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TC Electronic controversy...solved.

cheezewiz

cheezewiz

Mar 27, 2002
10,863
360
Ohio
#1
I just got a TC Electronic Classic 450, and a RS212 cab. I have an RS210 cab on the way also, but that hasn't arrived yet.

As most of you know, there was controversy regarding the stated wattage of this series of heads. I can absolutely say with certainty....IT DOESNT MATTER!

I don't know the actual wattage, nor do I care. I don't know if Jimmy M, whom I respect, just hates them because they didn't choose him to be a tester. I don't know about the power management systems, compression, etc., that TC puts into the heads.

I DO know that this head is INCREDIBLY loud for its size. With the little 212, the thing is just earth shaking. This head is louder than the well regarded Aguilar AG500. This amp is louder than anything Ampeg puts out in the solid state realm, other than the SVT4, SVT8, and I'd say about equal with the SVT7 into 8 ohms...which the RS212 is. This head is louder than any other 400-500 watt head I've tried, and I've tried a bunch of them.

I can't wait for the RS210 to arrive so I can stack them together.
 
#2
I couldn't care less about the TC wattage controversy and I just wish people would stop bringing it up.

But anyway...I agree.
The first thing that hit me about the RH450 was how loud it was.
I can drown out my drummer with it.
 
#6
BurningSkies said:
Not really.

No one has ever disputed that they're loud. Its in the path they took to 'loudness', and their decision to discount honesty in explaining it that the controversy is founded... :)
Click to expand...

If you had one like mice elf and the OP, then you couldnt possibly care less. This little amp smashes faces in the back row and that IMO is ALL that matters broham. They should advertise this thing for constipated fatties to move their bowels.
 
#7
cheezewiz said:
I just got a TC Electronic Classic 450, and a RS212 cab. I have an RS210 cab on the way also, but that hasn't arrived yet.

As most of you know, there was controversy regarding the stated wattage of this series of heads. I can absolutely say with certainty....IT DOESNT MATTER!

I don't know the actual wattage, nor do I care. I don't know if Jimmy M, whom I respect, just hates them because they didn't choose him to be a tester. I don't know about the power management systems, compression, etc., that TC puts into the heads.

I DO know that this head is INCREDIBLY loud for its size. With the little 212, the thing is just earth shaking. This head is louder than the well regarded Aguilar AG500. This amp is louder than anything Ampeg puts out in the solid state realm, other than the SVT4, SVT8, and I'd say about equal with the SVT7 into 8 ohms...which the RS212 is. This head is louder than any other 400-500 watt head I've tried, and I've tried a bunch of them.

I can't wait for the RS210 to arrive so I can stack them together.
Click to expand...

I have the RH450 w the 210 and 212 and I can testify brother that it is all youre gonna need. I run between 2 Marshall stacks and keep my volume at 30%.
 
#8
StrangerDanger said:
If you had one like mice elf and the OP, then you couldnt possibly care less. This little amp smashes faces in the back row and that IMO is ALL that matters broham. They should advertise this thing for constipated fatties to move their bowels.
Click to expand...

No compression for me, thanks...no matter what the loudness benefit.
 
#9
JimmyM said:
Why? You don't think people have a right to be informed before they spend a lot of money on gear?
Click to expand...

Of course people have a right to know.
But any bassist that stubbles onto Talkbass and searches for info about the amp is going to know all about that in 3 seconds flat.

I was more referring to the OP's thread title.
It would have been better to say something like...
'RH450..geez it gets loud!'

People gonna be clicking on the thread expecting some sort of explaination.
Like the OP however, the wattage doesnt matter to me.
 
#10
badboyb said:
Of course people have a right to know.
But any bassist that stubbles onto Talkbass and searches for info about the amp is going to know all about that in 3 seconds flat.

I was more referring to the OP's thread title.
It would have been better to say something like...
'RH450..geez it gets loud!'

People gonna be clicking on the thread expecting some sort of explaination.
Like the OP however, the wattage doesnt matter to me.
Click to expand...

Maybe that would have been a better thread title, because, geeze, it is loud.
 
#13
As I've stated many times over; I really wanted to like the 450 based on the feature set alone. When I tried it, I found myself backed into a tonal corner because of the ridiculous amount of baked-in compression.

It loud, but who cares if it sounds bad, and to me it most certainly does.

The real issue, performance aside, is dishonest marketing. This isn't exclusive to TC, but this is a pretty blatant case.
 
#15
Yeah, this doesn't "explain" the controversy, it doesn't justify it.

It doesn't explain anything, actually, except that it's "loud." Really? Compared to a SVT-7 Pro??? Not really. You can cut the bass and get more volume with just the mids (one of the tricks TC uses), but you lose all the bottom end, roundness, fullness, thickness, tone, timbre, whatever you want to call it. More powerful amps don't lose this. Moreover, an amp that claims 450 watts (but doesn't) isn't going to be anywhere near as loud as an amp that puts out nearly 1,000.

I had a 120 watt 1x12" that was "loud." However, it isn't as loud as my STM900 through a Goliath III 410. TC Electronic gear doesn't produce anywhere near the power they claim, and there really isn't any way around that.
 
#18
ksandvik said:
230W is not 450W.
Click to expand...

If we are playing the wattage game, Ampeg's Pro 7 can come into play. FALSE SPECS:

Ampeg: Pro Series - SVT-7PRO

• RMS power output:
• 1000 watts @ 4 ohms
• 600 watts @ 8 ohms

BGM Testing:

Link Removed

Page 30

Certified power =

4 ohms 763w, 8 ohms 457w

No APM excuse either :P

Both the 450 and Pro 7 are loud amps, but you can't just bring TC into it without this now. Ampeg have lied, and don't, so far, have an excuse. ALL BASSISTS DESERVE TO KNOW...YADDA YADDA YADDA...etc, and so on. Sarcasm now off.
 
#19
cheezewiz said:
I just got a TC Electronic Classic 450, and a RS212 cab. I have an RS210 cab on the way also, but that hasn't arrived yet.

As most of you know, there was controversy regarding the stated wattage of this series of heads. I can absolutely say with certainty....IT DOESNT MATTER!

I don't know the actual wattage, nor do I care. I don't know if Jimmy M, whom I respect, just hates them because they didn't choose him to be a tester. I don't know about the power management systems, compression, etc., that TC puts into the heads.

I DO know that this head is INCREDIBLY loud for its size. With the little 212, the thing is just earth shaking. This head is louder than the well regarded Aguilar AG500. This amp is louder than anything Ampeg puts out in the solid state realm, other than the SVT4, SVT8, and I'd say about equal with the SVT7 into 8 ohms...which the RS212 is. This head is louder than any other 400-500 watt head I've tried, and I've tried a bunch of them.

I can't wait for the RS210 to arrive so I can stack them together.
Click to expand...

It's exactly that kind of attitude that allows these companies to get away with false marketing claims. How about I just sell you a 500 watt amp and call it 1000, it's no big deal right? I mean 500 is enough for most people so who cares, right? What if your fiance told you she had 2 ex-husbands when she really had 4, still no big deal?

If you like your amp, cool, can't argue with that.
 
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#20
will33 said:
It's exactly that kind of attitude that allows these companies to get away with false marketing claims. How about I just sell you a 500 watt amp and call it 1000, it's no big deal right? I mean 500 is enough for most people so who cares, right? What if your fiance told you she had 2 ex-husbands when she really had 4, still no big deal?

If you like your amp, cool, can't argue with that.
Click to expand...

If you think this, you also need to include Ampeg :P
 

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