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JGR's 1200 watt micro - let the madness begin!!!!!

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#321
How's this for janky? Got the 720 Hz mid taped up top and the new power tranny rolling around loose on the side. Don't try this at home! Love the additional mid now that I have it in - kids, we're going five band. Do not be afraid, when in doubt, just keep them all at noon and all will be well. Did some more minor gain stage voicing tweaks to put some character in the right places. I will confirm at high volume tomorrow, but I think it's time to move on to the more tedious and mundane task of rebuilding this thing in the new case for a final prototype.

ImageUploadedByTalkBass1409548694.982883.jpg
 
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#322
Hey, if you need a beta-tester (not kidding), I have a cab in the pipeline that I think will be a good match for this. Just duct-tape the transformer down thoroughly before sending. ;)
 
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#324
JGR said:
How's this for janky? Got the 720 Hz mid taped up top and the new power tranny rolling around loose on the side. Don't try this at home! Love the additional mid now that I have it in - kids, we're going five band. Do not be afraid, when in doubt, just keep them all at noon and all will be well. Did some more minor gain stage voicing tweaks to put some character in the right places. I will confirm at high volume tomorrow, but I think it's time to move on to the more tedious and mundane task of rebuilding this thing in the new case for a final prototype.

View attachment 471916
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Love it...lol You should leave to mid control right where it is and just label it "secret weapon knob" :)
 
#326
Uploading another video with the five band EQ - it translates OK in the video, but the EQ sounds much more powerful in the room. Playing loud through my 15/8 "rock" cabs, camera is clipping on transients. Used a USA Schecter PJ, alder body, ebony board, badass bridge, passive SD hot pickups, DR Low Riders 50-110, Eb.

It's interesting with the 720Hz and 1.6kHz mids - they sound similar in some ways since the high-mid covers the harmonic/overtone range of the mid-mid, but the 720Hz has "body" while the 1.6kHz has the "bite". They work really well together, and there's a lot of crucial information in these ranges.

 
#332
I'm used to an SVT. Couple of questions:

When you want to will this amp deliver that low end thump that makes the place shake?

And: at 1200 watts is this amp noticeably louder than the 300 watt SVT?

Not trying to nor want to get into the whole "tube watts vs solid state watts" discussion .. that kills me and has been beat to death elsewhere.

I'm just asking the question as one of the micro-uninitiated: seriously, this tiny thing, at 1200 watts, should noticeably push past the SVT .. is that right? Even when demanding plenty of low end?

Again, my questions are rooted in the ignorance of not ever really being around one of these micros yet, and having not seen one perform.

Love the way it sounds in the clips, though!
 
#333
ICE power module makes it happen. My understanding is that a guy developed it in his PhD studies and Bang & Olefson either hired the guy, or helped fund the desearch, and hence license the design. Class D + ICE is a whole new animal.
 
#334
kd5uwl said:
I'm used to an SVT. Couple of questions:

When you want to will this amp deliver that low end thump that makes the place shake?

And: at 1200 watts is this amp noticeably louder than the 300 watt SVT?

Not trying to nor want to get into the whole "tube watts vs solid state watts" discussion .. that kills me and has been beat to death elsewhere.

I'm just asking the question as one of the micro-uninitiated: seriously, this tiny thing, at 1200 watts, should noticeably push past the SVT .. is that right? Even when demanding plenty of low end?

Again, my questions are rooted in the ignorance of not ever really being around one of these micros yet, and having not seen one perform.

Love the way it sounds in the clips, though!
Click to expand...

This is the first digital power module that has caused me to change my mind about powerful, visceral low end. I've had the Puma 900 and the Demeter VTB-800. That's the 800 watt Ice module. Very cool for what it does but I was always wanting more low end slam and headroom. I'd always say--"digital amps are nice but you'll never get the slam of a good class A/B amp." Well this power module has changed my mind. I think you'd see a lot more low end power with this amp. It'll drive the crap out of an SVT---but also give you more low end extension than with the tube amp. My speakers love all tube amps as does the SVT bottom. But I can notice the extra tightness, power and extension that the 1200 watt module gives. Coupled with what I consider the best all tube pre out there---and 5 bands of eq------life doesn't get much better.
 
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#336
smeet said:
So would this amp sound significantly different from the preamp fed into a high powered class D power amp like a Crest Pro-Lite?
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Nope - I've fed it into my QSC PLX3602 (which isn't class D), and is one of the best power amps you can buy (without going crazy expensive) and I don't notice any difference. Assuming you are feeding a decent amp (there is some modern junk out there), any perceived differences are more likely to be from other things such as the amp's input sensitivity/impedance.
 
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#337
kd5uwl said:
I'm used to an SVT. Couple of questions:

When you want to will this amp deliver that low end thump that makes the place shake?

And: at 1200 watts is this amp noticeably louder than the 300 watt SVT?

Not trying to nor want to get into the whole "tube watts vs solid state watts" discussion .. that kills me and has been beat to death elsewhere.

I'm just asking the question as one of the micro-uninitiated: seriously, this tiny thing, at 1200 watts, should noticeably push past the SVT .. is that right? Even when demanding plenty of low end?

Again, my questions are rooted in the ignorance of not ever really being around one of these micros yet, and having not seen one perform.

Love the way it sounds in the clips, though!
Click to expand...

Yup, easily. With a much bigger, cleaner low end (if you want that).

For reference, I've owned two CLs, a Heritage, and a VR (not to mention a pair of DB728's).

It's as loud/louder than any standalone amp I've owned or played through (see my profile for a list). You get diminishing returns as you move up in power, but it's the headroom that is key for effortless slam. This is a mono module running as designed, and it is capable of powering another 1000 or two 500 watt hanger modules, so it cruises along pretty easily by itself. The next level up is running big rack power amps (which is what I've been doing for a while now with a CA9 and now the PLX). I like to run them bridged, but you have to be careful. This gets it done for me, and I like to play really loud. Would I like more power - of course - do I really need it - no. :/
 
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#338
Bob Carver (whatever you may think of him) was relentless in evalengizing the world to the benefits to huge amounts of headroom. His designs were often compromized and practically ruined by the marketing and purchasing guys as his companies grew too large to control, but he was certainly not afraid to try something the others were not doing.

Regarding tube amps and low end, they have a sound quality all their own. Some like it, some do not. But the Qts parameter of the driver and how well the speaker designer implements that into the cabs cabs design will have a bigger impact (or greater failing) with a tube amp, as they have lousy damping capability in the low end and a choice of an inappropriate or poor cab will have the woofer flapping in the breeze like old ladies arms while they shout bingo at the parish center.
 
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#339
JGR said:
Nope - I've fed it into my QSC PLX3602 (which isn't class D), and is one of the best power amps you can buy (without going crazy expensive) and I don't notice any difference. Assuming you are feeding a decent amp (there is some modern junk out there), any perceived differences are more likely to be from other things such as the amp's input sensitivity/impedance.
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The Pro-Lite line is class D and is Crest's "budget pro" line. With all the comments of "I've never heard a class D amp with real weight to the notes before", I'm wondering if that comes into play for the Crest also. Does anybody have experience with PLX vs. Pro-Lite?

I'm not derailing, honest! I'm really interested in this amp, but wondering if I could get by with just the preamp section (if such a thing was to be made).
 
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