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Crown Poweramps - Overrated?

#41
::::BASSIST:::: said:
Carvin makes great lightweight, powerful poweramps that are reasonably priced. Might want to check those out.
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I love my Carvin 1540. You guys are probably sick of hearing about how I only use that and my VT Deluxe with a compressor in front and an EQ in the FX loop of the VTD, but I haven't amp GAS since I dumped my GK (after dumping my Trace, after dumping a previous GK after dumping a Fender after dumping a Peavey) and just using the VT and a power amp.

Lately my GAS has been focused on finding the best Octave pedal. I have Micro POG arriving tomorrow. We'll see if it acts likes Beano or not. :ninja:
 
#44
rbonner said:
Do you have a manual for your amplifier?
Do you know what Mono-Bridged or Bridged or Bridged Mode means?

These are pretty basic terms, it means taking the two amplifiers inside the unit and "Hooking" them together so the two amplifiers make one twice as big larger amp.

Seriously you're going to need to read up on this in the manual as nobody is going to write a manual here on this thread for you.

1. You wire a speaker cable that goes between the amp and the cab that is wired as a bridge cable. This takes different pin outs on the amp end. See manual.

2. In the amp setup you select MONO-BRIDGED or whatever they call that mode on the Crowns. See manual for location.

BOB
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WOW!!!!!!!!!!!

You must be bored with all of that. I'm proud of you for trying though!
 
#45
JSK5String said:
I love my Carvin 1540. You guys are probably sick of hearing about how I only use that and my VT Deluxe with a compressor in front and an EQ in the FX loop of the VTD, but I haven't amp GAS since I dumped my GK (after dumping my Trace, after dumping a previous GK after dumping a Fender after dumping a Peavey) and just using the VT and a power amp.

Lately my GAS has been focused on finding the best Octave pedal. I have Micro POG arriving tomorrow. We'll see if it acts likes Beano or not. :ninja:
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I have NO trouble loving a Carvin. I had a 1000W amp, had one intermittent problem, they had it back in a week round trip! I like the VT bass also, sounds like you have a very cool rig sir! The Markbass compressore was my first choice, yours?
 
#46
I was reading the manual on line for the XLS 1000, and it said something to the effect of, not placing preamps directly above, or directly below the amp, due to the high density power field causing hums. Anybody have this problem ? I was going to use the amp in a 3 space rack , but now I'm not sure. Never saw this warning with any other power amp I've used.
 
#47
jnewmark said:
I was reading the manual on line for the XLS 1000, and it said something to the effect of, not placing preamps directly above, or directly below the amp, due to the high density power field causing hums. Anybody have this problem ? I was going to use the amp in a 3 space rack , but now I'm not sure. Never saw this warning with any other power amp I've used.
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Hey man...I have a hum problem when I used a 1/4" to XLR adapter. Once I took it off and used the 1/4" input on the Crown, the hum disappeared. But maybe the hum did come from having my Aguilar Tone Hammer on top of the Crown. but I still have It on top of my Crown and its completely silent.
 
#48
jnewmark said:
I was reading the manual on line for the XLS 1000, and it said something to the effect of, not placing preamps directly above, or directly below the amp, due to the high density power field causing hums. Anybody have this problem ? I was going to use the amp in a 3 space rack , but now I'm not sure. Never saw this warning with any other power amp I've used.
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My 2-space preamp sits right on top of my Crown XLS 1000 in a 4-space rack without any such issue or problem.
 
#49
I've been using an XLS 1500 Drivecore with my BBE BMAX preamp. I've been using the 1/4" output on the BMAX into my Crown, and I get plenty of output for my needs. Since the BMAX seems to like pumping out the low end, I'm running the Crown with a High Pass Filter at 50Hz. Oh, and I'm running this rig through a single 8 ohm LDS 15/6.5 cab.

I have my Crown in a 4-space rack along with an ART Pro Channel pre. I haven't been using the Pro Channel, but, when I did, the only time the hum was noticeable is when I got really close to the preamp with my bass.

Link Removed
 
#50
Any of the Three Kuhs - Crown, Crest, QSC - will serve you flawlessly for years. I've owned at least 4 of each brand over the years, and they are all top notch.

Just remember that each manufacturer has consumer models and pro models, and they are not equivalent in terms of design, manufacturing and cost. Consumer, prosumer and pro models will all do the job, so get what you can afford and that has the features you want.
 
#52
there's SO many lines now it makes your head spin. But the old big-transformered ones were amazing. And so heavy you couldn't believe it...like a block of solid lead. BRUTAL. Your hands were ****** for days after picking one up in a rack. Virtually unusable because of that (for bass players hauling their own gear).

