Ampeg SVP1600

[bottomdweller70]

Anyone have an opinion of the Ampeg SVP1600? How does it fair against other power amps in the price range in terms of performance?

Thinking of going the rackmount preamp/power amp route and needed some input on some TalkBass approved gear.

 

[bottomdweller70]

Nobody has used/heard this amp?

 

[TheChariot]

Well.... I dont think there are any power amps in it's price range. I could buy a pair of QSC RMX1450's at the price the SVP1600 is at, and still have money to treat my entire band to a meal at Red Lobster.

Look elsewhere for a power amp. QSC, Crest, Stewart, and Crown are the best brands to take a look at.

I would recommend the QSC RMX1450... mainly because it has a similar range in power that the SVP1600 has. And it's only $400 brand new.

If you want something lighter weight, then look at QSC's PLX Series. But I'm pretty sure the SVP power amp is really heavy anyways.

 

[bottomdweller70]

Do the majority of those amps have 1/4" outs or do any have speakon outs?

Is there any advantage/disadvantage of going the rackmount preamp/amp route as opposed to a single amp unit?

 

[quallabone]

The SVP1600 is an overpriced piece of trash imo. I played through one that was set up as backline at a festival and it delivered some of the quietest wattage I've heard. Granted I haven't put a lot of time into them.

 

[TheChariot]

The SVP1600 is an overpriced piece of trash imo. I played through one that was set up as backline at a festival and it delivered some of the quietest wattage I've heard. Granted I haven't put a lot of time into them.

I've never heard one, and I can already tell you its overpriced.... $900 for 1200Watts?.... Jeez

Most of the Power amp brands I mentioned above have outputs for Banana plugs and Speakon, I believe. I can really only atone to the PLX and RMX models... but I'm pretty sure that 1/4" would really be insufficient for anything over 1000Watts.

Any Advantage? Yep...

1. More Power for Less money
2. More Power PERIOD. If you really wanna go nuts, I've never seen a head that can deliver 2000+ Watts.
3. More tone options: You can change preamps affordably
4. Weight (If you buy certain models)

 

[bottomdweller70]

What is the word on Carvin power amps?

 

[bottomdweller70]

Anyone ever play with Carvin amps? Seem reasonably priced for what they offer.

 

[Mike MacDougall]

To resurrect a way-dead thread, I used an SVP1600 for over ten years into four 4 ohm cabs, I still have it... It has plenty of power, sounds great, has only needed service once in its lifetime and I worked it very very hard playing heavy rock/electronic music with regular extreme boosts at 40 and 50htz... is it an all tube SVT classic? No, and it isn't supposed to be... and although it is heavy, if you've toured with an SVT classic you'll laugh at how much lighter is it. I use it with the preamp section of a 3pro and it sounds like a much more powerful 3 pro.... it is not junk... it's tough as hell and has a lot of headroom for deep bottom. As to whether a name-brand power amp would be better? I have no idea, I've never had to try one.