Carvin BX500: Pt. 3

[BlacksHole]

I use mine through an old 1x10 for practice (jazz), an LDS 12" Nearful, and a 2x12" Dr. Bass cabinet with no issues whatsoever for a couple of years. I do not gig a lot though and when I 1st got it, it did cut out at an outside gig with questionable power and I needed to send it back to Carvin, but since then it has been a steady workhorse.

 

[Lync]

Thinking about getting a BX500 and was wondering if anyone is using one through a TC Electronics RS212 or a Trace Elliot 1153 I also have a GK Neo112 I could use for smaller gigs and if so what do you think...Thanks Guys

I use mine with a Genz Neo 212 and also the combo amp (1x15). I ran them both together with out a hitch just to see how it worked (no problems). Genz is 4 ohm, combo cab is 8ohm (Combo meaning Carvin BR515).

 

[MarTONEbass]

I haven't had tons of playing time on it since the problem occurred: maybe 4 or 5 hours total. It hasn't overheated since then. I even tried playing through the exact same cabinet with the exact same settings and instrument for an hour, and it never got above room temperature. Maybe I wasn't playing the right songs to evoke the magic heat monster?

Anyway, at this point I have no clue what went wrong during that particular rehearsal, but sadly it's lowered my confidence in the amp.

When it overheated during the rehearsal and cut power down to 2% or whatever, I tried several things. I power cycled it, and it would typically work for a few seconds and then cut back out. I bypassed the input tube using the rear switch, same result. Then I unscrewed and removed the top and pointed an oscillating fan towards heatsink, and while I was at it I also re-connected the speakon cable. The unit was off for probably 5 or 10 minutes while I did this, while the band took a break. After this, I was able to continue with the rehearsal for another hour of equivalent playing without issue, and by the end the heatsink had cooled to the point where it was only slightly above room temperature.

To be honest, I don't think the problem was just the lack of fan; after I restarted the rehearsal, the heatsink just didn't seem to be producing as much heat as before. Whatever was producing the heat had stopped, for whatever reason.

This coincides with the Carvin tech, who basically indicated that the unit really shouldn't ever produce that much heat unless it's being asked to push a very low-impedance load. (In my case, it was just a single 8-ohm cabinet.)

So I suspect an internal short in the BX500, or perhaps an intermittent crossover problem in my cabinet. Without a repro, it's difficult to rule things out...

The confidence thing is my big issue. I was skeptical at first, reading through the threads about it. I've always had a backup amp, but the BX500 was sounding and working great so I sold my other amp, and now this heat issue. It hasn't shut down on me, but it got pretty dang hot. I'll have to send it back for repair, but like you, I've lost a little confidence.

 

[FunkHead]

Good tip, I will have to start carrying a fan to gigs I guess!



I have encountered some questionable power situations, but never had any amp issues because of the power. I will have to check the board. Should I request the latest revision when I send it back or will they install in automatically?

I can only assume that they are putting in the most recent Boards if they swap it out for you. They may also just replace a known bad part which would be fine I guess. Obviously they are working on refining/improving the PC Boards. Hence the revisions A-G

 

[bass4worship]

I would pay more for the BX500 if they could put a bigger fan and improve on the PC board connection.

 

[FunkHead]

I would pay more for the BX500 if they could put a bigger fan and improve on the PC board connection.

This is truly a great Amp but some minor problems still need to get ironed out. The Fan is a simple swap. If we can find a good Replacement that would be fantastic. The cable cleaning/reseat is also simple. What scares me is how my first two got "locked" in protection mode after being plugged into a bad power outlet. I hope Carvin can get them a bit more perfect. There are 1000's of them in service with no issues but once you get that fear of breakdowns it's tough to shake. Mine is basically brand new(1/2 hour test run) and ready as a backup to my Hartke LH1000.

 

[Jeb]

I have had the 'distorted poor sound' thing with the BX500 after about a year of gigging it exclusively (give or take 300 hours or so on the amp). I did the Deoxit ribbon cable treatment (as recommended by the forum) and that fixed it. In the downtime I also snagged a Genz shuttle 6.2 as I needed an amp pronto. So now I have them both. And I like them both. These little class D amps are for gigging only, I rehearse and practice with something else.

I just got home after an outdoor downtown lunchtime festival type thing in my city. I had my BX500 and a 4ohm cab. I like the sound of this thing when outside because I can get tons of top end zing from it and that works for me in that environment. This was one 90 minute set in 95 deg heat and I'm spent from it. The amp got pushed pretty hard today and it sounded great. I didn't have any problems with it. I'm sitting here in my droars in front of the AC now but that little box did its thing. It felt pretty warm when I packed it up but no warmer than my bass or case or cab or anything else that was out there.

Note that I used no frequency boost under about 1KHz. Either flat or cut below that. And I bypassed the tube because it doesn't do anything anyway. I don't know if bypassing turns it off or not but I did that thinking it was something that might generate heat if on. But all in all it worked great for me today under taxing conditions. That was a long set.

 

[Troph]

Yep, I would fully expect the amp to be able to handle a long gig in a warm environment. That's why I posted my failure experience. It was unexpected.

