mixers question

[air_leech]

hi all

I got an old Marantz stereo amp with two reconed cabinets, sitting in my basement. now I want to get a mixer (either digital, analog, passive etc. but not powered) and plug it in to the aux. in on the Marantz back, anyone knows if this will work as a full range PA for a band setting (I can plug my bass amp to the woofer out)??? will it reproduce guitar, bass and drum sounds authentically (I'm sure keyborads will work fine)?

do I need to plug my active bass into it with a DI box or the onboard pre cancels this need?

thanks.

[puppeteering]

I'm assuming you mean stereo as in L/R, and not just the 'hi-fi' stereo type of amplifier, although it seems like with the kind of outputs you were talking about, I may be wrong.

A regular power amplifier generally has inputs and outputs- 2 channels generally give you the ability to amplify stereo material, and often, "bridging" the outputs sums (more or less) the overall wattage for one mono output. DON'T TRY THIS unless you're sure you can do it and you understand what you're doing.

My advice is to rent or borrow a cheap mixer and attempt your scenario. Look at it as an investment-- you got 1/2 of a band PA for free- try it out and see which connections work and what kind of cables you need.

Inceidentally, plugging your bass signal into a woofer out probably incorporates some cross-over, and your sound will be similar to what your neighbors would hear (i.e. feel) if you had your bass amp & cab turned way up in your house. Big, muddy, woofy, no clarity, no articulation. And probably not desirable.

Don't be afraid to experiment but always be conscious of what you're plugging in, especially when there's power involved. If you don't know, than wait and ask!