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A bit more info on the TC BH800 regarding wattage

lordradish

lordradish

Supporting Member
Jul 20, 2006
4,523
8,769
Vermont
#1
Well, I took the plunge and bought the TC BH800. The amp sounds sweet, and I can very easily get the tones I want with minimal tweaking. Some of the Toneprint sounds are really good, too. I can't believe how small things are getting.

I know all about the whole TC wattage controversy on the RH amps, so I flat out asked TC Support, with that in mind.... The response was.... "The BH800 will output up to 800 watts at 4 ohms and 450 watts at 8 ohms."

Now, if I understand correctly, part of that misrepresentation was because of the "Active Power Management" on the RH amps. Over in the TC forum, a TC rep said that, unlike the RH amps, the BH amps don't have the APM, so maybe the wattage they're claiming is more accurate.

Just thought I'd let you know.
 
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#3
drpepper said:
Since that information came from Morten Ehlers, a product manager and not some random voice, that would appear to be the case.

It does make those handful of comments here, saying that it sounds compressed/processed, somewhat curious.
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It's still got a digital preamp, so not as curious as it may seem at first glance.
 
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#5
Pure speculation here, but it seems like the TC APM scheme was likely drawn up at a time when the class D topology's cost vs output ratio was not favorable to inexpensive, lightweight and powerful. The scale of production just wasn't there yet and the application of class D was still leading / bleeding edge. It was unfortunate that the products that employed this scheme appeared in a market that was at the brink of seeing that cost vs output ratio shift drastically, and in which competing products (in power, weight, size, price) were appearing which were taking advantage of that shift. Given the technological complexity and packaging design of the TC RH product, I would also speculate that their R&D process was considerably longer than those other products. Not only was the timing unfortunate, but also the arrogant marketing strategy in 'rating' the products. Perhaps they believed that given the 'virtual' nature of the preamp they make it "sound" loud and all would be well as long as nobody looks behind the curtain.

Whatever the justification of the APM power rating debacle, I see no reason for TC to repeat the mistake this time around given the ready availability of inexpensive off the shelf amp modules. Designing something new would cost more lead time and ultimately more money (and add some risk of design failure, being too late to market, etc). Add the potential for further risk to the brand, and there's just zero advantage in TC faking the funk at this point. It seems like what we have with the new heads are much more competitive products that still leverage TC's digital modeling prowess and niche in a much more subtle way.
 
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#6
JdoubleH said:
Pure speculation here, but it seems like the TC APM scheme was likely drawn up at a time when the class D topology's cost vs output ratio was not favorable to inexpensive, lightweight and powerful. The scale of production just wasn't there yet and the application of class D was still leading / bleeding edge. It was unfortunate that the products that employed this scheme appeared in a market that was at the brink of seeing that cost vs output ratio shift drastically, and in which competing products (in power, weight, size, price) were appearing which were taking advantage of that shift. Given the technological complexity and packaging design of the TC RH product, I would also speculate that their R&D process was considerably longer than those other products. Not only was the timing unfortunate, but also the arrogant marketing strategy in 'rating' the products. Perhaps they believed that given the 'virtual' nature of the preamp they make it "sound" loud and all would be well as long as nobody looks behind the curtain.

Whatever the justification of the APM power rating debacle, I see no reason for TC to repeat the mistake this time around given the ready availability of inexpensive off the shelf amp modules. Designing something new would cost more lead time and ultimately more money (and add some risk of design failure, being too late to market, etc). Add the potential for further risk to the brand, and there's just zero advantage in TC faking the funk at this point. It seems like what we have with the new heads are much more competitive products that still leverage TC's digital modeling prowess and niche in a much more subtle way.
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My RH450 was probably made by Behringer.
 
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#8
I played around with it some more, last night, late, using the headphone jack. At first, I was kinda bummed that it was 1/8 inch, instead of 1/4 inch, but much to my surprise, the amp still sounded great with earbuds. I do wish the headphone jack was on the front, though. I am really digging this amp, so far.
 
