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This is worth trying. When I bridge my power amp, it has a noticeably different feel than when I don't, even at low volume. I tend to agree with those who say the cabs are likely a more significant factor (I suppose you could also try running one cab at lower volumes and see how you like that), but worth experimenting with what you've got to see how it reacts.
okcrum
in your chest
I have been gigging with a Carvin B-1000 for the last year. It's been a solid dependable amp. The BX-700 is a great deal right now. Totally worth checking out.
This kind of thing has been my experience with Carvin amps across the board. No Carvin for me.
Save up a few more $ and buy a used Thunderfunk 550, most class D amps suck period regarding sound and output. Thunder funk is about 23lbs but is one of the best amps to buy!
The Thunderfunk 550 is definitely a nice head, but what Class D heads do you not like and why? Just about all Class D heads brought up in this thread are great choices.
I own an EA I amp 1200 , have played through GK fusion heads and a few others , I don't like their sound, too sterile in not a good way for my tastes ! Personal opinion but I wouldn't sacrifice sound quality over weight , size etc.
obviously there are some good heads out there heard the Darkglass at NAMM but now you're in that higher price range .
Which goes back to spend a few extra $ and get a great head like the Thunderfunk that's hand made and will blow away most amps out there .
obviously there are some good heads out there heard the Darkglass at NAMM but now you're in that higher price range .
Which goes back to spend a few extra $ and get a great head like the Thunderfunk that's hand made and will blow away most amps out there .
The BX1500 has gone to a young friend - playing metal with it and LOVING it !
I tried it bridged, and also tried it using both monoblock amps = no sonic difference. I hesitate putting all of the blame on the cabinets, because for the time being I am using (believe it or not) - a Peavey XR600B PA head. Played a gig last week with it and it sounded very good to me and my bandmates. I just hate lugging that heavy SOB around !
Love your genras, except for the swamp music out of my own ignorance. Off to youtube to fix that swamp ignorance in a minute
Add psychedelic era and early punk and we can be BFF's So we probably like pretty similar tones. I am a rookie. I don't think I have enough time left to get to half your experience. Please don't take this wrong if I tell you something you already know about your amp. You already know the BX1500/1600's are unique and versatile. I'm getting the tone I love at (barely) quiet enough for my living room with one BX1600 channel into one 8 ohm 1 x 15 from an active bass (squire VM jag 5 with the 5th string used as a thumb rest mostly). I swapped a less sensitive, but very good sounding 4 ohm PA 15" for a modified (aluminum dust cap) Eminence Legend BP1525 15" which is actually louder sounding and more HF. The HF and higher output makes me have to turn down or scare the heck out of my dogs.
Bill already stated the ohms/power tricks you can play, but in case you don't have the manual:
I have not bridged mine, so IDK how unloading the power amp will affect the tone. The PA speaker sounded good at all volumes. As soon as I finished building the cab I dimed all the knobs trying to see where it would fart out. So I played that from very low volumes to very high (and very briefly dimed!). But with the new Emmy, I noticed it had a "wake up" point where the bass really blossomed and the full spectrum sounded nicer. I was going to put the PA back and save the Emmy and her sister for other uses. At this point i thought the tube pre was just a subtle thing, a nice little tone addition, then I discovered from a BX1500er here on TB the trick:
Dime the gain, dime the level(s) for channel(s) in use, turn the master almost all the way down. Lovely vintage grind. I also added an NOS tube, before the trick, and it was twice as good as the stock JJ. Some I tried sounded about the same as the JJ, others somewhat better, two of them way better. One of those two was the coveted gold pin mil spec tube and the other just a standard tube and I can't recall just what that one is. Only 12AX7's were an improvement.
I wonder if your cabs need a certain amount of power to wake up? Have you tried using just one?
As a tight (_!_) I like keeping a hold of my money, so I would try to get what you have to work, otherwise, I vote D800/D800+ or maybe try the preamp pedal into the 1500's power section. These amps get almost 100% love here, great warranty, and fast tech support here from the designer. If my BX were stolen today, I'd probably order a D800 tomorrow.
I can understand your tone preferences, but I disagree on the output volume. The GK MB and the Mesa D800 heads are QUITE powerful. However, play what you like!
Yes, I've got an MB200, 500, 800 and the Quilter.
I had been using the GK's for years, I but grew tired of the baked-in tone (I've always preferred a clean tone with no growl.)
I got the Quilter because of discussions here on TB. I did my research on the Bass Block 800 and made the purchase last month. I've had about a half dozen gigs with it, and it is everything I've ever wanted in a class D head!
You can read a LOT more about it on the other threads here on TB, but in a nutshell the amp it the brainchild of Pat Quilter (the "Q" in QSC P.A. gear) and uses a proprietary power amp instead of the industry-wide Bang & Olafson ICE module (used in Angular, Ampeg, GK, etc gear.)
