sansamp rpm preamp

bring the noise · #1 07-01-2011, 10:02 AM

What's some opinions of a rpm and poweramp setup. I have been doing rig research for awhile and I keep coming back to this. It would be affordable, have tons of power and you could always add on to your rig later. Thoughts?

Selta · #2 07-01-2011, 10:04 AM

I love love love mine! I'm sending both an "effected" and an "uneffected" signal to FOH to be blended about 60/40 there. Lots of tones to be had in it from a good clean to pure, raunchy dirt.

bal704 · #3 07-01-2011, 10:23 AM

I just got my RPM, and so far, really like it. I agree, everything from clean to dirt, sounds really good.

LGT · #4 07-01-2011, 10:51 AM

Awesome preamp! It can go from hifi to thumpin to raunchy. The EQ is also really powerful. I can't recommend it enough!

bring the noise · #5 07-01-2011, 11:01 AM

What power amps are you all running?

bal704 · #6 07-01-2011, 11:01 AM

Carvin DCM1500 for me.

Selta · #7 07-01-2011, 11:05 AM

Mine's in my sig... in case you have those disabled though, it's the QSC PLX2 1804. It's stereo, so you can run the unaffected signal into one side and the effected into the other, then send each to a separate cab.

Tunaman · #8 07-01-2011, 11:08 AM

Great preamp, if my Behringer poweramp wasn't crap I'd pair it with an RPM

LGT · #9 07-01-2011, 11:14 AM

I'm running a crown xls1000. Stereo with a built in crossover.

bring the noise · #10 07-01-2011, 01:26 PM

Yeah, I'm thinking you can get a rpm and a crown xps 1500 for about $700 brand new. Hard to beat. What cabs are you all running?

JGR · #11 07-01-2011, 01:31 PM

I've owned a lot of preamps, and the RPM is the only one I still own besides my own. It is killer and there is a lot of flexibility. You can add another RPM or RBI down the line for even more versatility in a parallel or channel switching configuration. The rack AGRO is also cool to run with it in parallel.

bring the noise · #12 07-02-2011, 10:14 AM

Would it be better to run it with a amp like a carvin b2000 or as a stand alone preamp amp set up? What's the pros and cons of each way? Money is close to the same.

JGR · #13 07-02-2011, 11:19 AM

Get a dedicated power amp.

Fuzzbass · #14 07-02-2011, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JGR

Get a dedicated power amp.

+1

parsons · #15 07-02-2011, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JGR

Get a dedicated power amp.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fuzzbass

+1

Im going to disagree with my two MD friends here and say you dont have to get a dedicated power amp.

For a long time my rig has been an RPM and an RBI. I use them through the effects loop of my SWR SM400. Sometimes it can be a pain in the butt to get the exact tone you want but I like the SWR amp because it has a transparency knob which allows me to blend in how much overall Sansamp sound I want from the effect loop. I can also choose to bi amp two cabs with this rig (the SWR has a built in bi amp setup with adjustable crossover), having one 15" cab running a clean RBI sound for the lower end and the higher end playing a distorted sound into a 410 cab from the RPM. This setup absolutely POUNDS but it requires me to carry two cabinets and is trickier for sound guys at larger venues. I will say when I have used this rig at some gigs people have come up to me and asked "What the hell is in that rack to make it sound like that?!"

I typically used the RPM and RBI wired up with a footswitch to switch between the two pre. The RBI clean, the RPM distorted. Works pretty well for me.

The other option which I have done is to just wire the output of the two preamp directly into the SWRs power section, using it just as a power amp. I like versatility.

LGT · #16 07-02-2011, 06:49 PM

Hey Jonathan, how does the rpm sound with your Bag Ends? I'll hopefully be buying one next week, so I was just curious.

xUptheIronsx · #17 07-02-2011, 08:19 PM

I run an RBI through a Yamaha P3500S, and it is so clean. Am assuming the RPM is a newer model? Might have to look into it...

JGR · #18 07-02-2011, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LGT

Hey Jonathan, how does the rpm sound with your Bag Ends? I'll hopefully be buying one next week, so I was just curious.

A very good match. There is plenty of low end available from the pre, so it fills out the low end of the Bags, while the Bags keep things tight and focused. The mids of the Bags help balance higher blend settings which add a bit of scoop, and they also sound great if you dial in the dirt.

bring the noise · #19 07-03-2011, 06:02 AM

What power amps do you all recommend? I have looked at crown, carvin, and qsc. Would the class d amps work well? Don't really care about weight. Crown xls have my intrest.

parsons · #20 07-03-2011, 06:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bring the noise

What power amps do you all recommend? I have looked at crown, carvin, and qsc. Would the class d amps work well? Don't really care about weight. Crown xls have my intrest.

Check out the Peavey IPR series. The IPR 3000 is around 900w @ 4ohms and weighs under 10lbs. It also goes down to 2ohms if needed. Affordable, durable and lightweight.