Finally!! Ashdown Steps Up with some Small Tubers!! Yes

[JAUQO III-X]

Originally Posted by Rob Martinez

Anyway, I will be buying the 15 watt amp when available! And I live in the USA!

You and some one else who has posted in this thread also living in the USA will be purchasing one. And no it's not me.

Does that person care to reveal himself?

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by JAUQO III-X

The Ampegs and Fenders that you speak of are not knocking doors down in the sales department and they've been on the market far longer than the Ashdown CTM-300.

They're not? Ampeg was backordered on SVT's for the past month or two. They're back in stores now, though. The Ashdown stuff looks cool, though, no doubt about it.

[Jawbone]

Originally Posted by joelb79

Its because they all (pretty much) use Bang & Olufsen ICEPOWER 125ASX2 Class-D amplifiers and use different preamps and power sections to drive them. TBH - They are some of the easiest amplifiers I've seen to design because the 125ASX2 amp is already manufactured; you just put a preamp in front of it (tone hammer DI) and give it some mains power; and bam! Amplifier. Design a case, silkscreen it pretty.

These tube amps excite me.



When you have strikingly similar (identical) Amplifiers like the B&O 125ASX2 in each of them; what is done by the amplifier going into the speakers will be done with all of them. Sure the preamps are different, but the output section responsible for the gain is rather identical in a lot of these amplifiers. I'm not familiar with the Glockenklang unit; but I can imagine and hear every class D amplifier imparting something to the signal that makes the sound very similar. Like its held back somehow; lacking damping factor, with higher distortion and sounding like it has suppressed harmonics. It's hard to explain. I know I'll be told I'm wrong, but something sounds very subdued with a Class D amps. I would suspect with good measuring tools I could quantify what I'm hearing into scientific data and come up with an explanation but the most I have now is what my ears are telling me. And I know for one that I can hear the difference between a Crown I-Tech and an old Macrotec when they are approaching their output limits; so clearly the Class-D amp would have an effect on how the sound is amplified and how the amplifier can control the speaker.

Perhaps this picture of THD vs Power shows what happens in this power amp. It quickly reaches 10% THD before max power.



That will certainly effect the tone because once you increase the harmonic content that much you are going to loose other things; such as sonic accuracy; note attack, ect.

And yes, I'll say it again. These tube amps look super cool. I think I'm with JAUQO III-X, if no other amp company steps up their tube game Ashdown will end up on top. Let's just hope their line does not compete too much with itself.

I new there was something common among all these class-d's - An engineer finally chimes in. Yea! Good summary.

I guess I'm just a tube guy - McIntosh stereo equipment did it to me (great stuff BTW).

[Jawbone]

Originally Posted by KJung

They definitely seemed more focused on the tube thing than other companies.

General question to any poster who knows... why are most of the offerings called 'hybrid' but yet have tube power sections? That is a different usage of the term 'hybrid'. Is it that they are using SMPS versus a linear power supply? I was a bit confused.... maybe I just read it incorrectly.

hy·brid
/ˈhīˌbrid/Noun
A thing made by combining two different elements; a mixture.

Adjective
Of mixed character; composed of mixed parts.

It's just a term in vogue for cars and amps. (and weed).

[MarkusBass]

Originally Posted by JAUQO III-X

You and some one else who has posted in this thread also living in the USA will be purchasing one. And no it's not me.

Does that person care to reveal himself?

Me! I am very excited about this! I feel Ashdown is really listening to bass players. Offering such a wide range of killer tube goodness is just what the doctor ordered.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by Jawbone

hy·brid
/ˈhīˌbrid/Noun
A thing made by combining two different elements; a mixture.

Adjective
Of mixed character; composed of mixed parts.

It's just a term in vogue for cars and amps. (and weed).

Um, I know what 'hybrid' means. In the bass amp category, this is typically used to describe a head with a tube driven preamp and solid state power section. This term has been used forever, and I totally understand it.

My question is, the models of 'valve' heads on the Ashdown websites that are listed as hybrid have a tube power section and, as far as I can see, a tube preamp. That was what I was trying to understand. It looks like they are using hybrid to describe a tube power section with the ABM preamp driving it, which as far as I know, is not so much 'tube/solid state' hybrid as is typically understood by the use of that term, but rather 'old school tube power with a 'modern' preamp (since I think the ABM preamp has a tube in it... I could be wrong).

Edit: If the ABM preamp is considered solid state, then 'hybrid' is an interesting 'reversal' of the typical tube pre/solid state power section. This was the design of the old Music Man amps back in the day.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by Jawbone

I new there was something common among all these class-d's - An engineer finally chimes in. Yea! Good summary.

