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Carvin BX500: Part II

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#362
BlacksHole said:
What exactly is "safe mode" and how does one know the amp has switched to this mode?
Click to expand...

First clue is: no sound!

The "Protect" LED by the power switch goes on. When you switch the amp off, it will come on with the light off... I have had the Protect LED come on again when I try to hit my first note. It eventually works, although I've sometimes had to wait a few minutes.

I'm not sure whether I have a warrantable defect, or if it's just doing its job properly waiting to cool off.
 
#365
rasthedoctor said:
A pic of my EQ settings. I find that it's a little quacky, but I don't know how to dial it out enough without dialing in too much boom... anyway...:

HeadforTB.jpg
Click to expand...

no wonder... this is the "quack" setup right out of the manual! ;)

Quack lives at about 500 Hz. On your graphic, I would pull that down quite a bit, maybe even into "cut" range. And bring 50Hz back up to flat.

What kind of cab(s) are you running when the rig sounds quacky? If it's all 10's, you may want to bring down some 800 Hz also, and maybe add some 50 and 80 Hz.

Let us know how it goes.
 
#366
eli said:
Quack lives at about 500 Hz. On your graphic, I would pull that down quite a bit, maybe even into "cut" range. And bring 50Hz back up to flat.

What kind of cab(s) are you running when the rig sounds quacky? If it's all 10's, you may want to bring down some 800 Hz also, and maybe add some 50 and 80 Hz.
Click to expand...

Yep, the quack thing as much as be defined lives in the 500-800 Hz range, also the area that makes it easy to "go Jaco" if you've already got something close. And cabs are a big part of the equation as the add and cut at various frequencies.

My rule is to never let EQ habits stand unchallenged when changing out something else in the rig, and to re-explore it every so often just to make sure subjective hearing habits haven't become numb ; }
 
#370
greenboy said:
Yep, the quack thing as much as be defined lives in the 500-800 Hz range, also the area that makes it easy to "go Jaco" if you've already got something close. And cabs are a big part of the equation as the add and cut at various frequencies.

My rule is to never let EQ habits stand unchallenged when changing out something else in the rig, and to re-explore it every so often just to make sure subjective hearing habits haven't become numb ; }
Click to expand...

Very cool - I'll try cutting some of the 500/800 and put the 50 flat and let y'all know how it goes! (oh, and I'm playing through a 2x10 neo).

Thanks you guys!

-N
 
#371
eli said:
I have had the Protect LED come on again when I try to hit my first note. It eventually works, although I've sometimes had to wait a few minutes.

I'm not sure whether I have a warrantable defect, or if it's just doing its job properly waiting to cool off.
Click to expand...

Mine went into protect just that once and I figured I deserved it from the way I was running it. From what I've read here, my impression has been that the 2 ohm setting is a bit of a "beta" setting. The direct out still worked when it was in protect, so the crowd could hear me through the PA. I turned the amp off between songs and it worked again when I turned it on.
 
#372
rasthedoctor said:
Very cool - I'll try cutting some of the 500/800 and put the 50 flat and let y'all know how it goes! (oh, and I'm playing through a 2x10 neo).

Thanks you guys!

-N
Click to expand...

Neos in my limited experience are a bit brighter than traditional spks, AND you have 10's. So I would pull back the 1.3k and 5k also; or maybe just turn down the "Treble" knob to maybe 11:00.
 
#374
Eli, did you see the reply stating that one could use WinISD to show the spl charts for 1 versus 8 10" drivers?

I'll try to do exactly that this weekend and will post the charts for reference.

Cheers,
Liam
 
#375
Well, I just looked on the Carvin site and saw that they list the BX500 as being in stock. I had cancelled my original order when they first came out after seeing the problems, even though I was very impressed with the one I tried at the San Diego store in February. Thought it might be safe to give one a go now, so I pulled the trigger and increased the balance on my Carvin card. :scowl::bassist:

I had been very interested in the Hartke LH500, but after trying one at a Sam Ash decided it just wasn't for me. It's funny ... with my main head being a B1500, both the BX500 and the LH500 (23 pounds) seem like lightweight heads to me now!

I'm also throwing a neo driver in my LSx1503, which will bring it down under 50 pounds. That cab is about equal in output to a 410 cab, but with narrower stage footprint (18.75" wide), and much better midrange dispersion. I'm excited about combining it with the BX500. I think the 300 watts the BX500 puts out at 8 ohms will be enough for most of my gigs, after seeing how loud the head really is when I demoed it before.

If the BX500 really is in stock, I'll have it in time for a cover band gig next Friday night.

Cheers,
Liam
 
#378
Spent some time with my BX500 today finally. I A/B'd it against my BX1200 (running just one of its channels) into my BRX10.4 Neo and came away very impressed. I'm already quite fond of my BX1200 but lugging a 40 pound amp back/forth to practice is not my idea of fun, so enter the BX500.

After about 30 minutes of toying with the settings I came away convinced that while maintaining the distinctive Carvin low-mid punch, the BX500 actually seems tighter/more focused in that area than my BX1200. I found myself preferring its tight low-end and enjoying the 'clang' I was able to dial in the with the EQ for an aggressive sound I'd been searching for. Putting in the tube on the preamp did soften the highs and lows a bit, so I switched to my SX P-bass and enjoyed that vibe quite a bit as well.

I'm impressed and pleasantly surprised!
 
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