GK Legacy 1200

[Wasnex]

To be fair, every seller that has them has photos, including photos of the back of the amp, which has all the info on it.
Even the GK website has the same photos.

Silly me expecting the manufacturer to publish specs. Here's a couple of images.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
This suggests a two channel output section with possibly some sort of impedance sensing rather than parallel outputs. It makes me wonder if you can you run one 2 ohm load to channel 1 for 1,200W? Probably a good idea to get the correct answer.

My guess is it has to Legacy 800 output modules setup to run 400 watts at 8 ohms or 800 watts at 4 ohms. The power supply then limits the total output to 1,200 Watts when both modules are used...but this is just a guess, until GK publishes the manual.

Here's the back of a Legacy 800. Note Parallel outputs and impedance switching, which is different than the 1200.

 

[adam on bass]

If you aren’t getting enough volume at 800w, try some EQ shift. I have my 1200 and a 410 4ohm Neo coming and that’ll be plenty. If I need more I’ll grab another cab to move some more air.

 

[Wasnex]

Nah you don't want another cabinet. Right now each speaker is getting 200W. If you add another 4x12, each one will only get 150W. The fact that you're adding more speakers is totally irrelevant and definitely has no impact on how loud your overall rig is...ok, I can't even type that with a straight face.

Look, getting the maximum wattage out of your amp just flat out doesn't matter. Doubling the power gets you 3dB louder turned all the way up. It takes 10dB to sound twice as loud. The 1.5dB you're going to get is barely perceptable, and you're not even getting that benefit unless you turn the amp all the way up. We typically do that with a PA system nowadays rather than needing to have a stage rig that can carry the venue.

You missing an important fact. More speakers operate more efficiently due to mutual coupling. If you hold the total power constant and add a second speaker you get +3dB across the range of frequency where mutual coupling occurs. If you can hold the voltage constant and double the total power, you get +6db from mutual coupling. The decibel difference between 1,200 and 800 watts is 1.79 dB per the rapid tables calculator. A second matching cab will get you an additional +4.75dB in the low end.

 

[giacomobass]

I'd stick with a single 4ohm cab. 800 Watts is plenty of power and not too much for a 1200 rated cab, as long as you don't play very loud. Always a good idea to leave some "headroom" to the cabinet(s).

 

[Wasnex]

That was my whole point of this post...
Trying to get a work around to connect to my Neo 412 w/only 1 Speakon connection..gheesh

Your cab is rated at 1200W but that is the thermal rating. I would be surprised if it can take 1200W from 100hz below its f3, which is 51hz. Also once you hit a cab with that much wattage you start getting into power compression, so a larger proportion of the power is turned into heat than sound.

 

[bass1107]

I have been a GK fan and long time user. Excellent gear and super dependable. Having said that, I'm disappointed that they advertise 500, 800, and 1200 watts when it is two 600 watt amps that are not bridgeable. Bergantino Forte HP 1200 is the real deal and that's where my next purchase will be.

 

[somebrains]

If I had a gopher problem then I'd want the same rig as the OP.

 

[ctmullins]

I have been a GK fan and long time user. Excellent gear and super dependable. Having said that, I'm disappointed that they advertise 500, 800, and 1200 watts when it is two 600 watt amps that are not bridgeable. Bergantino Forte HP 1200 is the real deal and that's where my next purchase will be.

Are you also disappointed with lamps that use two 60 watt bulbs, instead of a single 120 watt bulb?

 

[Wasnex]

I have been a GK fan and long time user. Excellent gear and super dependable. Having said that, I'm disappointed that they advertise 500, 800, and 1200 watts when it is two 600 watt amps that are not bridgeable. Bergantino Forte HP 1200 is the real deal and that's where my next purchase will be.

I understand your gripe, but I suspect the way GK did it will be a bit more reliable than a bridged amp would be. Plus I suspect they just used a pair of 800W output modules so they did not have to develop a 1200W amp. This would help keep the cost lower.

IMHO, Not many cabs really benefit from being fed more the 600W, but there are a few.