To me it sounds more organic and analog than all other class D heads I've used, and has one of the most unique and natural tone control sections I have every used.
It's a little bulkier than other heads, but at 3 lbs it's considerably lighter than all of them.
I would be very interested in a Genz-Benz amp, except for the fact that they are out of business. Having a amp with no warranty and no source of repair makes it unattractive to me. But, then again - I am probably being overly negative !
Well there ya go. IMHO running the BX1500 in bridge mode but playing at low volume is like driving around a hot rod in 1st gear all day. Maybe a B1000 (600w @ 4 ohms) with some dirt in front like a Sans Amp BDDI? But then your over budget. For your needs an Ampeg PF500 or used 800 might just be the ticket if you can live with a 10 lbs amp.
Interesting. I'd still try some of the tricks mentioned below to see if you can get a sound you like -- one that doesn't come across as sterile to you -- but that you ran into a small PA head, which should be uncolored relative to most bass amps, and got a sound you liked (nothing between bass and head?) suggests that you'd like something more neutral -- something that just gives a quality, amplified version of the signal you're putting in, without coloring it much. I guess it's possible that the powered mixer has its own coloration, but one would think, again, that it shouldn't be much relative to most bass amps.
I haven't played the Carvin heads -- I was under the impression that they were supposed to be pretty neutrally voiced, but I could be wrong about that. There are a number of things that can make something sound "sterile" even if frequency response curves are the same. You could try running the BX1500 as a preamp into the PA amp and see if you like the tone -- not suggesting this as a practical setup, but it might be instructive. Maybe there's something in the BX power section that you don't like?
Or you can just try different stuff. I wonder if you'd like any of a variety of clean, SS preamps into a lightweight poweramp (if you can put up with a small rack)... or you actually might dig an older Little Mark 2/3 (the older ones were class A/B, newer ones class D), or an F500 (though the one I had sounded a bit sterile to my ears, at least through certain cabs). Something from Euphonic Audio or Acoustic Image? You might dig some of the more "colored" heads, too (the Mesa D800 that everyone mentions, the Rumble heads, the Kustom), I don't know.
I'd try what you can locally. Otherwise, ask questions and (as limited as they are) listen to clips and try things out as you're able. You have a head that you like the sound of (Peavey PA) and a lighter backup (Carvin BX). You can look for decent deals on stuff, try it to see if it bumps one of your current heads, and move it on if you don't like it. Whether you do that or take the plunge on one of the pricier new options, good luck.
-Mark
P.S. There's a link to miced clips of the F500 and the Kustom head in my sig -- I wonder which one of those you'd lean toward. If one or the other (or neither), it might give a clue as to your preferences.
Love your genras, except for the swamp music out of my own ignorance. Off to youtube to fix that swamp ignorance in a minute
I am a rookie. I don't think I have enough time left to get to half your experience. Please don't take this wrong if I tell you something you already know about your amp. You already know the BX1500/1600's are unique and versatile. I'm getting the tone I love at (barely) quiet enough for my living room with one BX1600 channel into one 8 ohm 1 x 15 from an active bass (squire VM jag 5 with the 5th string used as a thumb rest mostly). I swapped a less sensitive, but very good sounding 4 ohm PA 15" for a modified (aluminum dust cap) Eminence Legend BP1525 15" which is actually louder sounding and more HF. The HF and higher output makes me have to turn down or scare the heck out of my dogs.
Bill already stated the ohms/power tricks you can play, but in case you don't have the manual:
View attachment 1107990
I have not bridged mine, so IDK how unloading the power amp will affect the tone. The PA speaker sounded good at all volumes. As soon as I finished building the cab I dimed all the knobs trying to see where it would fart out. So I played that from very low volumes to very high (and very briefly dimed!). But with the new Emmy, I noticed it had a "wake up" point where the bass really blossomed and the full spectrum sounded nicer. I was going to put the PA back and save the Emmy and her sister for other uses. At this point i thought the tube pre was just a subtle thing, a nice little tone addition, then I discovered from a BX1500er here on TB the trick:
Dime the gain, dime the level(s) for channel(s) in use, turn the master almost all the way down. Lovely vintage grind. I also added an NOS tube, before the trick, and it was twice as good as the stock JJ. Some I tried sounded about the same as the JJ, others somewhat better, two of them way better. One of those two was the coveted gold pin mil spec tube and the other just a standard tube and I can't recall just what that one is. Only 12AX7's were an improvement.
I wonder if your cabs need a certain amount of power to wake up? Have you tried using just one?
As a tight (_!_) I like keeping a hold of my money, so I would try to get what you have to work, otherwise, I vote D800/D800+ or maybe try the preamp pedal into the 1500's power section. These amps get almost 100% love here, great warranty, and fast tech support here from the designer. If my BX were stolen today, I'd probably order a D800 tomorrow.
