I am considering getting one of the lightweight heads. I currently use an ampeg pro 4 and I really like it, but I am sick of carrying it to gigs. I messed up my back a few years ago and to pick that up with a road case on top of my stack isn't fun. ha ha I have a gk 410 cab and gk 115 cab. Will any of these lighter weight heads compare to the ampeg pro 4? I mostly play heavy music and the band plays pretty loud.
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Class D Amps?
- Thread starter bayondai
- Start date
I actually think the PF-800 sounds "more tube-y" than the 4 Pro. Would be a logical move for you. Which cabs are you using?
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
You aren't going to duplicate the sound, but plenty of these heads have power and good sound, and several have tube pre-amps. My Carvin BX-500 won't duplicate the sound of my Trace Elliot rig, but I like the sound, and at 2am, I am a happy man. It has plenty of power, and goes down to 2 ohms.
The more I think about it.. I think the cabs are 4 ohms each.
I have been reading about the genz benz streamlines 900, the genz benz shuttlemax 12.2, euphonic audio I Amp pro, etc... I have never heard any of them, but people seem to like them. Any thoughts on any of these? I was also looking at the warwick lwa 1000 but that can only be used with one cabinet?
I have been reading about the genz benz streamlines 900, the genz benz shuttlemax 12.2, euphonic audio I Amp pro, etc... I have never heard any of them, but people seem to like them. Any thoughts on any of these? I was also looking at the warwick lwa 1000 but that can only be used with one cabinet?
If your cabs are 4 Ohms, then you either need a 2 Ohm stable amp, or an amp with dual power sections like the Genz SM 12.2.
Might look in to the Carvin B1000.
Bayondai,
You may be a little late to the Genz Benz party as they've been absorbed by Fender. That said there should still be some new ones out there, and certainly used, you just can't go to a store and try them out like you used to be able to. Tubey-sounding class D amps would include GK (fusion series with a tube pre-amp), Aguilar (Tonehammer 500), Mark Bass and of course, Ampeg as previously suggested. Good luck.
You may be a little late to the Genz Benz party as they've been absorbed by Fender. That said there should still be some new ones out there, and certainly used, you just can't go to a store and try them out like you used to be able to. Tubey-sounding class D amps would include GK (fusion series with a tube pre-amp), Aguilar (Tonehammer 500), Mark Bass and of course, Ampeg as previously suggested. Good luck.
Figure out the impedance of your cabs first. That will give you better direction on which amps will work for you.
Vertical-stacked 2x10s or 2x12s might actually yield better results...and less back injury. Something to consider. Plenty of great 4x10s cabs out there, but I prefer mine in a vertical array for better dispersion, also looks better with the micro heads since they fit on the side of the cab much better 
I'm fortunate enough to have 2 rigs, both using class D amps (Carvin BX1500 and a Carvin BX500). The BX1500 I use with some SanAmp pres (RPM-->TVRM-->RBI) in the effects loop with a Berg NV610, and the other rig is the CarvinBX500 with a DarkGlass B7K and SansAmp BDDI feeding a GK Neo212. Both amps sound really good, OK, the Berg sounds freakin' great, and while the Carvin's don't have any tubeyness to them, the preamps and pedals make up for that. I do play metal (mostly 80's/90's stuff: Maiden, Sabbath, Rush, etc) and have no problem cutting through
I've yet to play an amp that duplicates what the 4 Pro does, regardless of how they're made. But it does seem that traditional SS and hybrid amps hit a closer mark. That said, my PF800 certainly does not hurt my feelings to use 
I know it's already been said that the tone won't be the same, but there's something else about Class D that takes some getting used to.
I'm not really sure how to put it in technical terms, but having owned 3 different Class-D amps (Markbass, Genz Benz, and Eden) I've noticed that they don't "hit" as hard. They're loud, sure... but it's not the same as an equal wattage Class-AB amp.
Anyone else feel that way too?
I'm not really sure how to put it in technical terms, but having owned 3 different Class-D amps (Markbass, Genz Benz, and Eden) I've noticed that they don't "hit" as hard. They're loud, sure... but it's not the same as an equal wattage Class-AB amp.
Anyone else feel that way too?
I do too, but I always get my head bitten off if I say something, so proceed at your own risk.
I will say, though, that the higher power micros do seem to hit harder than lower power micros, which I think is due to headroom being more of a factor in their performance, but while I use micros sometimes and I like them very much, I do agree.
I will say, though, that the higher power micros do seem to hit harder than lower power micros, which I think is due to headroom being more of a factor in their performance, but while I use micros sometimes and I like them very much, I do agree.
I've had success with class D amps in combination with an art tube mp. (obviously adding a reddi would sound even better). I think it rounds it out any issues.
I have been enjoying the Epifani Piccolo I bought in December. Replaced an older Ampeg amp with tube pre and class D amp. Epifani is like 8 lbs. And cute. Cute sounds better. Right?
