Power Amp to replace my Ashdown ABM500?

[LarryR]

I've never used a Power Amp / Pre. Always went integrated.
Happy with my Ashdown, but, wonder if I'm running out of headroom. My cab (4 ohm) will take 800w. The Ashdown is feeding it 500w. Oh....The band is loud!!!

Knowing the value of headroom and relatively inexpensive class D amps, the question is, would I feel and hear cleaner, tighter bass with say a 1000 or 1500w amp? If so, what's GOOD, LIGHT, Inexpensive (under $ 500). I've read good reviews on Peavey & Crown. How about Carvin? I live 1/2 mile from the Carvin store in Hollywood, CA.

My setup
Cab: Sadowsky SA410 4ohm
Pedal Board: Yes - slight overdrive, fuzz, octave, phaser
Bass: Fender P
Preamps: choice of Tech 21 Paradriver, Demeter VTDB2 and Aguilar DB900 (the latter are tube DI's w/EQ).

Any and all suggestions are appreciated.
Anyone who's gone from an Ashdown to Power Amp?

[JimmyM]

i don't think you will be able to put much more through your sadowsky cab than you're doing now. does it make it sound tighter to have more headroom? some say yes, but i don't know that i agree. however, if you're running your rig into the red, the best way to get more power out of it is to use a bigger cab. doubling your driver count, while it won't be quite twice as loud, will be a lot louder than doubling your power. of course, that rules out your ashdown head since it only does 4 ohms. or it rules out your sadowsky cab since it is 4 ohms, plus they're darn hard to get nowadays.

of course, there's always the option of turning down, but that's just stupid

[LarryR]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

of course, there's always the option of turning down, but that's just stupid

Funny line! Fact is, I'm more often accused of being too quiet. I'm gonna try your approach. Anyone says something I'll tell him to see you.

Thing is JimmyM, I like the 410 form factor. At my age and physical strength, 86lbs on wheels works well. I'm still sore for 2 days but, it's a good sore. I know this conversation is just 'talk' and in fact I need to get an amp and try it, but, can you expand on this statement:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

i don't think you will be able to put much more through your sadowsky cab than you're doing now.

I gotta ask why? the cab will handle 800. I'm only giving it 500. I'd like to think 1000 or 1500 might "open up" the cab a bit. Breathe better. That's my concept at least. Or, am I truly full of it?

[fourstringburn]

I run a 1500 watt x 2 power amp into 2 Ampeg 810's. Each cab is rated at 1600 program which is 2x the 800 watt RMS rating and each cab is receiving 1500 watts at full power out. While I don't usually play at full volume levels, I have all the power I need and them some. What big power can do is give less distortion at higher output levels contributing to a cleaner sound at high volumes while driving the speakers at their highest efficiency.

Power alone is only part of the equation, you have to have cabs that are rated just over the max output of your amp. Most cab spec's are rated in RMS which is a safe average power handling of the cab. You should check with the manufacture to see if they give a peak/program rating which is usually 2x the RMS rating. This is the figure you should be concerned with if your looking for the most out of your rig.

Again big power is only a part of the equation.You should also consider adding more cabs to spread the sound out as this too will increase the volume levels. I would also recommend using a compressor/limiter to keep from power amp clipping if using a high wattage amp in this fashion.


Question to ask yourself, Is this necessary? I say why not!

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by LarryR

I know this conversation is just 'talk' and in fact I need to get an amp and try it, but, can you expand on this statement:

I gotta ask why? the cab will handle 800. I'm only giving it 500. I'd like to think 1000 or 1500 might "open up" the cab a bit. Breathe better. That's my concept at least. Or, am I truly full of it?

well not having tried the sadowsky, i don't know if their power handling ratings are accurate, but most cab ratings are very optimistic to say the least. they use the voice coil burnout wattage to estimate them, but the drivers often reach the maximum that they can be pushed well below that, and any excess power just serves to stress out the drivers. plus the design of the cab can further limit how much you can put into them. for example, i used to have this little 300w combo that had a 400w power handling rating for the cab, but i couldn't put anywhere near that into it without the cab rattling and sounding like it was going to explode.

now sadowsky may be different. anyone who's heard those cabs say they sound wonderful and are built very rugged. but at the end of the day they're still a 410, and i've yet to play a 410 that didn't rebel when you start trying to push them harder than about 300-400w worth. but still, no harm in borrowing a power amp and trying it out. you sound like you've been around the block a few times so i'm sure you'll know when to back off of it before damage starts.

[Growly Lytes]

Give it a go.Get a stronger amp or extra cab or even both if you can afford it.You will not be dissapointed.