Amp heads ranked, $ per Watt

[Cleezmo]

While I love metrics and comparisons in general, I must agree with others that this is not a metric I'd really use when shopping for an amp. $/Watt or, Watt/$, doesn't seem important unless your only goal is to push as many watts as possible with the minimum cash outlay. It doesn't include any of the feature sets (preamp, EQ, connectivity, voicing, etc.) that make all of the different 500W and 800W amps unique.

While price is definitely a factor, that's more from a 'can I afford to spend $XXX' and 'is this amp worth $XXX to me' perspective. In other words, as any marketer will tell you, Value does not have to mean Cheap; it means you believe that what you're getting is worth what you're paying. If your definition of value in an amp is watts/$, then by all means use this table, but IMO/IME real life purchases are about more than that.

There are numerous 350W and 500W amps that cost more than competing 800W amps, but people buy them because they do what they want an amp to do.

 

[Lowbrow]

Try plugging all these heads into an AI search and ask which is the most feature rich.

 

[agedhorse]

Try plugging all these heads into an AI search and ask which is the most feature rich.

Then sort through all the incorrect information presented is a friendly, convincing way…

 

[Micha84]

Man, I always knew those old B-15s were no good

 

[ardgedee]

Man, I always knew those old B-15s were no good

Wait til OP finds out the power rating for an iPhone with a headphone jack. Original price per watt should be in the $3000 range.

 

[brianrost]

TC Electronic BH250 $1 a watt.

Walter Woods MI-200-8 $3.50 a watt

Aguilar DB751 $4.67 a watt, $83.33 a pound

 

[Ekibnur]

Hoo boy that Ampeg PF-50t is looking worse every day at 26 bucks a watt.

 

[MadJack]

Hoo boy that Ampeg PF-50t is looking worse every day at 26 bucks a watt.

I know that one too well. My favorite amps' current model is the Ashdown CTM-30, 30 watts, going for $1,299.00, for $43.30 per watt!



Not that I paid that much for my Little Bastard 30 (LB-30) and black Tolex CTM-30. I paid less than half that for each.

 

[Lowbrow]

Not that I paid that much for my Little Bastard 30 (LB-30) and black Tolex CTM-30. I paid less than half that for each.

This is actually the first time I've seen how much they want for a new Katana head! I paid like $425 on Reverb.

 

[Solipsistik]

Bergantino Forte HP Ultra $.95 a watt

*ding

Trickfish can win this contest, 5000W .. oh it's a bit more than the Ultra but it's a crazy thing.

Also, I think the SVT-4 Pro would do well, 1600W and a bit cheaper than the Berg.

 

[James Hart]

price per watt is about the last influence for me in a head purchase.

 

[JoeyFab]

After 25 years of use:

Used Ampeg SVT3-PRO (26 lbs.) purchase price 25+ years ago - $625
New "B" stock Ampeg PR-410 HLF (128 lbs.) purchase price 25+ years ago - $600
450 Watts @ 4 Ohms
Pre-amp tube replacement (5) = $100 (appx.)
One self-performed pre-amp tube bias adjustment (done at the extreme risk of blowing up the amp, which I didn't) = $0

$625 + $600 + $100 = $1325
26 lbs. + 128 lbs. = 154 lbs.

$1325 / 154 lbs. = $8.60 / lb.
$1325 / 450 Watts = $2.94 / Watt

$1325 / 25 years = $53 / year

Sold the pair for $1000 after the 25 years of use, so actually

$1325 - $1000 = $325
$325 / 25 years = $13 / year of use, or $1.08 / month of use

I could go on and on and on...
Don't buy cheap $hit.

 

[John D Harris]

LeSuire Avalanche 300W amp is aproximately $5500 which puts it at $18.33/W.​

 

[gln1955]

Cool. Watts are now a commodity, like crude oil or pork bellies. Where can I invest in watt futures?

 

[5StringBlues]

Cool. Watts are now a commodity, like crude oil or pork bellies. Where can I invest in watt futures?

Tube or not tube?



Is that a question?

 

[Sinewave3]

Thanks for the chart, I am casually looking for an upgrade to my bass amp. Unlike many, I am on a tight budget so price is a factor.

Would be interesting to see (average) used prices or sale prices on the chart.

 

[agedhorse]

Used prices more accurately track quality and reliability IME.

 

[robert_stuart]

Used prices more accurately track quality and reliability IME.

I've been brainstorming ways for us to track reliability. I think we need to create a Consumer Reports for amps. CR has years of automobile reliability data. I don't think there's anything else like it, available to the public. They get this by periodically surveying their members. Asking about repairs, usage, mileage, etc. It's a one-of-a-kind resource.

 

[robert_stuart]

Hey, everyone. Thanks for the feedback. I've decided to create a real spreadsheet that makes updating easier. Also for collaboration. Google Sheets, maybe. This will help with sorting by different columns. Also, helping compare apples-to-apples because $/Watt seems to go down as the wattage goes up, across all brands..

Anyone who's unhappy about my $/Watt ranking can blame my wife. She saw me browsing Sweetwater and pointed out that the amp I was looking at was $1/Watt. That started me down this rabbit hole and I began seeing patterns. E.g., Gallien Krueger and Aguilar seem to be matching each other. So I think one thing the table tells us is market positioning. I'll be sure to forward all critique to her email.

Someone observed: (paraphrasing) "I'm not sure how valuable this info is, but I can understand that it's an actual data point that we can collect and compare." I agree, and that's probably right. The one thing I want to add to the table is "Marketing Watts". I.e, a few brands don't advertise Watts RMS @ 4Ω. Boss and Bugera, for example. They use a higher "peak" wattage or something else that makes it look more powerful. I think it's good to call that out.

 

[robert_stuart]

Cool. Watts are now a commodity

Yep. Personally, I've made the leap into using a multi-effects processor (Darkglass Anagram). So I'm looking for clean & reliable power. Good tone would be a nice extra, but wattage has risen in importance. I bet there are a lot of bassists in my situation.