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Carvin BX500 opinion

#21
Here is a link to the Carvin website for the trade in details.
Invalid Link Removed
On there main page there is a small caption that says to email [email protected] that is who gave me the details and hooked me up.
The trade in that I did was a ProBass 500 and they give 30% off of RETAIL which was right around $350 including CA sales tax,$11 paypal fees and approx $20 in shipping which would put me at a $5 loss but they quoted me 30% of of some promotion price of $450 and were good enough to honor it after they discovered there mistake so I really paid $320 OTD so that means that I am getting $30 for the broken Probass that I traded in and got to try one out and "uglybassplayer" saved $25 or more depending if he had to pay tax locally or $20 for shipping from CA.
Confused yet??
 
#22
Might I also add that the compression is to be used not past 5 or 6 at the most in my opinion as it really is too much compression to my taste.

But at the level 3 or 4, the compression is great on the unit.

That thing is simply a monster of Tone !!! So powerful for so light !!!

It is a bright and modern sounding amp for sure.
 
#23
This is a well-timed thread.

My beloved Hartke 3500 (MOSFET, mid-90s) is about at the end of its run and I am looking for an AFFORDABLE, powerful head to replace it. I bought an SWR WorkingPro 400 a year and a half ago and have been thoroughly unimpressed. The Carvin BX500 appears to have all the features I loved in my Hartke (tube pre-amp, onboard compression, extensive EQ), with less weight and more power.

If anyone has owned either a Hartke 3500 or WorkingPro 400 and has moved to this Carvin head I would love to hear your impressions.

P.S. is the Carvin cash-for-clunkers only on old Carvin gear, or can you trade in other brands as well?
 
#26
jaywa said:
This is a well-timed thread.

My beloved Hartke 3500 (MOSFET, mid-90s) is about at the end of its run and I am looking for an AFFORDABLE, powerful head to replace it. I bought an SWR WorkingPro 400 a year and a half ago and have been thoroughly unimpressed. The Carvin BX500 appears to have all the features I loved in my Hartke (tube pre-amp, onboard compression, extensive EQ), with less weight and more power.

If anyone has owned either a Hartke 3500 or WorkingPro 400 and has moved to this Carvin head I would love to hear your impressions.

P.S. is the Carvin cash-for-clunkers only on old Carvin gear, or can you trade in other brands as well?
Click to expand...

I own a Hartke Kickback (which I think can sound great) and have had SWR in the past. I think you would really like the BX500 (just don't be afraid to turn up the bass on it-even to full). The amp really sounds good and is super loud.
 
#27
I liked the tone and weight of mine, but it failed under sketchy power at a club I play at. It was fine everywhere else, but I can't depend on a head that won't run under low voltage if it has to ... I play too many dives.

Traded it to a guy who doesn't play dives (and gave him full disclosure of course) for a series I GK 700RB, and it has handled everything I've thrown at it perfectly ... including the same sketchy power club. Plus it's an ultralight compared to my B1500. ;)

I liked the BX500 ... just couldn't trust it.

Cheers,
Liam
 
#28
liam_g said:
I liked the tone and weight of mine, but it failed under sketchy power at a club I play at. It was fine everywhere else, but I can't depend on a head that won't run under low voltage if it has to ... I play too many dives.

Traded it to a guy who doesn't play dives (and gave him full disclosure of course) for a series I GK 700RB, and it has handled everything I've thrown at it perfectly ... including the same sketchy power club. Plus it's an ultralight compared to my B1500. ;)

I liked the BX500 ... just couldn't trust it.

Cheers,
Liam
Click to expand...

Would this be an issue with all Class D switching amps?
 
#29
I put the Chinese tube back in the BX500, sounds great !!! Better than the Mesa ECC83 which did not overdrive well to my taste anyway !!!

Would putting a high end tube preamp, like a Telefunken or Mullars ( over 100$ ) make a real difference as per your experience ???

The BX500 is impressively loud and clean. I prefer it over the MarkBass gear now !!!! I never thought I could say that one day !!!!!
 
#31
I have been looking for a small and light yet powerful head as a grab and go rig with a Mesa Powerhouse 1x12 cabinet, and I just ordered a BX500. I will get 300 watts out of it with the 8 ohm 1x12, and if I really need more, then I can always add another 1x12 PH to get 500 watts in a modular rig.

