I am buying a Traynor SB500H and I’m used to the Classic solid state amps, weight differences aside, how do you think I will feel about a class D amp? Some people say the power just isn’t there or something is missing, others say they are amazing. It seems that a lot of people that are blown away with Class D amplifiers are younger people that have never really used solid state or tube amps, opinions? Also I like to run my analog pedals directly to the front input of the head, does a class D amp react or sound differently with pedals than I should expect from solid state? Thanks in advance.
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Class D amps vs traditional amps
- Thread starter Miketron75
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Roland GR 88
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Just close your eyes and treat it like a bass amp.
The differences that might come up in conversation - like here - are just as subjective as the differences you may or may not find between brands, models within a brand and models from year to year.
Good to argue about but that’s about it.
The differences that might come up in conversation - like here - are just as subjective as the differences you may or may not find between brands, models within a brand and models from year to year.
Good to argue about but that’s about it.
Tell us what you think after you receive your Traynor.
Good choice, in my opinion.
Good choice, in my opinion.
Search for "heft" and "slam" and you will find many threads about it. I've not been wowed by the class D amps I've tried, to me they sound and feel compressed. That might be useful, but I prefer the way a Trace Elliot or a GK RB series head just slaps you silly when cranked.
I do like the TE Elf - still a little compressed sounding when turned up but it puts out a lot of power for it's size.
Raz
I do like the TE Elf - still a little compressed sounding when turned up but it puts out a lot of power for it's size.
Raz
- Feb 12, 2006
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Just play bass and don't worry what class the amp is or what color it is.
I own several tube amps and conventional solid-state amps (and owned an SVT in the 1970s), but my all-time favorite is my class D Peavey Headliner amp. Just use a high-quality speaker cabinet.
I’ve got a bunch of really high-end cabinets including the matching Traynor neo cabs, It will be hard to beat my old school Yorkville solid-state amp so, we shall see.
I've been playing for well over 50 years now, and have owned way more than my share of solidstate (SS) and tube amps. These days, I only have a couple of Class D amps, which are, BTW, SS amps.
Hope this helps.
How so?
Respectfully disagree. Color definitely matters… more than class anyway.
Color is something even the most clueless bandmates and audiences can discern and reasonably opine on, and the color may or may not be suitable for your style. Can’t credibly say that about amp class.
To clarify, after playing for 35 years I’ve played through just about everything, toured professionally worldwide in the early 2000s for about 10 years, class d amplifiers were just coming around at that time and to this day I have yet to be overly impressed other than by the fact that they are weightless lol, I have high hopes for this class D amp I ordered but time will tell
Class D is solid state.
I have had tube rigs, played through plenty of older solid state rigs, etc, and class D amps are great. Lightweight and high power. They will take your pedals fine. It's like anything else, certain amps you'll like and certain amps you won't, regardless of them being class D. I've played through class D that I did not like, and currently use a Mesa that is fantastic. You will just have to see if you like your Traynor, but as far as functionality goes, you have nothing to worry about.
I have had tube rigs, played through plenty of older solid state rigs, etc, and class D amps are great. Lightweight and high power. They will take your pedals fine. It's like anything else, certain amps you'll like and certain amps you won't, regardless of them being class D. I've played through class D that I did not like, and currently use a Mesa that is fantastic. You will just have to see if you like your Traynor, but as far as functionality goes, you have nothing to worry about.
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I actually did that which is common sense, when class D amps first came out, and I thought they sucked. TC electronics, and Mark bass in my opinion we’re just lame when compared to traditional amps of the time. That was about 15 years ago so I’m hoping they have improved since then
Did the LP type of playback media improve any since the first wax cylinders came to market?
MDBass
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@agedhorse it's one of the most respected amp builders in the world, and likely designed a few of the amps you've toured in the last 20 years.
He's also right: what class of power section an amp has tells you nothing about how a bass amp sounds in 2021.
It's not 2006 anymore.
To that end, I was an Aguilar artist for a number of years and the Bergantino Forte HP that I'm currently using is a head and shoulders better amplifier than the highly venerated DB750.
Not because the DB750 isn't a great amp, or because the HP is a class D amp: the HP is simply a better designed piece of equipment.
That's all that matters, the complete design of the entire amp, not what class of power section it has.
No actually .Did the LP improve any since the first wax cylinders came to market?
And then at the end of the night put the amp in a little case along with all of your other gear and carry it all out in one trip. And be happy.
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