I guess I'm just a tube guy - McIntosh stereo equipment did it to me (great stuff BTW).

FYI, unfortunately this chart was incorrectly posted and interpreted. I would suggest you peruse the 'micro amp' thread, where this was discussed by a number of design engineers and corrected.

Unfortunately, this chart is now posted on this site and will be interepreted as being representative of something that it is not. The original poster now understands why the chart he posted is neither unique to class D amps,nor even based on the module and execution being discussed.

Again, virtually 100% of high level front of house PA companies (doing arena and stadium level support) use rigs driven by class D/SMPS power amps. There is absolutely no downside to these power sections. That being said, with bass backline, if you dig the sound of an all tube power section pushed a bit, your won't really get that from any solid state amp topology, so +1 there.

[fuzzy beard]

Originally Posted by JAUQO III-X

You and some one else who has posted in this thread also living in the USA will be purchasing one. And no it's not me.

Does that person care to reveal himself?

I love to try one! And would consider purchase. But I don't buy things with out trying them first. And as the fact remains the LB30 never made it to Cincinnati I doubt this one will.

[LuvMusic]

A little late to this "Ashdown Party!"

I've been using a LB30 for two years now (in Chicago) and it is a great amp. The tone and performance is awesome.

I did mate it with a new Fender 15in Bassman cab this year and the sound is even more warm and tubey.

Proof is in the pic...........!

[hdracer]

Originally Posted by JAUQO III-X

The Ampegs and Fenders that you speak of are not knocking doors down in the sales department and they've been on the market far longer than the Ashdown CTM-300.

Fender can not keep up production on the 100T's. They are selling faster then Fender ever expected. The 300's are flying off the shelf's too.
Fender set the bar very high for the 100 watt tube head market with a very competitive price point.
I am sure the Ashdown will be a nice amp but it will have a tough row to hoe to compete with the Fender's in the US market, price and feature wise.

[Duke21]

Ashdown are golden deal in Norway, being close to the UK helps!

[Duke21]

Originally Posted by hdracer

Fender can not keep up production on the 100T's. They are selling faster then Fender ever expected. The 300's are flying off the shelf's too.
Fender set the bar very high for the 100 watt tube head market with a very competitive price point.
I am sure the Ashdown will be a nice amp but it will have a tough row to hoe to compete with the Fender's in the US market, price and feature wise.

Is it due to the US market? Haven't seen these fenders yet in Norway.

[joelb79]

Originally Posted by Jawbone

I new there was something common among all these class-d's - An engineer finally chimes in. Yea! Good summary.

I guess I'm just a tube guy - McIntosh stereo equipment did it to me (great stuff BTW).

You should read the other thread. I'm no engineer; I just study. Real engineers chimed in and I have slightly altered my view because you can alter how a class D amplifier handles a speaker load greatly especially when bridged. This was a stereo chart and not representative of how they would be under a bass amp head load. And preamps make all the difference as well.

But tube rules.

[hdracer]

Originally Posted by Duke21

Is it due to the US market? Haven't seen these fenders yet in Norway.

I have never seen one on the shelf at any store.
The big complaint in the Bassman threads is from people that want to try one first.
Sometimes you can order one and get it right away and sometimes you have to wait. They sell out fast.

[guy n. cognito]

Originally Posted by JAUQO III-X

You and some one else who has posted in this thread also living in the USA will be purchasing one. And no it's not me.

Does that person care to reveal himself?

Well, that's two........

[guy n. cognito]

Originally Posted by hdracer

I have never seen one on the shelf at any store.
The big complaint in the Bassman threads is from people that want to try one first.
Sometimes you can order one and get it right away and sometimes you have to wait. They sell out fast.

Local music store here reports that the 100 watters do not sell well. They had two in stock the last time I checked.

[Bearded Wizard]

Demo Video of CTM15 up here: http://ashdownmusic.com/product_detail.php?id=13

[Tractorr]

Originally Posted by LuvMusic

A little late to this "Ashdown Party!"

I've been using a LB30 for two years now (in Chicago) and it is a great amp. The tone and performance is awesome.

I did mate it with a new Fender 15in Bassman cab this year and the sound is even more warm and tubey.

Proof is in the pic...........!

Are you pushing the LB30 at all, and if so how does the tweeter in the Fender sound?

[husky123]

15W has me GASsing. Sub'd.

[MarkusBass]

Originally Posted by Bearded Wizard

Demo Video of CTM15 up here: http://ashdownmusic.com/product_detail.php?id=13

My GAS just went to 11.