Best Clean Class D Power Amp - Running Pre-Amp Into Power Amp

[faulknersj]

I am thinking about running a Pre-Amp (maybe a Noble Pre) into a clean class D Power Amp as my rig and am wondering if anyone had suggestions?

I would love something in the 1000 watt range that can do 8, 4, or 2 ohms.

My buddy is running his Noble Pre into a Baker Power amp for live performances and it sounds incredible…just wondering if there might be other options/recommendations out there.

Thank you!

 

[gtirard]

I am thinking about running a Pre-Amp (maybe a Noble Pre) into a clean class D Power Amp as my rig and am wondering if anyone had suggestions?

I would love something in the 1000 watt range that can do 8, 4, or 2 ohms.

My buddy is running his Noble Pre into a Baker Power amp for live performances and it sounds incredible…just wondering if there might be other options/recommendations out there.

Thank you!

Frequently asked, no obvious solution, most of us use PA amps or full featured bass amps using the FX return to bypass the preamp.

Can your share info about the Baker power amp?

The few known power amps used for bass include GR Bass Pure Amp, and Guitar Sound System Sumo.

 

[BassNugget]

Crown XLS 1002 will do 1100 watts into 4 ohms bridged. Will do 2 ohms in stereo (500 w per channel). If bridging, read the manual as the amp side cable pin wiring is different (1+,2+) than a normal speakon speaker cable (1+,1-). The cab end pins are as normal.

Tha amp has DSP functions (I only have ever used the high pass filter).

 

[Wasnex]

I am thinking about running a Pre-Amp (maybe a Noble Pre) into a clean class D Power Amp as my rig and am wondering if anyone had suggestions?

I would love something in the 1000 watt range that can do 8, 4, or 2 ohms.

My buddy is running his Noble Pre into a Baker Power amp for live performances and it sounds incredible…just wondering if there might be other options/recommendations out there.

Thank you!

Not a lot of bass-specific options. Tons of pro audio option but they are intended for 19" rack mounting. Finding a good amp that is under 2 rack spaces will not be cheap.

Jule makes power amps at 500W, 700W, and 2500W.

Bass Amps (juleamps.com)

Jay Ganz makes a 500W called the Straight Ahead. I believe you contact him on FaceBook.

 

[BassBlappa]

I was thinking of doing the same since I run my Noble or Arkham Oracle through the Return of my ToneHammer 700 most of the time. I was looking at a Demeter Minnie 800D. The Baker Amp might be a custom build thing. I tried one of his preamps a while back, but it was very noisy. For now, my TH700 gets the job done.

 

[ravlin]

Given your requirements, find a class D bass head that you don't hate and just use the effects return from your Noble. The benefits I see are redundancy in case of pedal board failures (that's why pick one you don't hate), and backlining (the other guy can plug into the front if he's not a board snob like me).
I use GK heads in this application, the new ones use an excellent power amp and have a universal power supply. Quilter is another popular option.

 

[onda'bass]

Crest pro lite series is great

 

[mcrawfordmusic]

Only bass-specific power amp I can think of is the GR Pure Amp PureAmp – GRBass

 

[Smokey P]

This is a question I’ve run up against too as someone who uses an Arkham Oracle for electric and upright. I also have just ended up using the fx return on my ampeg pf500 or just the input of my tc bam200. I do prefer the tone of using the fx return on every head I’ve tried this with so far, mostly backlined Aguilar’s though because of their lightweight that or a mesa would be a good choice. When using an amp without an fx loop I’ve found cranking the master and using as little gain as possible works best for me. I’ve considered a straight ahead 500, sumo, or similar device, The jule stuff is too expensive for me, but when I’m feeling lazy or playing somewhere a little sketchy I like being able to just plug into the front of my tc bam200, sounds p good for upright, not electric imo. I’ve said on here before I wish someone mass produced a cheap, lightweight power amp at a lower price point than exists right now, but agedhorse explained the economics of it wouldn’t really make since give most people would also just rather have an amp with an fx loop since a class D head without a preamp wouldn’t be that much cheaper to manufacture.

 

[Mr Joshua]

I just picked up a used Quilter 802 for this purpose. Was looking for the 800 for the even simpler controls but all I could get my hands on was the 802.

Don’t have it in-hand yet to comment on the sound. But I want to run my Oracle into it.

Just thought the Quilters, though not available new, seem like good options for this

 

[Smokey P]

I just picked up a used Quilter 802 for this purpose. Was looking for the 800 for the even simpler controls but all I could get my hands on was the 802.

Don’t have it in-hand yet to comment on the sound. But I want to run my Oracle into it.

Just thought the Quilters, though not available new, seem like good options for this

A lot of folks seem to like the 800 because it has an XLR in put that bypasses the preamp, tho idk how they run an xlr to the board, I guess another box or the di out of the quilter 800. I think my perfect amp for this would be a mesa 800 just cause it has an fx return, stable to 2ohm, lots of watts, small and light, and people seem to also really like them as amps. I’ve been wanting to swap out my boat anchor of an ampeg pf that rarely leaves the house but not yet (boat anchor by class d standards)

 

[Mr Joshua]

I haven’t read the manual yet so that would be nice if the xlr on the 802 bypassed the preamp.

I read negative things about the DI out on the 800. Have no real world experience with it but based on what I read if I had gotten my hands on a 800 I had anticipated needing a DI box anyway.

Mesa 800 is likely a great option but don’t know if they can be found for the going rate of the quilters. I was able to score a 802, in excellent condition with carry bag for $450. Don’t think I could get the Mesa 800 for less than double that.