 

[FunkHead]

I would pay more for the BX500 if they could put a bigger fan and improve on the PC board connection.

Just a quick bump for this thread. Has anyone found a better upgraded fan for these BX500's?

 

[MarTONEbass]

Just a quick bump for this thread. Has anyone found a better upgraded fan for these BX500's?

Maybe we can get a part number from Carvin or the inside of the amp?

 

[FunkHead]

Maybe we can get a part number from Carvin or the inside of the amp?

I will try to find an upgrade. I'll call Carvin today.

 

[dug dog]

If it's not already too late, could you check to see if it's the same fan in the BX1500?

Thanks.

 

[FunkHead]

If it's not already too late, could you check to see if it's the same fan in the BX1500?

Thanks.

No problem.

 

[eli]

I have my BX-500 in an old PB-200 cab with a 4ohm Carvin Eminence 500W speaker. Two nights ago at a rehearsal it trailed off volume and then quit altogether... even swiching it off and back on did not bring it back even though the lights came on. It was in a room that was a recent addition to a house, so I suppose the wiring and voltage are suspect. I had used it on a gig with no problems just a couple of weeks ago... haven't plugged it back in at my house to see if it comes back up yet. Bandleader had a little guitar amp that we ran through my speaker only to finish the rehearsal, even usung the little speaker cable from my amp, so 100% certain it's the head.

I even sent it in to the factory a few months back for a shutdown issue (it's over a year old, but I talked them into it since it's a known issue), and even leaving it in their test room overnight running a signal through it, they couldn't reproduce the problem so they sent it back unmodified but working properly.

Not happy... all points to the "reliability" question about these things. Just can't count on it for a gig any more. Darn, I really like it (when it works)...

What's the "reliability" line on the BX1500 (NOT the older B1500) and B2000 amps -- are they plagued by this same issue?

 

[FunkHead]

If it's not already too late, could you check to see if it's the same fan in the BX1500?

Thanks.

I made the call to Tech support. Carvin only sells one fan. They did not offer any advice or suggestions for upgrading. I know there are Computer fans that Might fit & work. They may need some mod's to the connector.

 

[dug dog]

Thanks.

 

[MarTONEbass]

I have my BX-500 in an old PB-200 cab with a 4ohm Carvin Eminence 500W speaker. Two nights ago at a rehearsal it trailed off volume and then quit altogether... even swiching it off and back on did not bring it back even though the lights came on. It was in a room that was a recent addition to a house, so I suppose the wiring and voltage are suspect. I had used it on a gig with no problems just a couple of weeks ago... haven't plugged it back in at my house to see if it comes back up yet. Bandleader had a little guitar amp that we ran through my speaker only to finish the rehearsal, even usung the little speaker cable from my amp, so 100% certain it's the head.

I even sent it in to the factory a few months back for a shutdown issue (it's over a year old, but I talked them into it since it's a known issue), and even leaving it in their test room overnight running a signal through it, they couldn't reproduce the problem so they sent it back unmodified but working properly.

Not happy... all points to the "reliability" question about these things. Just can't count on it for a gig any more. Darn, I really like it (when it works)...

What's the "reliability" line on the BX1500 (NOT the older B1500) and B2000 amps -- are they plagued by this same issue?

I totally agree, they are fantastic little amps, but not being able to rely on them for consistent gigs is a bummer.

I am also curious if there are issues with the BX1500. Anyone have one>

I made the call to Tech support. Carvin only sells one fan. They did not offer any advice or suggestions for upgrading. I know there are Computer fans that Might fit & work. They may need some mod's to the connector.

That's too bad they only sell one fan. Thanks for looking into it, I appreciate it. I'd be happy to look for a new fan, but I have no idea about what to look for.

Couldn't the problem lie elsewhere and the fan is the only visible result? In other words, maybe the fan works properly, but it's the part that tells the fan to come on that is actually malfunctioning?

 

[FunkHead]

I totally agree, they are fantastic little amps, but not being able to rely on them for consistent gigs is a bummer.

I am also curious if there are issues with the BX1500. Anyone have one>



That's too bad they only sell one fan. Thanks for looking into it, I appreciate it. I'd be happy to look for a new fan, but I have no idea about what to look for.

Couldn't the problem lie elsewhere and the fan is the only visible result? In other words, maybe the fan works properly, but it's the part that tells the fan to come on that is actually malfunctioning?

I believe there have been reports on TB of a bad resistor causing fan issues.

 

[bass4worship]

I feel they really need to address all the problem the BX500 is having. Why do my old amps never let me down. I got a feeling they using cheap parts and that one of the problem. If it made in the USA let get it right. IMO

 

[DJ Bebop]

eil asked;
"What's the "reliability" line on the BX1500 (NOT the older B1500) and B2000 amps -- are they plagued by this same issue?"

I have one. I have had two issues with mine.

1) The cable thang, distortion one day at the house.
called service dept. while I was on the phone with them so they could hear it. Opened it up and in the process I found it was a cable, fixed it.

2) Power Issue at one club I played at. The whole band playing off of one power strip :O\
All of us were having power issues that night.