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Ampeg worries

B

born2play55

Jul 15, 2007
45
0
#1
Hey guys, sorry if this has already been asked but I need quick answers for me.

I use a semi used Ampeg SVT 3 PRO with a Classic 810 Ampeg cab.
I dont know what it is but it just doesnt sound as loud as I think it should.
I have an active bass so ill either put in the -15 db pad and crank up the gain or leave it out and have to turn down the gain to keep it from clipping. either way i have the master up pretty high to be heard over the guitar and drums. i have the eq on and the controls arent that high and i use a speakon to 1/4 jack cord to the 4 ohm mono on the cab?
do you think a tube is out or are they just not as loud as you'd think?

thanks
 
#5
Jazzman said:
The SVT-3 Pro is notoriously underpowered...It is just a weak amp.

Edit: Try boosting the mids and getting that graphic EQ out of the circuit.
Click to expand...

W R O N G ! ! !

On BOTH counts . . .

The ONLY way to get 450 Watts out of a SVT-3PRO is with the Graphic EQ "ON" and with the right-most slider ("graphic EQ volune") all the way up . . .
 
#8
I have the sam exact rig, and Intially I felt the same way.

I'm still trying to figure out how the EQ the thing without it sounding too thumpy or dead, or having it clip. I play a 'Ray through it. Last time I tried using the -15 pad, and had to really push the gain and master up to get any volume but the clipping issue was much better than not using the -15 pad. I don't think there is really anything wrong with Your rig though.

It does seem pretty quiet to me too for 450 watts. BUT, as someone stated before, using the grahpic EQ to boost the output signal does help it out a lot.

Personally, I think the 810E just eats up all that power from the head... When I asked one of the Ampeg guys (A big gear head) at winter NAMM last year about this problem he told me: "That head is way too under powered for that cab". He went on to explain the dynamics of powering a speaker and all, but the jist of what He told me was that the head just didn't have quite enough juice for the 810.

I think it fairs pretty well, but it sure isn't What it could be if it just had a bit more power. Headroom is a good thing.
 
#9
Funny story...or sad....I'll let YOU decide....Played a job last week and the damn Geetar players kept getting LoUdEr and LOUDER!!! usual story....:o

To recap my dilema....I'm in my 50s and had just gotten rid of a SVT5Pro with a PR8X10 cab in favor of the SVT3Pro and SVT6X10HLF (a GREAT cab BTW).....

Well, long story short, I was TICKED!! Went back to my neighborhood GC and said take the 3Pro back and let me buy the 4Pro!!!!! Oh...it's 1200 Watts....

The other night they started up their crap once more....Now, I'm not totally sure....but I think the first 2 rows had nose and ear bleeding...the lead guitar finally came over and said "Man! you gotta turn DOWN!!" I think that once and for all....I made my point.

After the show, they promised to be a tad more "considerate"....so the weight is worth it, after all....


Oh....and I totally agree with the above post....the head (SVT3Pro) really is underpowered in terms of the 8X10...I mean, hell....the SVT6X10HLF is rated at 600 Watts and 1200 Watts Program....go figure...but it IS a nice head....
 
#14
If it is required to engage the GEQ and max out the level slider to get full power out of the SVT III, then I still think I am correct. The GEQ should be an option in case it is needed, not a neccesary band aid to get full steam out of the amp. :eyebrow:
 
#16
sooooo.....
what do you think?
should i get a different head that can hold its own with the cab?
any suggestions?
GK? Markbass?
IM trying to keep it somewhat inexpensive, but then again, i did buy an svt3 and 810 cab....
 
#17
sublime0bass said:
its confusing that a 450 watt amp is underpowering a 800w rated cab?

also, i find that the same amp on a 810 (as opposed to a 118 410 setup) is going to sound more quiet in general
Click to expand...

OK...As I understand it....(and I can most definitely be wrong here) is that the 8X10 has a RMS power rating of 800 Watts - 1600 watts peak. So, conversely, if you are only pushing 450 watts into it, you are "under" powering it. Obviously, the 3Pro and the 8X10 can handle it, but for peak performance, you need a little more....or, from GC's site:

Now you can play large venues with a single cab! The Ampeg SVT-810E Bass Enclosure has 8 - 10" speakers that produce an incredible wall of sound! Fidelity is enhanced because each pair of speakers is in a separate internal cabinet, which prevents standing wave interference. 800W RMS handling capability. 1,600W program handling. 4-ohm nominal impedance. 26"W x 48"H x 16"D. 165 lbs.

I don't know if this makes any sense, but what the hey!!
 
#18
Jeff Scott said:
Your amp is fine, it just needs to be replaced with a Markbass LM II.
Click to expand...

Jeff Scott said:
If it is required to engage the GEQ and max out the level slider to get full power out of the SVT III, then I still think I am correct. The GEQ should be an option in case it is needed, not a neccesary band aid to get full steam out of the amp.
Click to expand...

You have the right to "think" that you are correct, but that DOESN't make you correct . . . saying that the use of the Graphic EQ "should be an option in case it is needed, not a neccesary band aid to get full steam out of the amp" is your O P I N I O N , which has NO relationship to the actual original design goals of the amp or to the realization of those goals . . . the amp's maximum output of 450 watts into 4 ohms is obtained, as I have said, "with the Graphic EQ "ON" and with the right-most slider ("graphic EQ volune") all the way up".

If you don't like it, OK. But that IS how the amp was designed to work!
 
#20
sublime0bass said:
also, i find that the same amp on a 810 (as opposed to a 118 410 setup) is going to sound more quiet in general
Click to expand...

That has little to do with the amp . . . but A LOT to do with the "sensitivity" of the cabinet(s).

I wouldn't expect an Ampeg B-410HE, at 95dB, to be as loud (witht the same amp, same settings, same load) as the Ampeg SVT-810AV, at 100dB.

YMMV.

BTW, "a 118 410 setup" would probably be a 2 ohm load, compared to the 4 ohm (mono), 8 ohm (stereo) load of the SVT-810AV
 

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