Ampeg pf-500 volume - is it me?

I had one that did the exact same thing with a 4 ohm load. It's a common issue with those amps

 

It's a certain revision of the amp that is prone to it. I think the newer versions don't have the issue. The one I owned did cut out at volume with a 4 ohm load.

 

My PF 800 cuts out with 4 ohm loads. Relegated to single (8 ohm) cab use now with no problems.

 

Since you've had the amp a few years, I'd suggest opening up the case and making sure everything is clean and dust-free so that cooling is maximized. It couldn't hurt.

 

I had a new PF500 (2020 build ) and it wasn’t a loud amp at all.

Just got the new Orange Little Bass Thing 500w head and it’s way louder and has a better tone too.

 

Pf500 has problems. They always have. Pf800 does not. You should buy the 800. I have 2 of them. It's a killer amp.

 

I've never had a problem with my 800. I've cranked it through everything from a 112av, to a fridge.

 

I had the same experience with those amps and I no longer play any Class D amps. They always seem to state higher wattage but never deliver. The Eden WTX-500 was the last one that just never sounded right to me and I owned 2 of them. These days I play older SWR heads from the late 1990's. May be bigger and a little heavier but no issues.

 

Oooh! You're gonna tug Agedhorse' tail with that post (if he sees it that is). (-;

 

I had a PF500 up until a couple years ago. Never had the cutout problem but I've heard from plenty of other folks who did.

I do concur with some others here that it didn't seem to have the "oomph" factor - seemed like I had to run it at high volume even on smaller gigs. Nowadays I use an EBS Reidmar 750 and it gets STUPID loud and stays clean.

 

hmmm. I used mine with the 4ohm cab that is my avatar, no problems here

 

I've had the same experience too. I just stick with my GK800rb, 400rb, and 700rb. I will say that I have heard great things about the new GK legacy class d as well has Mesa and Genzler Class D. I'm sure the technology has improved in the past few years. For now I'm happy with my GKs.

 

Do a search here and web, "PF500 issues", etc.

The scuttlebutt is the first version or two had issues, since resolved. I know that you can identify possible problems by what "Rev." (revision) is listed on the board.

 

This might sound like an obvious one, but what kind of speaker cable are you using?

 

ive owned a pf 500 for about 7 years now , played through an acoustic 810 cabinet full of eminence speakers (the factory 10s are garbage) and i have had zero problems (knock on wood LOL)

 

For some insane reason people thing that the position of the volume control is an indication of how much power the amp is putting out. With the gain at noon and the volume at noon most likely you are Pushing things a bit . This was not intended to be Snarky or wise a$$ish but reading it now it does sound that way. But still my point is there. So sorry if this offends anyone in advance.

 

Yup thats what they do. Had the same. Besides its low output more like a 100 watt. Stay away. Dump the cursed thing.