 

[Smokey P]

I haven’t read the manual yet so that would be nice if the xlr on the 802 bypassed the preamp.

I read negative things about the DI out on the 800. Have no real world experience with it but based on what I read if I had gotten my hands on a 800 I had anticipated needing a DI box anyway.

Mesa 800 is likely a great option but don’t know if they can be found for the going rate of the quilters. I was able to score a 802, in excellent condition with carry bag for $450. Don’t think I could get the Mesa 800 for less than double that.

Very true, cost is what’s kept me using the ampeg. Looks like the 802 does have the xlr input but only a quarter inch line out. In my opinion, super weird, but that’s what the box you anticipated is for! I do wish more manufacturers included fx loops on their lower watt models cause i never need more than 500, I’ve been wondering for awhile if amp companies will think more about how people will incorporate tube pre’s as more folks use nobles and oracles and what not.

 

[Short4since64]

I am thinking about running a Pre-Amp (maybe a Noble Pre) into a clean class D Power Amp as my rig and am wondering if anyone had suggestions?

I would love something in the 1000 watt range that can do 8, 4, or 2 ohms.

My buddy is running his Noble Pre into a Baker Power amp for live performances and it sounds incredible…just wondering if there might be other options/recommendations out there.

Thank you!

Go big. Crown XLS2502, or a used XLS2500. I have one, been using it more and more as my lead sled Crest is getting heavier every day (or does my age have something to do with it!) They're cheap, as high power amps go - around $750 new street price. HPF, LPF, limiter, bridgeable and light weight. Rated 725W / channel at 2 ohms.

 

[Mr Joshua]

Very true, cost is what’s kept me using the ampeg. Looks like the 802 does have the xlr input but only a quarter inch line out. In my opinion, super weird, but that’s what the box you anticipated is for! I do wish more manufacturers included fx loops on their lower watt models cause i never need more than 500, I’ve been wondering for awhile if amp companies will think more about how people will incorporate tube pre’s as more folks use nobles and oracles and what not.

at the size and weight these class D offerings come in at I don't mind packing 800 watts since even if ti was half that the size wouldn't like get too much smaller.

 

[denton57]

I just picked up an AG700 for this same application. I like the pre and sound of the amp overall, so it by itself is a great 2nd option in case of an issue with my Noble. I haven’t gotten a chance to use it for this yet though in a band setting

 

[moon-bass]

I've tried a bunch of the options listed. I ended up with a GR One 800. It's had the best combination of power, options, and portability, and it wasn't too bad price wise. It's a great amp. It's very portable - fits in the pocket of my gig bag. It's loud, and it has a very nice EQ section as well as a built in tuner. What I also like is that it has a "pure" switch, which bypasses the EQ and turns it into a very nice 800 watt power amp. Way better than hauling around even a 1u rack.

I also have a Demeter Minnie 800 built into my 1u Demeter HPB-1 preamp. I can't speak for the stand alone unit, but my amp slays.

I had the Quilter BB800 for awhile. That, and it's cousins, can do a preamp bypass as well. It's a little heavier than the GR, but not by much. It had a nice power section.

I tried the Sumo and Baby Sumo, as well as the Jay Ganz. I found the Sumo's to be a bit awkward to carry. The Ganz Straight Ahead was a cool little piece. It was tiny, like pocket sized almost, and did 500 watts. You need to watch it though, it's just a power amp and it has a very nasty clip if you drive it too hard. As long as you took that into consideration, it was super cheap and the maker is a cool guy to deal with.

Hope this helps.

 

[moon-bass]

Oh and BTW, my main pedalboard has a Noble, so I'm using it in a similar fashion as you would

 

[edwinhurwitz]

Go big. Crown XLS2502, or a used XLS2500. I have one, been using it more and more as my lead sled Crest is getting heavier every day (or does my age have something to do with it!) They're cheap, as high power amps go - around $750 new street price. HPF, LPF, limiter, bridgeable and light weight. Rated 725W / channel at 2 ohms.

I went big. I found a QSC 1202v for $150 on Craigslist. They are something like $3k new and are meant for stadium installs. Not much heavier than a Crest Prolite. It did 700 wpc into 8 ohms, 20 Hz – 20 kHz, 0.05% THD and 1100 watts into 4 with the same specs. 2200 watts bridged into 8 ohms, 20 Hz – 20 kHz at 0.1% THD. It was a beast and sounded great. I had to modify with 1/4" balanced inputs and Speakon outs, but that was trivial. I used Alembic preamps as a front end, but decided to sell it because it was too easy to put high wattage speakers on fire. The Crown ratings are at 1khz at .5% THD, according to the spec sheet, instead of full bandwidth with low distortion. They also don't tell you how long it can maintain that 725 watts into 1khz The actual full bandwidth RMS power is probably quite a bit less which is why it's cheaper than most high power amps.

I tend to avoid amps that don't give full bandwidth specs. I had a Crown XLS for a while and it just didn't feel like it had real oomph. I'm positive it doesn't do 725 watts at 40 or 50 hz.

I have used a Quilter BB800 and it's excellent as a power amp.

 

[agedhorse]

You might be positive, but you might also be wrong.

The rated power of Crown products is down to 20Hz but since most smart folks use the HPF, it won’t produce rated power for that (good) reason. At 20Hz, most speakers are going to derate to less than 1/2 their rated thermal power so that’s why it doesn’t even matter.

That’s not why it’s cheaper.