different colorization in the head and cabs.

Only way to really tell is by doing a side-by-side comparison, and by using your head on that satck and vice versa.

Ric5 · #11 11-19-2011, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassteban

Dunno about all the carpet/buzzy stuff- you might try to A/B the two rigs in the same room to get a better fel for the facts there- but I'd suggest that you may very well like one over the other strictly for it's tone.

Yep ... that is the way to compare ...

Carvin makes good stuff, but the eq chain is hard to understand on those amps ... once you master it then you can get a good tone.

Liam Wald · #12 11-19-2011, 11:16 AM

Okay, I'm going to sound like a real jerk... but I just can't take it anymore!!!

When people ask things like this it makes me crazy.

Why don't you just frickin' try it and see for yourself?

Bim1959 · #13 11-19-2011, 11:54 AM

You definitely need to compare the 2 in the same room to figure out which is going to do the best for you. And if you really want to get picky, run everything thru the same cabinets. That'll really tell you where your sound is coming from.

And Bass Pounder. Leave the racism out of it. Ampeg is making their SVT Pro series there and it sounds fantastic. Alot of the major corporations have shipped their manufacturing to China and according to you it's **** because it comes from China? I dont think so. I dont support the US being the world's biggest exporter of jobs, but you do have to remember we're showing the Chinese how to make the stuff the way WE want it and of course we get back what we put into it.

I've played thru some of Carvin's bass amps and I'm sorry, but Carvin's at the bottom of my list. It's just something about the tone of the Carvin amps that doesnt do it for me. They make some nice pa cabinets and guitars but their amps just dont cut it as far as I'm concerned. And yes, I have played thru the Acoustic China gear and it sounds great nomatter what I play thru it.

But it all comes down to the tone that bcolins is looking for. Get all those amps and cabinets in the same room and then let your ear tell you....