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Crest CA9 Lovers speak up.

#22
Have used my CA6 as a stage monitor amp, PA sub amp, bass amp, and BBQ party amp.

Regardless of the weight - the thing just sounds and works too damn good to consider replacing it with anything else, period. When I'm filthy stinking rich, and too old and weak to move I just may buy some modern lightweight super amp for a bazillion dollars but I think I'll be dead before that happens anyway.
 
#23
honestly,

the only reason i'd use a ca9 is if i was using at least 2 4x10 cabs... anything smaller feels like overkill for the weight and carry.

but if you're willing, IME, the ca9 is the best power amp you can buy. power, headroom, heft, punch, its all there.

the only other squirrel killer i'd bother with would be a crown k2.
 
#25
The light weight class 'D' or digital power units, when it comes to use for a bass guitar, JUST DON"T MAKE IT! I tried several. Sold them all. It takes a heavy transformer to make the cows come home. There IS no substitute!
 
#26
The CA6, CA9, PLX2402 (and up) sound identical to my picky ears when gain matched, and any of them can make a great bass rig when matched with a preamp of appropriate gain and a cabinet that can handle their power.

If the gains are off by even a TINY margin when A/Bing, they will sound very different. I was really surprised by this, but the gain matched testing opened my mind a lot.
 
#27
The CA Series (after the first couple years of production) are great amps, though not quite as brawny as the Crest Professional Series amps. They were intended as sort of a semi-pro amp (i.e., something that would appeal to DJs), so they have a lot more gain than the Professional Series or many other amp models have.

+1 on what pickles said.
 
#28
pickles said:
The CA6, CA9, PLX2402 (and up) sound identical to my picky ears when gain matched, and any of them can make a great bass rig when matched with a preamp of appropriate gain and a cabinet that can handle their power.

If the gains are off by even a TINY margin when A/Bing, they will sound very different. I was really surprised by this, but the gain matched testing opened my mind a lot.
Click to expand...

Matches my experience exactly.
 
#30
I have one. It's massive in tone and weight. I use it to run a GS412. One side (900 watts) is good. Bridged (2000 watts) is overkill. I can run out PA sub with the other side. That said I've been considering selling it because my garage is overstuffed and my back has issues (I'm also considering selling the GS412 and some other things for the same reasons). The thing is, I haven't found anything that sounds as good that isn't heavy! I'm coming to the conclusion that lower weight is a compromise. It's just a matter of how valuable portability is to you.
 
#31
pickles said:
The CA6, CA9, PLX2402 (and up) sound identical to my picky ears when gain matched, and any of them can make a great bass rig when matched with a preamp of appropriate gain and a cabinet that can handle their power.

If the gains are off by even a TINY margin when A/Bing, they will sound very different. I was really surprised by this, but the gain matched testing opened my mind a lot.
Click to expand...

Pretty much my experience, but if others want to haul way more bulk and are convinced by that, that it works sonically more to their liking - or for some odd reason can arrive at decent gain structuring with some amps but not others - I'm all for letting them.
 
#32
The CA9 in particular is voiced to have a heavy bass response.

As was mentioned, the CA9 does have more gain than most power amps out of the box, however, there are dip switches inside to change the gain to a more conventional level or even lower if you desire.

The voicing and higher gain make it sound louder when compared to some other power amps.

BTW...67lbs is probably what it really weighs.

Something to be aware of...these things are long! It will probably stick out of a lot of rack cases.
 
#34
To repeat what others have said: the only thing I don't like about the CA9 is the weight. Once I get my Stewart World 2.1 repaired I will probably go back to that, but in the meantime the CA9 just kills: one channel is enough even at big outdoor gigs where I don't get PA support. The Crest seems louder than the Stewart, but that is almost certainly because it is more powerful. I run my CA9 into a Berg NV610.


l_54a058db2a51dc5eb3d1c8e49a00502c.png
 
#35
I'll bite. I have to say that a PLX3002 didn't offer me the same oomph and low end Chutzpah that the CA9 did at similar volume levels. If there's data saying otherwise I'm not into defending my perception, but it seemed clear as day to me.

Maybe I'm crazy.. Could well be
 
#36
I have never tried the CA9...but I did own a CA4 and it was my favorite power amp I've ever owned. I've had a Peavey DPC750, DPC 1000, and a Crown XLS802 and the CA4 had the punch everyone is talking about. I used it with an ADA MB-1 or a Trace Elliot V-Type pre into an Eden 410XST...best sounding rig I ever had.
 
#38
I can certainly understand the concept of Gain Matching.

To be honest though I believe my Ears can pretty much do this. First I've been playing for 35 years so I have a little time around obsessing over gear and second my ears can tell when I have gotten the amount of low end Torque I need. I do not need to get out my DVM to figure out weather I can pump it up enough to compete with two Marshall stacks.

Honestly some of you guys need to come up with different wording or something. I have read all the CA9 threads and some of these answers have become too Pat.:p

Anyway take the CA9 out of the Equation.

I have been using the Yamaha P5000S and have tried a number of different levels on the Master of my Preamp verses Poweramp. I can set the input Level to my Poweramp wide open and turn my Master no more than half way and it's cranked. Kathump. The problem is with the Yamaha I am hitting the cieling with Low End Torque and if I push it too hard I clip the Amp and it dont like it.

So I did a test.

I hooked up my QSC RMX2450 in my rig to see what it would do. The Yamaha is rated at 2600 watts bridged mono so supposedly has a little more arse than the QSC.

Results.

OMG you would not believe how much Torque the QSC has over the Yamaha. I'm even lighting up the Clip Lights on it occasionally but none of that high pitched slap that ocurs with the Yamaha.

Both Amps are good but the QSC (Lead Sled) just has so much more in the Low End and for some reason is Tighter or not getting as loose and out of hand when my Rig is pushed really Hard.

At this point until someone can proove me otherwise I'm believing the Lead Sled Theory. This dang ol heavy arse Amp has way more authority than the lightweight Amp in the same Class. :bassist:

Off to Craigslist goes the Yamaha.
 
#40
Bob Lee (QSC) said:
Here is why your ears don't do gain matching:

Invalid Link Removed

The "Lead Sled" theory isn't even a hypothesis.
Click to expand...


I think your not getting what I'm saying Bob. My Preamp with either Amp I have used is capable of getting a low or high enough output to drive either amp. I am taking the Amp up to the Red Planet db Level. I know when I'm there and what I am experiencing is not a Gain Mismatch.

If that were the case I could simply turn the Yamaha setup down, either at the Amp or the master and crank the other to get what I'm getting out of the QSC and I would not then be asking the Amp to do more than it can.

So far I have tried moving the Levels of the Yamaha/Preamp setup in every Level Combination you can think of but it will not do what the QSC will.

It's not an issue of Gain Matching, it is one of that RMX has more arse than the other.

Not going to spend nine pages arguing though. Just stated what I observed. Ner do I ever need a Graph to Play. :D
 

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