I hope 300 watts into a Mesa PH 1x12 is enough to do some blues and classic rock bar type gigs, and rehearsal stuff.
 
#32
liam_g said:
I liked the tone and weight of mine, but it failed under sketchy power at a club I play at. It was fine everywhere else, but I can't depend on a head that won't run under low voltage if it has to ... I play too many dives.

Traded it to a guy who doesn't play dives (and gave him full disclosure of course) for a series I GK 700RB, and it has handled everything I've thrown at it perfectly ... including the same sketchy power club. Plus it's an ultralight compared to my B1500. ;)

I liked the BX500 ... just couldn't trust it.

Cheers,
Liam
Click to expand...

I will come across my share of dives as I gig so it will be interesting to see how I do. In fact, I kept my Hartke in the car based off of what you said before Liam. I can totally understand losing trust in gear.

I am set up pretty much where if my amp does that, I can always just run direct. Not preferred, but it will make it through the gig. Redundancy is a good thing for gear (except lugging it).
 
#33
Blueser said:
Would this be an issue with all Class D switching amps?
Click to expand...

I am thinking no. The Bose system I use has a similar power supply and we have used it for outdoor parties with the whole band on one extension cord (I'm sure many of us have unfortunately done that). No issues, even with the lights fading a bit. :eek:

Hopefully Liam's Carvin was an isolated issue, but I know I will report back if it happens to me.
 
#34
Just tested the Carvin BX500 again this morning at high volume using the 210HF cabinet. That thing is awesome !!! Loud and clean. You can use the rive knob if needed or not to get a perfectly clean tone with a monster volume !!! The head gets better and better every day I use it.

I put back the chinese tubes in it and sounds great !!!! I am wondering if using high end tube preamps like Telefunken or Mullard would be even better ???
 
#35
After I initially posted my experience in another thread, a few others also posted to the effect of "Oh, so that's why mine shutdown in that dive the other night!" It may be an isolated issue, or may be more common. But I don't think it's limited to Carvins. As others have said, I think that the new switching power supplies are just more demanding of well-regulated voltage. In any event, I'm happy with a 16 pound head (my 700RB) to use as an alternative to my 33 pound head (B1500).

Cheers and best wishes to all!
Liam
 
#36
liam_g said:
After I initially posted my experience in another thread, a few others also posted to the effect of "Oh, so that's why mine shutdown in that dive the other night!" It may be an isolated issue, or may be more common. But I don't think it's limited to Carvins. As others have said, I think that the new switching power supplies are just more demanding of well-regulated voltage. In any event, I'm happy with a 16 pound head (my 700RB) to use as an alternative to my 33 pound head (B1500).

Cheers and best wishes to all!
Liam
Click to expand...

how would you compare the two heads in terms of sound and quality? (bx500 and 700rb)
 
#37
BigOldHarry said:
Quick... Compare to the GK MB2-500... I've seen those on line for $500, the Carvin is $400...

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I have them both. It is a different sound, best description I can give is the GK seemed to have an emphasis in the bass/low-mid region with all four tone knobs set the same* while my Carvin doesn't have that emphasis but is strong throughout the frequency range. I didn't hear any difference with my tube setting. The GK's DI out can be set pre or post EQ, the Carvin's is strictly pre-EQ. Both can get loud.

*The GK's overall deep tone is not a bad thing, it's just different than Carvin's tone. The GK was my main amp for nine months since that was the sonic picture we were going for.
 
#38
Ya know I've been doing more research on this little amp and... it all looks great and I'm about ready to take the plunge. But -- and I know this is really kind of lame -- does anyone else think the rack-mount bracket Carvin sells for this thing is just tudd-bugly? I mean you wind up with this tiny little oval window and something about that is just.... eehhh. Are there any other rackmounting options (possibly not from Carvin) that would be available for this? If not, I may wind up just buying some sheet metal and making my own.
 
#39
jaywa said:
Ya know I've been doing more research on this little amp and... it all looks great and I'm about ready to take the plunge. But -- and I know this is really kind of lame -- does anyone else think the rack-mount bracket Carvin sells for this thing is just tudd-bugly? I mean you wind up with this tiny little oval window and something about that is just.... eehhh. Are there any other rackmounting options (possibly not from Carvin) that would be available for this? If not, I may wind up just buying some sheet metal and making my own.
Click to expand...

yeah I agree. good thing I wouldn't rack-mount it.
 

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