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#9
lordradish said:
I played around with it some more, last night, late, using the headphone jack. At first, I was kinda bummed that it was 1/8 inch, instead of 1/4 inch, but much to my surprise, the amp still sounded great with earbuds. I do wish the headphone jack was on the front, though. I am really digging this amp, so far.
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Do you think the BH800 is reliable? I have an RH450 that broke a couple of weeks ago. 15mos old. I have been bashing about it but I am still tempted with the BH800. Your thoughts?
 
#12
I don't know and I don't think anyone else does, either. The BH800 is brand new. However, I will broadly say that as a company, Aguilar seems to get a lot more love around here than TC, and I agree. Unless you really want the onboard FX (which are cool) and full feature set of the BH800 (tuner, aux in, phones out) I'd go with the TH.
 
#14
I'm sorry your amp died. That really stinks. I had one die many years ago.

I have to say, without knowing sales numbers and actual failure rates, it's hard to get a good idea on amp reliability. If you really liked your RH450, maybe you should get another one..

I think you may be the only instance reported here of a failure.. I don't recall seeing another one. I do agree I wish they had a longer warranty period... adding an extended warranty might be worth it if it's available. I see too many people post that because they had one bad experience with product X, that they will never buy another X. Everyone has the right to do that, but sometimes it's just bad luck. Even the highest quality amps can fail.

I also agree the BH800 sounds like it may really be a nice inexpensive powerful amp. If you like the BG and BH tone controls, it sounds like a nice option to me. If you limited your amps to models that you can find nobody ever having one fail, you might not be able to have any amp choices. If you loved the way the RH450 worked for you... heck, get another one. If you are looking for more power, or different tone etc, there are tons of options. Just my 2c And I'm really sure it sucks having one die on you.
 
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#15
Scottkarch said:
I'm sorry your amp died. That really stinks. I had one die many years ago. I have to say, without knowing sales numbers and actual failure rates, it's hard to get a good idea on amp reliability. If you really liked your RH450, maybe you should get another one.. I think you may be the only instance reported here of a failure.. I don't recall seeing another one. I do agree I wish they had a longer warranty period... adding an extended warranty might be worth it if it's available. I see too many people post that because they had one bad experience with product X, that they will never buy another X. Everyone has the right to do that, but sometimes it's just bad luck. Even the highest quality amps can fail. I agree the BH800 sounds like it may really be a nice inexpensive powerful amp. If you like the BG and BH tone controls, it sounds like a nice option to me. If you limited your amps to models that you can find nobody ever having one fail, you might not be able to have any amp choices. If you loved the way the RH450 worked for you... heck, get another one. If you are looking for more power, or different tone etc, there are tons of options. Just my 2c And I'm really sure it sucks having one die on you.
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That is a mouthful but thank you:thumbsup: appreciate it.
 
#17
Scottkarch said:
I'm sorry your amp died. That really stinks. I had one die many years ago. I have to say, without knowing sales numbers and actual failure rates, it's hard to get a good idea on amp reliability. If you really liked your RH450, maybe you should get another one.. I think you may be the only instance reported here of a failure.. I don't recall seeing another one. I do agree I wish they had a longer warranty period... adding an extended warranty might be worth it if it's available. I see too many people post that because they had one bad experience with product X, that they will never buy another X. Everyone has the right to do that, but sometimes it's just bad luck. Even the highest quality amps can fail. I agree the BH800 sounds like it may really be a nice inexpensive powerful amp. If you like the BG and BH tone controls, it sounds like a nice option to me. If you limited your amps to models that you can find nobody ever having one fail, you might not be able to have any amp choices. If you loved the way the RH450 worked for you... heck, get another one. If you are looking for more power, or different tone etc, there are tons of options. Just my 2c And I'm really sure it sucks having one die on you.
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+1.
Yours is the only failure I have heard of too.
 

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