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Carvin BX500: Pt. 3

#482
Vic said:
I personally also like it very much as a review tool. To my ears, it's the most neutrally voiced head I've ever heard, and with the GEQ, it gives me a lot of control to help me pick out voicing frequencies in cabs as well as other heads.
Click to expand...

+1 I do find myself using the BX500 a lot when I am reviewing other gear for these very reasons.

As for my personal EQ settings, I just boost the Bass to about 1:00, dial in a little Drive, keep the Contour off, and leave everything else pretty flat. :cool:
 
#485
Vic said:
I personally also like it very much as a review tool. To my ears, it's the most neutrally voiced head I've ever heard, and with the GEQ, it gives me a lot of control to help me pick out voicing frequencies in cabs as well as other heads.
Click to expand...
That's what I love about this head. It can really get out of the way (neutral voicing) or really be a slice and dice EQ tool if needed. I personally like that it gets out of the way for my current setup, so I can really hear my SB5000.

If I was on the road playing through backline cabs, I would want this head so that I could use its EQ to get my sound every night with different set ups. It's very cool useful head for both jobs.
 
#486
tlr1293 said:
I'm about half-way to saving up for my SB4000 - probably be about 2-3 more months. Suggest me the Active controls or save the $90 and go passive. I'm a bit noobish on what makes an Active bass more appealing.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
The SB's sound great either way. I just like slightly fuller sound the active pre gives and having the bass/treble on the bass to tweak on the fly if needed. Although, I really don't use it much, the SB also sounds great flat :D

My speculation is they use the SB and BX500 together at the Carvin factory for reference which is why those two sound so great together even when set flat. There is something really nice happening when those two get together, imo.
 
#488
Hey guys,

the protect light came on at a gig last night. Not sure what happened.

Could the fact the power source was not consistent? This was an outside gig and we had to run lines from the house. This was my 10th gig with this head and this has never happened.

any help?

matt
 
#489
This is how I run mine,with a GB Neo 2/12 cab....Plenty loud for what I need,no matter where I'm playing....Never had a time when red light came on, only at start-up...
 

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#490
mxr255 said:
Hey guys,

the protect light came on at a gig last night. Not sure what happened.

Could the fact the power source was not consistent? This was an outside gig and we had to run lines from the house. This was my 10th gig with this head and this has never happened.

any help?

matt
Click to expand...
All i know to tell you is to call carvin. I have one of these heads and do like it,just don't trust it. Seems like carvin has the bugs worked out then you hear another case of one going into protect mode. I definitly keep a backup handy when using this head.
 
#491
mxr255 said:
Hey guys,

the protect light came on at a gig last night. Not sure what happened.

Could the fact the power source was not consistent? This was an outside gig and we had to run lines from the house. This was my 10th gig with this head and this has never happened.

any help?

matt
Click to expand...

You would have to know what the voltage at the outlet actually was during the times the band was playing and singing its loudest. That's really the only [DEL]was[/DEL] way to do it in an uncontrolled situation where, for example, anyone anywhere in the house could flip on a TV or a PC, and your precise voltage-drop calculations that took into account power consumption and wire gauge and wire distance would fly right out the window. It gets weirder when the location is running near its mains capacity. Even weirder with shared pole transformers. Don't ask me how I know this, or if I just might've ever been through it, lol.
 
#492
Did a power cycle fix it? Outside power can be very sketchy (as in the whole band run off the same circuit or even the same extension cord) and the protection could have been doing its job.

I never had that happen with mine...I played a roadhouse where the pedal steel player's old Peavey was hating the power and kept cutting out. The Carvin was fine.

mxr255 said:
Hey guys,

the protect light came on at a gig last night. Not sure what happened.

Could the fact the power source was not consistent? This was an outside gig and we had to run lines from the house. This was my 10th gig with this head and this has never happened.

any help?

matt
Click to expand...
 
#494
Lync said:
Did a power cycle fix it? Outside power can be very sketchy (as in the whole band run off the same circuit or even the same extension cord) and the protection could have been doing its job.

I never had that happen with mine...I played a roadhouse where the pedal steel player's old Peavey was hating the power and kept cutting out. The Carvin was fine.
Click to expand...

The power cycle did not fix it. I didn't use it at my gig last night. I used my back up. Them I remembered why I bought a new head. I am going to test it out tomorrow.
 
#495
I ordered my bx500 today. My main rig has been a BBE Bmax pre to a QSC PLX1602 (1100 watts bridged IIRC) to an 8 Ohm fEarful 15/6. The weight of the pre/power rig is getting annoying, so I'm hoping the bx500 will be enough for most of my gigs. I guess if I feel I'm lacking headroom, the bx1500 isn't too heavy.
 
#496
tlr1293 said:
I'm about half-way to saving up for my SB4000 - probably be about 2-3 more months. Suggest me the Active controls or save the $90 and go passive. I'm a bit noobish on what makes an Active bass more appealing.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

I would get the active SB4000 because it's defeatable, meaning by pushing in the volume (I think) knob, it becomes a passive bass.
I tried it out in San Diego and really liked the active circuit. Gives you extra oomph when you need it and it's a natural sounding oomph. The passive sounds good to but why not have both for a few extra bucks?
 
#498
since I got my svt6pro a few months ago my bx500 has become my backup amp and also my 'home practice amp'. This has now given me plenty of daily tweaking time and not just used on our 1 night a week band rehearsal. With that said I am liking my bx500 more and more.
I had the common issues with my first bx500 but once replaced with a new one it has been going strong for a year now.
 
#499
mxr255 said:
The power cycle did not fix it. I didn't use it at my gig last night. I used my back up. Them I remembered why I bought a new head. I am going to test it out tomorrow.
Click to expand...

I can feel for you. Once you lose trust in something, it adds a bit of stress to gigging.

One more thing I remembered is that one time I had an issue with it cutting out. I was also in the house system (opening for a national), and I could hear feel the bass out front still (and I was using the DI from the BX500). Turned out to be a flukey speaker cable (I replaced the stocker). Went back to the stock cable and all has been fine since. Thing is, I replaced the stocker with a fat speakon cable (also from Carvin). I guess that was a fail.

So, that is one more thing you can check out.
 
#500
There seems to be a problem with class D amps when it comes to under-voltage situations. You can see here (TB forum) that it's happening to other manufacturers too. I've seen it happen a couple of times, but not with Carvin.
I always have a backup head for gigs.
 

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