1RU Power Amp for Helix

[Mootallica]

I'm going to be upgrading my entire pedalboard rig into a single Helix Floor unit for bass.

Touring situation for us, we're setting up a 4RU Rack to contain our in ears, Mixer and Power Amps.

Power Amps will be used to drive cabinets when necessary in the event the venue PA on tour doesn't cut it in combination with the standard XLR-Out of the Helix Floor

Our entire IEM will take up 1RU, the mixer taking up another 1RU.

The two guitarists are going to run a Seymour Duncan PowerStage 1RU using one channel each.

I'm trying to find a solution for myself that is reliable but won't break the bank, 1RU, is 110-240v compatible, 20hz-20khz response and has a decent chunk of power to essentially power up to an 8x10 for reasonable stage volume in combination with whatever the PA is going to throw out.

One power amp that I've come down to is an LD Systems XS700 but currently don't have the means to try it out for myself. Has anybody used one of these before and any thoughts on it?

Any other suggestions for people who've gone down this route before? Or am I just going to have to bite an expensive bullet and also get a Powerstage 700? Open to ideas!

A bit of searching on these forums have most of the posts suggesting discontinued/hard to find power amps with most threads dating back a few years now - hoping for some up to date suggestions. Cheers!

 

[seamonkey]

I've had one of these for years, and it's been reliable, and can carry a gig. 2-ohm stable per side. 4-ohm bridged.
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[Marko 1]

I've had one of these for years, and it's been reliable, and can carry a gig. 2-ohm stable per side. 4-ohm bridged.
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I'm reading it needs an extra rack space for cooling,

may as well have a two-space....

unless the first two reviewers don't know what they're talking about.

 

[Stylee Mousse]

Pretty sure powersoft makes some 1ru beasts but expensive. Is 4 space for the whole band an absolute requirement for some real reason or just a ocd goal?

 

[abarson]

I've had one of these for years, and it's been reliable, and can carry a gig. 2-ohm stable per side. 4-ohm bridged.
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Lots of customer feedback that an additional 1RU space is necessary for proper cooling.

 

[Redbrangus]

The good single-space PA amps like Powersoft's are generally really deep, requiring an extra-deep rack. That typically leads to needing to have a separate Input/Output panel somewhere because the shallower gear's connections are no longer accessible due to being recessed so deep in back of the rack. Also, cramming this much gear into a minimally sized rack requires some sort of heat management plan, whether that's extra rack space, fans, or whatever. Rack-mount digital mixers also generate a lot of heat, IME.

If the power amp is only occasionally needed, why not separate this rig into two different units, with all the electronics in one rack and the power in another?

 

[monsterthompson]

I’m fairly sure Demeter used to make a 1u power amp but it’s not on their site now. They have a 1u pre + power but it’s over $2k so probably not a budget friendly option.

 

[baxter_x]

The Lab Gruppen IPD/IPX series. But it"s a bit pricey. Pretty much like all the 1U well made/designed power amps.

 

[pickles]

You could also get a QSC K12.2, skip the power amp and leave the big bass cabs at home.

 

[pbassnut]

I'm going to be upgrading my entire pedalboard rig into a single Helix Floor unit for bass.

Touring situation for us, we're setting up a 4RU Rack to contain our in ears, Mixer and Power Amps.

Power Amps will be used to drive cabinets when necessary in the event the venue PA on tour doesn't cut it in combination with the standard XLR-Out of the Helix Floor

Our entire IEM will take up 1RU, the mixer taking up another 1RU.

The two guitarists are going to run a Seymour Duncan PowerStage 1RU using one channel each.

I'm trying to find a solution for myself that is reliable but won't break the bank, 1RU, is 110-240v compatible, 20hz-20khz response and has a decent chunk of power to essentially power up to an 8x10 for reasonable stage volume in combination with whatever the PA is going to throw out.

One power amp that I've come down to is an LD Systems XS700 but currently don't have the means to try it out for myself. Has anybody used one of these before and any thoughts on it?

Any other suggestions for people who've gone down this route before? Or am I just going to have to bite an expensive bullet and also get a Powerstage 700? Open to ideas!

A bit of searching on these forums have most of the posts suggesting discontinued/hard to find power amps with most threads dating back a few years now - hoping for some up to date suggestions. Cheers!

I have a GK MB500 bass head which, with the optional rack ears, is essentially a one space poweramp via its EFFECTS RETURN patch-point. I have mine in a mini-rack with a Rack Rider power conditioner and a Tech 21 RPM preamp and it works great as a 350 watts into 8 ohms/500 watts into 4 ohms mono-block poweramp. It also works great as a standalone bass head. They're relatively inexpensive on the used market. The trick is getting a set of the optional rack ears in order to rack mount it. I got mine from a kind fellow TalkBasser who just gave me a set that he didn't need. I'd be willing to bet that you could get a set from someone on TalkBass. Or ... here ya go ...