Cheers,
Cameron
 
#53
jnewmark said:
Anybody else have a problem with not enough input to drive the XLS series? I have an old BBE 383 preamp that I was going to drive a new XLS 1000 with. I can't seem to find out what the output is or what the Crown would need. I usually have PA support and go out from my XLR to the board, and use the 1/4 output to drive a power amp from my BBE. The XLR is a DI so, no eq from that output. I used to use QSC power amps and never had the " not enough preamp signal " problem.
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A BBE 383 should have enough output to drive any pro amp (unless you have a particularly weak signal from your bass).

Regarding bridging: bridged mono does not require a four-conductor speaker cable, but typically only a two-conductor cable with a four-pole Speakon plug (i.e., an NL4FC type) wired to 1+ and 2+ at the amp end. (The speaker end of the cable only must be wired as the loudspeaker requires.)
 
#54
Bob Lee (QSC) said:
A BBE 383 should have enough output to drive any pro amp (unless you have a particularly weak signal from your bass).

Regarding bridging: bridged mono does not require a four-conductor speaker cable, but typically only a two-conductor cable with a four-pole Speakon plug (i.e., an NL4FC type) wired to 1+ and 2+ at the amp end. (The speaker end of the cable only must be wired as the loudspeaker requires.)
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Thanks, Bob. I finally got a reply from a tech at BBE who assured me the 383 would have enough and more.
 
#55
I was a Crown-certified tech, back with DC-300, DC-300A, etc. Got trained to work on the taper recorders too (betcha didn't know about them). Saw a proto of the original 600W amp, early prececessor to the macro-Tech stuff, at Crown.

Crown was always tough and reliable. Industrial.

Some new ones seem to have been weird, consumer-rated, don't do bridge without a special cord in the inputs, etc, etc. Other new ones aer more "professional", but none of them are really "industrial" any more. They are still good/tough, but not the "stupidly good/tough" that they once were.

The new may sound better than the old ones, which I never thought sounded as good as they should. Typical old-time solid-state blur......

Speakon and standards....

Yes there IS a standard....... it is in the Neutrik catalog, and probably still on the website.

We followed the standard at Ampeg, and got a lot of crap for it, too, when someone's off-the-wall idea of wiring didn't work

The standard way is that to allow both biamp and bridge, you put channel A on 1+ and 1-, channel 2 on 2+ and 2-, on one jack. You can have other jacks with one channel only on them, of course. Most folks have one combined jack, and a separate one for each of A and B as well, total 3 Speakon jacks.

For biamp, lower numbers = lower freq, so channel A (1+ 1-) would be lows, and B would be highs. Both ends the same.

For bridge, channel A is in-phase, B is "out of phase", so you wire the plug from 1+ to 2+ at the amp end. For full range, the speaker end is wired 1+ 1-.

Simple, and one plug works for both biamp or bridge.
 
#56
Wow, I used to work on Crown tape recorders as well. I liked them. I repaired the old DC series of amps for many studios. I agree with Jarrold's eval. of the sound.

They still have pro level gear. It isn't going to be had cheaply. Never was.
 
#57
Jerrold Tiers said:
................Got trained to work on the taper recorders too (betcha didn't know about them)....................
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i'll take that bet. i owned a couple of SS700's back in the day. i'd mix my 80-8 tracks down to them. they were frickin' awesome.

back in the 70's a bar/club on santa monica avenue used to have two of them running every night 8 hours straight, year after year, to play their loud 'house rock music' thru a JBL system and it sounded bitchen. those were the good ol' days. ;)
 
#58
Plstrns said:
I have NO trouble loving a Carvin. I had a 1000W amp, had one intermittent problem, they had it back in a week round trip! I like the VT bass also, sounds like you have a very cool rig sir! The Markbass compressore was my first choice, yours?
Click to expand...

I'm using a BBE Opto Stomp. I went with it because it was the most subtle and simplest one to dial in I found. There are probably better, but the BBE works for me.

I also just got a Micro POG that goes after the compressor. It replaced my EBS Octave pedal. I got it because it goes both up and down instead of just down. Used it at my first rehearsal tonight. The thing sounds just like the Schecter Studio 8 I used to have but sold because I didn't like switching basses in the middle of a set. That one's a keeper too!

Yes, I have a very cool rig. At least that what the boys in the band tell me. BTW I play Chromes on my P and I have a classic rock thumping machine! I just flipping love playing bass. :smug:
 
#59
I'll go along with that BBE. I've never used one, but after falling in love with the MB compressore I bought a SVT7-PRO. It's got a simple one knob compressor, but it was good enough for me.

I need a compressor. I play very heavy- as in digging in is what I call a slight touch. Too many years with too little amp!... I get a lot of compliments on my sound that I contribute to playing HARD. It's HARD on a budget too, I usually replace strings every show.
 

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