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Does more watts = more tone?

F

FooHead

Jan 27, 2005
204
3
Western Canada
#1
Ok, silly question time...

I realize having more watts makes you louder, but does it also improve your tone?

My rig is a Tech 21 Landmark 300 head (300 watts) with Bag End S15-D / S15D-X stack. It sounds good to me, but, if I added say a 500 watt power amp, would it make my rig more punchy? Would the low end sound tighter and more controlled? Would there be crisper more sparkly highs? Or would it just blow up my cabs?

Any insights are greatly appreciated!
 
#4
Well I'd suppose it'd depend on how many of those extra watts you actually use. Voicing, etc. aside, is a 500 watt amp going to sound any different than a 300 watt amp if you only run them both at 150 watts? You'll have more headroom, that's for sure, but personally I view headroom as what you're not using, and it's not valuable to my sound personally. This is how my 20 watt amp (tube) sounds:

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and cranked up good:

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You can be the judge, but if having few watts would make one sound weak and bad (the converse of more watts making you sound better) I'd figure I'd sound a lot worse. But that's me, I gig with the fewest watts of anyone I know.
 
#7
when i biamp(go mono) my SWR SM-900 it seems like i got more ooomph. but once in a while sounds like i may have heard a little pop/very loud snap sometimes through an Ampeg 8x10.....but i still keep it biamped.
 
#11
Mark Olson said:
You can be the judge, but if having few watts would make one sound weak and bad (the converse of more watts making you sound better) I'd figure I'd sound a lot worse. But that's me, I gig with the fewest watts of anyone I know.
Click to expand...
dang it...you've got me beat by 5w...well you just wait till the epiphone bass valve jr comes out, pal! then we'll see who gigs with less!
 
#12
Richard G said:
when i biamp(go mono) my SWR SM-900 it seems like i got more ooomph. but once in a while sounds like i may have heard a little pop/very loud snap sometimes through an Ampeg 8x10.....but i still keep it biamped.
Click to expand...
that's your speakers bottoming out. may want to back off it a little to avoid damaging them.
 
#14
Mark Olson said:
That's not a rhetorical question by the way, so someone can feel free to answer it.
Click to expand...

Well, If you play a signal generator you can set things to 150W.

If you play bass thru a hard knee limiter you can set a limit of 150W.

Your gear will see a wide dynamic range through playing style, and frequency. So, what is 150W? Thumb slapping the F#0, or picking the A1?

There is no substitute for displacement, and there is rarely such thing as too much power. Power is cheap nowdays, don't under do it. MHO
 
#15
JimmyM said:
that's your speakers bottoming out. may want to back off it a little to avoid damaging them.
Click to expand...

do you mean just take down the volume or roll off some bass...its the rehearsal places cabinet so im sure its been put through a lot worse, but when i run it in stereo i dont get that pop almost like a firecracker...im also switching out some knobs on the head thinking it may be a dirty knob that moves from the bass but i dont think thats it....maybe too much power running through that head at a impact/peak moment maybe...
 
#16
Richard G said:
do you mean just take down the volume or roll off some bass...its the rehearsal places cabinet so im sure its been put through a lot worse, but when i run it in stereo i dont get that pop almost like a firecracker...im also switching out some knobs on the head thinking it may be a dirty knob that moves from the bass but i dont think thats it....maybe too much power running through that head at a impact/peak moment maybe...
Click to expand...
it's not the knobs. it's either you're running too loud or you're running too much bass too loudly...can't tell without hearing you or at least knowing your settings. but that is definitely the speakers reaching their absolute limit before catastrophic failure.
 
#19
Plstrns said:
Well, If you play a signal generator you can set things to 150W.

If you play bass thru a hard knee limiter you can set a limit of 150W.

Your gear will see a wide dynamic range through playing style, and frequency. So, what is 150W? Thumb slapping the F#0, or picking the A1?

There is no substitute for displacement, and there is rarely such thing as too much power. Power is cheap nowdays, don't under do it. MHO
Click to expand...

Yes I understand that, but my point was that if you set both amps to put out a 150 watt spike with the same technique playing the same note on the same bass, voicing aside, is there going to be any difference? I'm inclined to believe not. So is available wattage above your largest peaks actually doing anything for you besides just being there in case you ever need it?

I know power is cheap, but good tone isn't. Don't tell me not to underdo it! I use my specific amp specifically so I can run it out of headroom, which would have been painfully obvious if you'd have taken the two seconds it takes to listen to the clips I posted.
 
#20
JimmyM said:
it's not the knobs. it's either you're running too loud or you're running too much bass too loudly...can't tell without hearing you or at least knowing your settings. but that is definitely the speakers reaching their absolute limit before catastrophic failure.
Click to expand...

yeah i think u kinda nailed it....too much power i guess is not a good thing...thanks man...u always got good advice much appreciation for that.......... i mostly use my markbass lm2 and never have a problem..but that markbass head through that ampeg is loud at low volume its still loud against 2 marshall half stacks i love that MB.
 

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