Is this a near death experience?

Only way to know for sure is to bring it in to a qualified amp technician for a diagnosis. So why don't you try that?

MM

 

i would agree in most cases but not this one because the bench charge for looking at it will cost about what the amp is worth on the used market. i'm usually against spending money needlessly, but in this case, i think it's a good idea. micro vr rocks, so if you have your heart set of it, by all means get it, but if you're a poor college student, there are plenty of inexpensive used amps out there that will do you very well for less money.

 

I'd check cables, and possibly if there's any input padding switch.

P.S. Thought this was a thread about getting shocked by amps that aren't properly grounded. What a relief.

 

From my experience... it's Behringer so yes...

My first amp was a BXL3000A, it lasted 10 practices then the speaker went. I chased down the cause and it was a 200w 4ohm speaker coupled to a 300w 4ohm head... in a sealed combo?!

Sent it back to the company I bought it from and got a free upgrade to a Marshall MB4210, which was flawless.

Just looked at the spec sheet for yours at it is a 180w 4 ohm head with a 120w 4 ohm speaker... why would they do this? Surely the speaker is receiving 60w more than it can handle?!

 

yeah,,that's what I thought too

 

Check instrument cable and battery if it's an active bass...then go shopping.

 

I haven't looked at the specs of this one but...
often you get "300W head"
then you find that is into 4ohm, and it may well be fitted with a 200W 8ohm in the combo. You sure the internal speaker is 4ohm?

edit: checked published specs, you're absolutely right... if that's not a printing mistake it seems pretty dumb

 

i doubt the behringer does 300W before clipping.

 

Behringer is notorious for quoting their power output at PEAK - not RMS

Therefore, it is a 150 watt amp running into a 200 watt speaker

 

Discounting the bench fee, you may not be able to get it repaired anyway. A friend and former bandmate of mine is the manager of a small chain of music stores in North Carolina called The Music Center, Inc. I heard him tell a customer that they will not take in a Behringer amp for repairs because they are of such poor quality, they are not fixable. Just passing along what I heard him tell a customer one day. I'd put the money in something better.

 

This is god's way of hinting that you need a new amp. There will come a time when he says, "SEEEEEEEEE?" You'll know when he lets the smoke out of your B-word amp.

 

Were you playing in a different room then usual? The size of the room does effect the ear's perception on volume of the amp. If you're used to playing in a small room (dorm for instance) and then you play the same amp in a larger room, it won't sound as loud and full. This is due to the amount of sound bouncing off the walls and into your ears.

If you're playing in the same room and notice a volume drop, your amp may be fried, or on it's way there. Cheap internal power supplies (common in cheap amps) will weaken and fail over time. It's due to the lack of quality components and craftsmanship of the amp.

If you can afford it, bite the bullet and spend the cash on something that won't fail over time. I've played my SWR SM-500 head for 10 years now and it still performs like new. Take care of it (routinely clean the dust out) and a quality piece of gear will last a life time.

 

This is a fact.

It would. I've had mine for a few months now and I can say that it's loud enough to compete with all but the craziest of drummers. You definately won't be begging for volume in a jazz gig.


Edit: Full disclosure - I find the amp's fan to be a bit loud at my practice volume.

 

a lot of things that sell at low price points are designed with ease of manufacture in mind and ease of repair is tossed on the back burner.....ergo not repairing them is best......i don't know about your particular stuff but it's a good rule of thumb thing to remember......