 

[arbiterusa]

Are you also disappointed with lamps that use two 60 watt bulbs, instead of a single 120 watt bulb?

You should be. You'll get less light from the 2 60s than the 120.

60 watt bulb = 800 lumens. 2 of those is 1600 lumens.
120 watt bulb - extrapolated from the ratings for 100 and 150 watt bulbs, as no one makes a 120 = approx 2100 lumens.

full disclosure:

100 watt bulb = 1600 lumens
150 watt bulb = 2600 lumens

add and divide by 2 = 125 watt bulb, 2100 lumens.

All figures taken from Learn About Brightness

Lumen is to light what db is to sound.

 

[Wasnex]

Lumen is to light what db is to sound.

Not 100%. I suggest doing the dB work up with two identical speakers getting 600W each versus one of the speakers getting 1200W. Then factor in a few dB of loss due to power compression for the 1200W rig.

 

[wave rider]

New GK 800 Legacy!

@rag made a great post on another thread about the rationale behind the 500 model. Be wonderful if he can post about the rationale for the 1200 to clear up any misconceptions.

 

[S-Bigbottom]

To all who stated “Isn’t 800W loud enough?”...I already own the mb800 fusion...just wanted to try something with a little more...

That was my whole point of this post...
Trying to get a work around to connect to my Neo 412 w/only 1 Speakon connection..gheesh

Sounds like this is the wrong product for what you want. Cancel your order before it ships to you and get something that does what you want.

 

[Joebone]

These gk Legacy amps look interesting. But here's my situation: two 4-ohm cabinets, and I RARELY need both of them. So amp load into 1 4-ohm cabinet is important to me...and 800 watts is too much, I think, for a cabinet rated at 500 watts. My Mesa Subway 800+ has a neat feature - by setting the impedance switch to 2 ohm, I am putting 600 watts into a 4-ohm cabinet rather than the full 800 watts, which is a very comfortable power/power-handling ratio for me. Wondering if the gk Legacy 800 can be tricked into doing something similar, based on impedance switch positions. But the Legacy 1200 does not look like any workarounds are available....

 

[41willys]

Sounds like this is the wrong product for what you want. Cancel your order before it ships to you and get something that does what you want.

It’s sitting upstairs...

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Now what?
Just purchased GK Legacy 1200 to pair w/my Neo 412. Was hoping to actually get 1200w out of this rig but
Looks like that won’t happen.
Amp Channel 1 output is 800w @ 4ohms...
Neo is 1200w @ 4ohms.
No way to split the Neo 412 to accept Channel 2 from the amp...
Any ideas? Thank you

Wow, that’s a lot of dbs with 800 watts in a 4-12 cab. You could go into the demolition business knocking down walls with the full 1,200 watts.... LOL!

 

[Jehos]

You missing an important fact. More speakers operate more efficiently due to mutual coupling. If you hold the total power constant and add a second speaker you get +3dB across the range of frequency where mutual coupling occurs. If you can hold the voltage constant and double the total power, you get +6db from mutual coupling. The decibel difference between 1,200 and 800 watts is 1.79 dB per the rapid tables calculator. A second matching cab will get you an additional +4.75dB in the low end.

I get the feeling you didn't read my whole post.

 

[Wasnex]

I get the feeling you didn't read my whole post.

Actually I did read your entire post. I responded because what you wrote is incorrect. I will restate in non-technical language: Even though the individual speakers will get slightly less power, because there are twice as many speakers, the rig can play noticeably louder .

 

[Jehos]

Actually I did read your entire post. I responded because what you wrote is incorrect. I will restate in non-technical language: Even though the individual speakers will get slightly less power, because there are twice as many speakers, the rig can play noticeably louder .

LOL, I know that. The point of my post is that I was being intentionally wrong in the spirit of being silly. I must not have been clear enough about that, sorry.

I'm aware that 300W into 16x10 is going to blow your head off in a way that 1200W into 4x10 won't.

 

[ctmullins]

300W into 16x10

This is where I want to end up one day soon!!