- Jan 23, 2008
- 960
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- Endorsing Artist: Spector Basses
I can't speak for the 500, but I like to have the tonal difference between the two that my 1200 gives me with my US Spector.
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Carvin BX500: Part II
- Thread starter Kelly Lee
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I can't speak for the 500, but I like to have the tonal difference between the two that my 1200 gives me with my US Spector.
^That is an idea, I will keep that in mind.
I know it won't work as a biamp, but could I add a separate preamp that will work as a biamp?
I like my 4x10 cab and would like to split the low/high end.
I know it won't work as a biamp, but could I add a separate preamp that will work as a biamp?
I like my 4x10 cab and would like to split the low/high end.
No, But you could with the Carvin BX1200. (Biamp that is) and if what I hear is correct, the sound is pretty close the the BX500 and you'd have the possibility of 600/W/channel.
hmm, could someone explain why I couldn't use a preamp with a crossover on my bx500?
Is it because the bx500 already has a built in preamp?
Is it because the bx500 already has a built in preamp?
Here is my take. I used to run a bi amp system and I've run many bi and tri amped PA's. First off from what hear you want to use the power of the Carvin amp and be able to have a hi/lo setup for cabinets.
You would only need a crossover and another poweramp.
Take the fx line out of the Carvin and run it into your crossover. Take the high out of the crossover and send it back into the carvin. I believe the line out is post eq and compressor.
Now take the low end out of the crossover and run it into your second power amp and then into your low cab. If your crossover has volume settings for each side then use that for your balancing.
I just assumed the carvin would be for your top, you can of course reverse this and use it for the bottom just make the proper signal path changes on the crossover.
Hope this helps.
Chris P.
You would only need a crossover and another poweramp.
Take the fx line out of the Carvin and run it into your crossover. Take the high out of the crossover and send it back into the carvin. I believe the line out is post eq and compressor.
Now take the low end out of the crossover and run it into your second power amp and then into your low cab. If your crossover has volume settings for each side then use that for your balancing.
I just assumed the carvin would be for your top, you can of course reverse this and use it for the bottom just make the proper signal path changes on the crossover.
Hope this helps.
Chris P.
No, its because the BX500 only has one power amp. And it also has no crossover, so just using two of them wouldnt work either unless you ran the cabs full range. Thats why I suggested the Bx1200-its already setup for biamping with two power amps and crossovers.
EDIT: missed the part about using a crossover-that would work with two bx500s. But you would get the same thing in one package AND get 100 watts more per channel.
Part of the charm of the BX500 is that it weighs next to nothing. By the time you add an electronic crossover, an extra power amp, etc. you might have been better off buying a biampable Carvin head and keeping the BX500 for the times that you don't need to biamp.
I know you suggested the bx1200, but I already have the bx500.
looks like i'm sol.
I tore my cabinet apart today at practice. It was wired for a total of 8 ohms. I was running my bx500 on 4 ohms. That was my problem. I rewired my cabinet to 2 ohms and changed my bx500 to 2 ohms. I finally got to see the power that the head has. I was impressed, but I'm still not happy with the sound. It sounded like I was overdriving the mids and I had them turned down on the graphic eq.
I am considering trading it up for the bx1200 because I really want the built in biamp.
thoughts?
I am considering trading it up for the bx1200 because I really want the built in biamp.
thoughts?
Important to remember when you biamp: Make sure the low freq cab is considerably lower ohms AND higher power than the high freq cab. You need 2-3 times the power on the lows. For example, a 4-ohm 15 or 18 for the lows with an 8-ohm 210 or some such for the highs.
no, I'm using an older sonic cab. It has a horn and built in crossover. I disabled the crossover today.
Yes I would agree with that. Still not sure the bi amp thing is going to get you want. MAybe the amp is right or just not you. Have you tried the amp through any other cabinets?
My only exp. with sonic cabs were using some very inefficient 18" subs for a PA. Inefficient was the word too. No offense meant but shop around a bit before you take that plunge
Chris P.
Just so it's clear: The low cab does not need to be 4ohms per se; it's just that with a 4-ohm cab, you'll get more power out of the amp that's driving it than you would with the same amp into an 8-ohm cab. You should set up the cabs/amps to give 2-3x the power into the low end cab -- whatever the resistance (ohms) is.
Also be sure to consider efficiency: if cab "A" is 3 dB more efficient than cab "B", then cab "A" at a given power input will sound just as loud as cab "B" driven with twice that much power. You need to read the specs on a cab, not just the power handling.
Now that I know what the power is like on the head I am thinking about just getting a new quality cabinet. Maybe a neo 2x12 or something. Any suggestions? Thanks for all your help!
Now we're into the "what do you want to sound like?" area. 15s and 18s typically give big round tones, though in my limited experience neo's are somewhat brighter. I have a 15" KappaLite 3015 in an old Sonic Micromini cab that has ALWAYS given me all the treble I ever wanted. But then I have an 18" Carvin RL118 when run with the same rig gives almost no treble.
Note I said "I ever wanted" -- and you are *you*.
Multi-10" cabs generally give quicker response and more bite, but often a bit less deep bass "booty" or "thump" or "punch". Bi-amping is meant to give you the best of both worlds.
And of course the most complicated part is that bass rigs in general frequently sound significantly different in a gig situation than they do soloed in a store or your basement. Lots of reasons for this, not the least of which is that you are not very likely to turn up a rig as much when deming it to buy than you would playing for a gig, and bass rigs definitely respond differently at different power levels.
Carvin BRX10.4 Neo, an unsung hero of a cabinet. Solid, punchy, real nice clarity, 1,200 watts rms @ 4 ohms, Duratex covered - NICE!!
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