Budget bass amp

[bassdeal]

Most amps will show two wattage ratings on the back: one higher one indicating essentially what it “eats,” and a second lower one reflecting an approximation of what it actually puts out.

A scrupulous seller could innocently list the higher number because they simply don’t know any better, while an unscrupulous seller might intentionally list the higher rating in order to fool buyers into thinking they’re getting more than they really are.

~74 watts through an efficient 15” speaker will still get pretty loud, and Peavey products notoriously so; and while 300 watts will get noticeably louder than ~74, it won’t get 3x louder than ~74. So … don’t feel too bad, live and learn, and so on

True.

What I meant by "scoop" is, how could Peavey and/or stores advertise this amp as a 300W amp and not get called on this? The amp is fine for me. It is the marketing I find amazing.

 

[Riff Ranger]

True.

What I meant by "scoop" is, how could Peavey and/or stores advertise this amp as a 300W amp and not get called on this? The amp is fine for me. It is the marketing I find amazing.

Ah, I don’t know why I was certain this was from a private individual seller Last I checked Peavey themselves wouldn’t try to tell anyone that was a 300-watt amp, but much has changed with them over the years while my impression of them has remained stuck in the ‘90s so who knows; I definitely wouldn’t put it past stores to do that, either out of honest ignorance or dishonest attempts to pass merchandise off as more than it is.

 

[Coot]

I’m lucky enough to have Traynor products widely available here. Otherwise the Ampeg Rocket Bass amps sound really good.

I agree .. I have a Traynor YBA 100 I picked up new because I like to back our Traynor quality built products. Its only a 100 Watter, but through a great cab like a Subway 1x15 it can get pretty frickin loud while putting out an excellent tone. It's not point to point ( not much is )like the old days but it rocks.

 

[BaldyLee]

True.

What I meant by "scoop" is, how could Peavey and/or stores advertise this amp as a 300W amp and not get called on this? The amp is fine for me. It is the marketing I find amazing.

I don't know (or particularly care) about the wattage ratings. Those numbers are so inconsistent between manufacturers, I don't know what to believe anymore when it comes to that.

What I do know is it's a 15" with a tweeter and it gets loud as hell. I've used it in small crowded clubs with 2 guitars and a hard hitting drummer and it holds its own for sure. I've never had it close to maxed out (pardon the pun) and you can get them dirt cheap.

 

[JakobT]

I know this is an old thread, but I just purchased a Peavey Max 115 (I don't know the version) used in great condition and the seller advertised it as a 300W amp. When I got home, looking at the back, I noticed it was a 7x watt AC input (It is in another location now so I don't remember exactly) and indicated 60W output. Looking at the link you supplied and zooming in on the rear AC connector, it indicates a 74W AC input (see attached image). Yet this amp was advertised everywhere as a 300W amp. Does anyone know the scoop on this?

It does do the job for me, which was in a rehearsal space with fairly loud drums and guitar amp. It reminds me of my first bass amp, a Peavey TKO 65, which I used in club gigs without PA support.

The number you’re referring to is the AC input power, which is not the same the actual audio power. The AC input power is typically about 1/8 of the output power rating, but can be more, depending on the design of the amp. This is further muddied by the fact that manufacturers use different types of power rating.

The calculations are explained by @agedhorse in this post:

actual power output?

 

[Doug P]

Being a student with limited $$. Go used at GC with warranty. Ya get more bang for the money. I’ve not bought new in many years. It’s a crap shoot but so is life.

 

[Michael Favata]

Since this thread seems to be speaking about watts and loudness I can add this take.

I got a new amp for Christmas. It’s the new Boss Katana bass 60. It is amazing. Louder than my Rumble 500. Sounds better. More versatile. Yes. Louder than my Rumble 500.
Not sure how that’s possible but that’s what my ears are hearing. It’s just a fuller clearer sound. Solid thump with all the overtones I want. The Katana is a class AB amp as opposed to class D. Maybe that’s it? I dunno. It has one 10” speaker instead of the two tens in the Rumble 500. But the Katana is built like a tank. Way better build than the Rumble. And to be clear I'm a fan of the Rumbles for what they do and how light they are. I’m not trashing them. Just pointing out the differences.

I don’t know why amps are louder than others. I’ve heard wattage ratings, tuned cabinets, class of amp, quality of component parts, speaker surface size, other variables. I’m don’t know. Ask @agedhorse why they do what they do. I just plug in and play them. The only thing that matters to me is if my ears like what they are hearing.

In my life (playing instruments since 1973) I have owned refrigerators disguised as amps and everything in between. In the past few years I have owned many amps. I try them. I return them or sell them on the used market. I don’t get attached easily. This is just stuff to me. My obsession.

