As my brother-in-law, who was a professional keyboardist, said, "I play for free. You pay me to schlep my gear."
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Big Amps will come back one day!!!
- Thread starter jkalads
- Start date
Exactly--- I've never played through a digital amp. All my amps are class D.
There will always be a market for both IMHO. Unfortunately for me I don't have someone younger and stronger to schlep heavy gear around. For the gigs I do my Fender Rumble Stage 800 sounds just fine and doesn't throw my back out - which is something I almost did the last time I used my Ashdown rig.
Also, I don't hear the "processed digital sound" everyone talks about on the amp models and cab sims. Some of you all might still have a thing for the heavy amps so best of luck to you!
Also, I don't hear the "processed digital sound" everyone talks about on the amp models and cab sims. Some of you all might still have a thing for the heavy amps so best of luck to you!
Exactly! I don't know what people are hearing when they talk about Class D amps not sounding warm at all. If it sounds good then it IS good.
You raise a real point-- Unless you have a team setting-up your gear, you are carrying your own stuff. Which is OK if you play a couple of time a year in some little bar. But when you have gig during the week, and weekend, carrying gear up and over unpaved terrain at times, up and down stairwells, across fields, etc, you appreciate that technology has advanced to the point where a 5 lb head does the job of an 85 lb head, is smaller, easier to transport, and can take being dropped a few times without catastrophic results. Just my opinion.
Amen, brother! I hate headphones and IEMs. I want to hear the room.
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Agree 100%. At a big venue, the stage feels like an earthquake from the bass.
FullumMusic
Commercial User
- Oct 13, 2022
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- Audio/Music software developer, contracted with a company you've heard of and deving my own stuff.
They might come back just like Records "came back." But records didn't really make a comeback. They beat out CD sales and cassette sales in a race for last place. Streaming & Digital Downloads & Synch make up 89% of recorded music revenue in 2023. That leaves 11% for all other media. Vinyl still only represent a fraction of 11% of the total market. To say they "came back" is an overstatement.
So yeah, you might be right. Big amps might come back the way records did: they'll show an uptick in sales at some point, but will still only be a small fraction in a sea of lightweight amps, lightweight cabs, and ampless rigs.
The same reason we don't see CRT monitors and TVs making a comeback.
To each his own, but I haven't had your experience. To me, class-D amps are usually very transparent, and are used in all the FOH PA systems. I found that playing with the amplifier's EQ, or using a better pre-amp can shift the character of the amp to be something you prefer. I use tube pre-amps ahead of a Quilter, or my TC electronics amps and get a nice overdrive, and lots of low-end-grunt. Again, just my experience.
Don't confuse size, weight & nostalgia with authenticity or sound quality
My "not big" amp is as much the "real thing" as any big amp.
I would have to research that. I know nothing of Bergantino product other than it sounds great, but is priced higher than care to pay. If it has built-in synthetic profiles, then perhaps you got me there. But the POWER section, unless it's controlled by a microprocessor, is probably a class D amplifier (or class H, or whatever). These are NOT digital.
So in that case your FOH sound with class D amps becomes hi-fi and you lose your lo-fi sound, correct?
Truth is, they're to hifi for my liking. I find the highs and mids over bearing and the lows too squished and pillowy and I can never find a happy medium between the two extremes. It's a constant battle of never ending dissatisfaction. Everything sounds artificial
Yet, I can go to my A, A/B amps, plug in and bingo, exactly what I'm looking for and adjustments are simple, quick and easy.
A nice rich warm fat low end, just the right amount of mids and highs.
See my response above re: EQ
Buying an amp that I don't like the sounds of, then throwing pedals at it to try and make it sound better, is an expensive and superfluous exercise, since I already have amps that sound great without any of what has been suggested.
Front of house, PA is none of my concern. That's out of my control. They can use whatever they like.
We are talking about what sound is emanating from our bass cabinets as that is what is in our control.
I'm yet to enjoy the sound emanating from my cab when using Class D. Try again moon-bass.
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I'm using Sushi Box Particle accelerator and SushiBox Bass Dude. I like the sound and they can drive the PA section of class-D amps directly, very well.
I did use that very amp for many years. Then switch to the 7 pro. Same tone, same power in a lightweight package.
Sometimes I'm still tempted by the 4 pro. It looks really nice and offers lots of possibilities. But I didn't use much of the features it offered.
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Sounds like you've made up your mind......that's ok, but you are awefully lucky you don't have to sell that opinion. Might go hungry.