Used Gallien-Krueger MB500 Bass Head - Sweetwater's Gear Exchange

 

[S-Bigbottom]

Separate the rack and the world of amps is yours. You also do not have to move the Amp unless it is needed.

If you do not care about weight, old two channel two space PA Amps are cheap.
Even new ones from Crown and QSC are not to high priced for 500+ watts.

 

[Jeremy Allen]

I have a GK MB500 bass head which, with the optional rack ears, is essentially a one space poweramp via its EFFECTS RETURN patch-point. I have mine in a mini-rack with a Rack Rider power conditioner and a Tech 21 RPM preamp and it works great as a 350 watts into 8 ohms/500 watts into 4 ohms mono-block poweramp. It also works great as a standalone bass head. They're relatively inexpensive on the used market. The trick is getting a set of the optional rack ears in order to rack mount it. I got mine from a kind fellow TalkBasser who just gave me a set that he didn't need. I'd be willing to bet that you could get a set from someone on TalkBass. Or ... here ya go ...

Used Gallien-Krueger MB500 Bass Head - Sweetwater's Gear Exchange

+1 for this one, I've used both the Stewart World 1.2 and Demeter Minnie 800D rackmount version (both 1U power amps, though the Stewart is very deep), and I keep going back to this. The fan and vents are on the sides, so no need to leave a space above, and it's got a limiter if you want to engage it. Loud, light, and reliable.

 

[trevcda]

I used to use a Carver PM-300 that worked well for what I needed it for. Although I do recall pushing it really hard and releasing the magic smoke one time at the end of a show. It was quite the spectacle. It turned out to be an easily replaceable capacitor. It was back in service the following night. Of course that was back when Radio Shack was a thing and they actually carried components. If I needed to, I wouldn't hesitate finding and using one again. It weighs almost nothing at 12lbs, is only 13.25" deep and 2 ohm stable and will do 300 watts bridged mono. I had racks of PM series amps back in the day.

 

[rickdog]

Why so focused on a 4RU rack? Without knowing your thinking on this, it strikes me as an arbitrary limitation that's causing you some headache.

Why not get a 2RU rack case that stacks with the 4RU one? That opens a whole world of light, cheap, awesome power - and leaves a space open in the other rack for more stuff. There will always be more stuff

 

[ardgedee]

I'm reading it needs an extra rack space for cooling,

may as well have a two-space....

unless the first two reviewers don't know what they're talking about.

This is a good point. OP should read the manuals of any amp they're considering to make sure that an extra space for cooling isn't required. It's not something that will necessarily be mentioned in the product descriptions and ad copy.

 

[Bob_Ross]

I’m fairly sure Demeter used to make a 1u power amp but it’s not on their site now.

They seem to have moved it from the Bass Amplification category to the Power Amplifiers category. And the fact that the pics are missing make me wonder if it's End-Of-Life?
H-Bass 1600D | Demeter Amplification

 

[monsterthompson]

They seem to have moved it from the Bass Amplification category to the Power Amplifiers category. And the fact that the pics are missing make me wonder if it's End-Of-Life?
H-Bass 1600D | Demeter Amplification

I looked under power amps but it wasn’t coming up in my phone browser. Thanks for finding that. Not sure how popular it is/was.

 

[Jeremy Allen]

This was the Demeter I used--sounded great, but it was never only 3.5 lbs as the ad says, and it looked like it needed space above it for cooling (although the casing is pretty large, from the standpoint of surface area, so maybe it would be ok--I never pushed it that hard).

Demeter Minnie 800 Rackmount Power Amplifier

 

[Obese Chess]

I have a GK MB500 bass head which, with the optional rack ears, is essentially a one space poweramp via its EFFECTS RETURN patch-point. I have mine in a mini-rack with a Rack Rider power conditioner and a Tech 21 RPM preamp and it works great as a 350 watts into 8 ohms/500 watts into 4 ohms mono-block poweramp. It also works great as a standalone bass head. They're relatively inexpensive on the used market. The trick is getting a set of the optional rack ears in order to rack mount it. I got mine from a kind fellow TalkBasser who just gave me a set that he didn't need. I'd be willing to bet that you could get a set from someone on TalkBass. Or ... here ya go ...

Used Gallien-Krueger MB500 Bass Head - Sweetwater's Gear Exchange

These are great. I wish I had kept mine for this purpose alone.

 

[bassbrad]

The GK MB500 is perfect for that chore as are powered PA cabinets. The nice thing about a powered PA cab is most have 2 inputs so you can control both the bass as well as mains mix for monitoring, this is what my drummer and I both use.