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Jule Amps Monique part 5

#1,322
MarkA said:
I've had instrument cables yanked out of amps by stray doofuses (doofii?), but never a power cable - and then I don't know that I'd prefer having the amp yanked from its perch to losing signal. There is something to be said, too, for having a readily available connector should you forget yours for some reason.

All that said, if Jule feels that there is even a small, positive difference either in the tone of the amp or its feel with a Powercon vs. a good IEC cable, then I'd prefer the Powercon. I'm not concerned about the cable coming loose, but if you're spending in the neighborhood of $2K on an amp (and sometimes tube rolling after that) to eke out every last iota of tone you can, it seems silly to me to compromise it for a power cable. (Jonathan, ditto for your amp.)

I'd carry a spare or have some other method of backup, but it would be worth it to me as long as there is a performance benefit, even if small. If nothing else, I'll pay more attention to which cable I take out now! I have some heavy ones, and some skinny 18 gauge.

Would the pre-only Monique ship with a Powercon for consistency/possible future amp installations?
Click to expand...

Still working this issue through. Have discovered that some of the heavier IEC cables (14g and 16g) do have very positive and large mating surfaces. Not as firmly in place as the PowerCon, but electrically good, and better than all those I first tested.

Received a couple of the IEC cables from Canada that can not be removed without pushing down the tab. They are nicely made. Good heavy wiring. The way they hold on to the IEC jack is that they have a metal edge that jams onto only the center ground tab (remember a Chinese finger puzzle - the harder you pull the more it grips?). That is a great way to keep the cable from being inadvertently pulled out, but it is only hanging onto that ground tab. Nothing else. And. . . there is no wire more important than that ground tab for all of our safety. If it gets strongly pulled it can (depending on the IEC jack quality) break that center ground pin. Probably not something that will happen frequently, but electrically these cables are the same as any other decent IEC cable.

I continue to test (and ship) the greatly more robust IEC cables with all 700 watt products.

And to see who is reading to the bottom . . . I received the first 25 :thumbsup: M700 Stand-Alone Amplifier chassis from the Metal House yesterday. Now they go for silk screening.
 
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#1,326
As for power, I got a couple short patches custom made by lava. They sure look great. I'm not gonna get into the magic cable debate, but I will say I wanted something good looking and well made. They are that.

image.jpg image.jpg
 
#1,328
Jule Potter said:
Still working this issue through. Have discovered that some of the heavier IEC cables (14g and 16g) do have very positive and large mating surfaces. Not as firmly in place as the PowerCon, but electrically good, and better than all those I first tested.

Received a couple of the IEC cables from Canada that can not be removed without pushing down the tab. They are nicely made. Good heavy wiring. The way they hold on to the IEC jack is that they have a metal edge that jams onto only the center ground tab (remember a Chinese finger puzzle - the harder you pull the more it grips?). That is a great way to keep the cable from being inadvertently pulled out, but it is only hanging onto that ground tab. Nothing else. And. . . there is no wire more important than that ground tab for all of our safety. If it gets strongly pulled it can (depending on the IEC jack quality) break that center ground pin. Probably not something that will happen frequently, but electrically these cables are the same as any other decent IEC cable.

I continue to test (and ship) the greatly more robust IEC cables with all 700 watt products.

And to see who is reading to the bottom . . . I received the first 25 :thumbsup: M700 Stand-Alone Amplifier chassis from the Metal House yesterday. Now they go for silk screening.
Click to expand...

That you test cables bespeaks a conscientious soul. If you think that possible disconnection of the ground is an issue, that would be an argument for Powercon. Forgetting your Powercon cable(s) would stink and, if you do, you're less likely to find a replacement handy, but there are no guarantees in any case. The power could go out, turning the gig into an acoustic jam for drums and horns, regardless of connector type.

Forgive my asking, but is the stand-alone amp the power amp only, or the combo amp that people have been referring to (a dove-cage-ish amp with the power-unit integrated)?
 
#1,334
Well, the day of reckoning is coming. A local TB'er is considering an MAS Flex cabinet, and is coming to test mine, and he's bringing Monique, and I'll finally hear it through my rig.
And yes, I am afraid. Very afraid.
 
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#1,335
kesslari said:
Well, the day of reckoning is coming. A local TB'er is considering an MAS Flex cabinet, and is coming to test mine, and he's bringing Monique, and I'll finally hear it through my rig.
And yes, I am afraid. Very afraid.
Click to expand...

Dating around after you're married is always dangerous. At least one thing is certain: "M" won't be a cheap date!
 
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#1,336
N. Kentucky Bass said:
Dating around after you're married is always dangerous. At least one thing is certain: "M" won't be a cheap date!
Click to expand...
sigh... I know, I know. And she does indeed sound amazing.
Fortunately my Genz sounds really good too, and I recognize that the difference would make a lot less impact on my sound than more practice would.
Though if an extra 2K drops into my lap I might reconsider that. :D
 
#1,337
DigitalMan said:
And whilst I am spamming the Mo-Fo ("Monique Forum"), have you ever considered a second input on the rear of the rack version? The design would be such that the rear input is defeated if a cable is also plugged into the front input.
Click to expand...
It is a reasonable request. Good idea from a utility standpoint.

It does present an issue that must always be kept in mind. That is, the length (and hence capacitance and possibility of noise reception) of the wire that connects between the input jack of any amplifier/pre-amplifier and the grid or input gate of the amplifying device is critical. For us to add another input jack 10 or 12 inches away from the current jack means a total distance of 20 to 22 inches of shielded cable. That is going to change input characteristics significantly.

Right now that length is kept to less than 1", because of the effect above, and that is probably going to have to stay that way.
 
#1,340
Received my new Monique Dove Cage a few days ago and had a chance to play her on a gig on Friday evening. Here is the set up:
Lakland custom 55-94 (three single coil Jazz-type Lakland pickups with LH preamp) set completely flat>Monique>Bergantino IP112ER with HT112ER. Monique settings: Line level 12:00, High 1:00, Mid 1:00, Low 11:00, Sensitivity around 1:00-1:30, pushed in. The Bergie program select switch was out and the horns on both cabs were off.

Small room, medium volume, bass/drums/guitar/vocals, mostly classic rock with some blues.

The sound was big and beautiful, meaty but not muddy. It was difficult for me to catch all the articulation as the sound was going out past my knees and thighs, but I know it was there because a couple of musician friends in the crowd assured me that the bass sounded like they were listening through studio monitors. Just what I was looking for!

I've been playing a Walter Woods stereo for several years and still love the sound, but I decided I needed something fatter and warmer. Monique fit the bill, and in spades.

Aside from the delicious sound, the Dove Cage attracted a LOT of attention. The drummer is now calling it "The Toaster."
 
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