I’ve had a Blackstar amp with a 15” speaker. Farted too much for my taste. Returned it. Had the Ampeg RB112. Returned it because it had factory quality control issues. Sounded nice though. Had the Ampeg BA110. Had the Fender Rumble 100. Great little practice amp. Sold it used to get something else. (Wish I still had that actually) had the Rumble 25. Great little living room amp. Sold it to a co-worker who’s husband wanted to get back in to playing. Had the Markbass 60 watt CMD110 combo. Didn’t really like that which surprises me till this day. Traded that for something else. Had the Markbass CMD 102P. A 212 combo with “500” watts. I used that in a band. Great little amp. When I plugged it in to my Ampeg Portaflex 115 cab it sounded amazing. But I don’t play in big enough spaces for that to make sense. But it sounded incredible. I sold that Markbass to someone in New Hampshire through Reverb. A girl looking to get her boyfriend a cool gift. I’m in western New York. The Rumble 500 hooked up to that Ampeg cab sounds amazing too. Those rigs with the Ampeg extension cab WERE louder than the Katana 60 lol. But I didn’t need it. Sold that Portaflex cab to a guy in a local heavy metal band who was thrilled to get it. I still have the Rumble 500. For now. It says 340 watts at 8 ohms (= without hooking it up to an extension cab on its own) it gets loud but 340 watts? I dunno. Ask @agedhorse .

All I know is this Boss Katana 60 is amazing. I will never part with this amp. I just love it. All the built in effects I could ever want = no extra power sources and cables etc to have to account for and play with and the mess of cables and plugs and the added noise to the signal chain. I have not even begun to play with the knobs yet too much. I basically have it on the channel 2 tone setting. Tweaked the high and mid EQ a little. In a band setting and various rooms I know I will lean on those knobs and effects more but I don’t need them now. It sounds awesome just as it is with very little effort. But I love having the flexibility there if I need it. Have not played it in a band setting yet. But I feel confident it will keep up in most situations I would ever find myself in. And it has a line out for bigger settings if ever needed. The Rumble 500 and Katana bass 60 are both advertised as weighing 37 pounds. I may be getting old at 62 but I can still carry 40lbs easy enough. And a smaller footprint so a little easier to move around. Anyway. That’s my take. Not that anyone cares what my view is lol or will even read this…
Oh btw. The Boss Katana Bass 60 is $300. Great value. Great value…

 

[Pocket Dave]

I know this is an old thread, but I just purchased a Peavey Max 115 (I don't know the version) used in great condition and the seller advertised it as a 300W amp. When I got home, looking at the back, I noticed it was a 7x watt AC input (It is in another location now so I don't remember exactly) and indicated 60W output. Looking at the link you supplied and zooming in on the rear AC connector, it indicates a 74W AC input (see attached image). Yet this amp was advertised everywhere as a 300W amp. Does anyone know the scoop on this?

It does do the job for me, which was in a rehearsal space with fairly loud drums and guitar amp. It reminds me of my first bass amp, a Peavey TKO 65, which I used in club gigs without PA support.

There are 3 wattage ratings for an amp - input, RMS & peak.

• Input is the lower number and is generally disregarded when discussing amps.
• RMS is most commonly used to describe an amp's output; It refers to the maximum power you can expect before the signal starts to distort and compress. Your Peavy is 300 watts RMS.
• Peak is a wattage number that most do not use when describing output because it's considered misleading - Bugera advertises their Veyron model as 2,000 watts when it's really likely to be 500-700 watts RMS.

 

[bassdeal]

The number you’re referring to is the AC input power, which is not the same the actual audio power. The AC input power is typically about 1/8 of the output power rating, but can be more, depending on the design of the amp. This is further muddied by the fact that manufacturers use different types of power rating.

The calculations are explained by @agedhorse in this post:

actual power output?

Thanks @JakobT I really don't understand the physics behind it, but it seems to be the case.

 

[JakobT]

Thanks @JakobT I really don't understand the physics behind it, but it seems to be the case.

Not being an engineer, neither do I, although the calculations themselves seem straightforward enough.

However, I have seen this question raised on a couple other occasions, and read what @agedhorse has had to say on the subject, and if he says it, it’s good enough for me.

 

[agedhorse]

You need to know what you are looking at and understand it before assuming anything about honest versus dishonest.

 

[telejojo5]

I bought a used Rumble 500 off Facebook for 300 and it's just fine........................

 

[bassdeal]

You need to know what you are looking at and understand it before assuming anything about honest versus dishonest.

Guilty as charged but I will appeal to the judge for leniency.

My amp was in a remote location, so I could not see it. Doing research online, somehow I mixed up the 2005 version of the Peavey Max 115 with the one I purchased (which was used). I later discovered it was manufactured in 2018). I saw an image of a back of a Max 115 with the same input 75W label but with a tag below it stating: "Output Power: 60 Watts". Since I only did a quick examination, somehow I related this image in my head to the image on the back of my amp.

A Invalid Link Removed, which I read in my earlier research, lead me to this portion of the 2005 manual referenced in the post:

Note the power input is the same as my amp. Output power: 60 watts RMS. Since there does not seem to be any Peavey documentation of a MAX 115 then this, and the current MAX line does not seem to have a MAX 115, This is the spec I went with. I just noticed the Weight spec should have been a clue this could not be my amp. Mine is nowhere near as heavy.

So it seems my research lead me in a wrong direction. I do have a relatively low trust of marketing. Being a long-time software engineer, I have my share of good engineered products being destroyed by marketing.

So I appeal for mercy.

Edit: Added link to the Peavey Max 115 Manual.

 

[danieledanny]

Hi,i'd like to know if an hartke hd50 it's enough power for outdoor playing alone,without other instruments.Sometime i like to play like a busker,until now i used a little micro cube roland,very good,but in some situation no so fine but it's like to have someone who shouts to be heard....i don't know if i can explain myself...i know,it's better 100 200 watt,but I have to consider weight, bulk and consumption as I have to consider the life and energy of the battery portable,for example a 20Ampere.....