Or it could be a function of sizing of the SMPS power supply as opposed to the topology of the output amplifier.
It's possible that under certain signal conditions these amps are "saggier" in the power supply.
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Micro Bass Heads, why doesn't everyone use them?
- Thread starter Ironderby
- Start date
Or it could be a function of sizing of the SMPS power supply as opposed to the topology of the output amplifier.
It's possible that under certain signal conditions these amps are "saggier" in the power supply.
I would guess my estimate is a pretty good one, IF you remove the extreme low end of the market (with that included, I would estimate about 50%).
This becomes very clear if you checked out what was being shown at NAMM last year and this year, and actually look at the product mix of the major companies, and the 'best seller' lists on sites like Musician's Friend.
IMO though, no hard numbers.
Of course, as long as the impedance is within the safe operating range of the amp.
This shows a distinct lack of understanding of the effects of low pass filtering on a pulse train.
Well, some are - but the great majority aren't. There are a few designs out there that have a discrete number of potential pulse widths.
We're talking about all kinds of things - is it regulated? Output impedance? Latency? Entrainment? Instability?
How would you define "digital" then?
Digital is data technology/storage that uses discrete states.
Generally the pulse train in a class-D amplifier has discrete values for voltage, but analog values for pulse width. If the pulse width is limited to a set of discrete values, then it is digital.
Well - I'm not willing to remove 80% of the bass amps sold from the discussion.
I'd bet 80% of the amps sold are sub $300, old school SS, combos or heads.
Sure.
I'm going to go with low frequency, full power burst, into a load that fall from the extreme high end of the acceptable impedance range to the extreme low end of the the acceptable impedance range as it heats.
I'm guessing I can tell an SMPS power supply from an old school "linear".
I'm sure there are situations where you could on the scope, or possibly under extreme conditions that a player would never experience. Again, take a sample of 10 class D/SMPS bass amps and a sample of 10 solid state base amps with any power supply/class of amp you want and compare in a blind listening test with the same inputs (lets say two or three bassists playing different styles, through two or three different cab designs.
All the amps will sound quite different from one another, but there will be (IMO and a bit of IME) no 'non chance' difference between the groups of power amp topology when randomly ordered and presented. Put another way, the variance of the tonality of all the amps, due to preamp voicings, different power amp management designs, different hi passing, different baked in EQ, etc., etc., etc. will completely overwhelm the impact of power amp design or power supply.
I have not been able to, in any way, identify a 'class D' sound, or a particular 'power supply' sound, at least not these days.
The key is, a player should choose a head that sounds good to them, and not eliminate products from consideration due to having a certain type of power supply
Actually if you bypass the preamp sections, I doubt most folks would notice much difference IF the power supplies are equivalently sized.
Any different power amp management designs, different hi passing (in the poweramp), different baked in EQ (in the poweramp), limiting (in the poweramp), etc. ARE power amp design.
In my experience it seems like some SMPS power supplied heads are more "marginal" in terms of power supply design - that is they don't deal as well with really peaky loads.
The key is, a player should choose a head that sounds good to them, and not eliminate products from consideration due to having a certain type of power supply
Unless you deal in situations with AC line power that confounds a certain type of supply, I agree.
+1 I agree. I also agree that, just like other designs, there are some crappy micro's and some great ones.
If you are looking at just new amp purchases, I'm willing to bet the micros have way more than 25%.
Nah - I'd bet somewhere in the neighborhood of 80% of all bass amp sales are things like the GC Acoustic store brand, and other low end combos.
For me, it's about convenience. For example, if I am playing with a small ensemble where my 112 cabinet will produce pleasing tone and volume, I will use my micro head. I carry my bass case in my left hand, my cabinet in my right hand, and all my other gear fits in my back pack. Traveling light is an experience that definitely puts a smile on my face.
If I need a more substantial rig, I'll use big or multiple cabs, along with a 26-pound ss/tube hybrid amp in a flight case. Of course along with this, I am still moving my bass and case, as well as the backpack. Traveling heavier is still a happy one-trip experience, thanks to my trusty RockNRoller Multi-Cart.
Except for the 112, all my gear is over 5-years old. I tend to keep what I like for a long time. I have minimal desire to continually try the new stuff. Having kids in college tends to kabosh gas for the latest and greatest. Regardless, I enjoy reading about all of your experiences.
If I need a more substantial rig, I'll use big or multiple cabs, along with a 26-pound ss/tube hybrid amp in a flight case. Of course along with this, I am still moving my bass and case, as well as the backpack. Traveling heavier is still a happy one-trip experience, thanks to my trusty RockNRoller Multi-Cart.
Except for the 112, all my gear is over 5-years old. I tend to keep what I like for a long time. I have minimal desire to continually try the new stuff. Having kids in college tends to kabosh gas for the latest and greatest. Regardless, I enjoy reading about all of your experiences.
rockstarbassist
Inactive
The key is, a player should choose a head that sounds good to them, and not eliminate products from consideration due to having a certain type of power supply
+1, as long as sound is the only consideration (with the exception of power tube distortion). If weight is a major factor, go micro. If price is a major factor, don't get your hopes up for all-tube. If reliability and easy repairs is a major issue to you, I'd think old school ss might have some advantages, but that is just an assumption.
This has been a good discussion, even though we are back at square one where we all have to use our ears, backs, wallets and common sense when making our purchases.
Martin
+1 I would never compromise my tone for pure size. While I've been in the class D/micro thing for almost 30 years now (early in on the Walter Woods, and I actually am one of the few who actually owned the GK1200, which I believe was the first production class D amp in the early 80's.... it was a metal combo with pink and blue logo!).
However, in between my first Walter Woods and my current micro/lightweight line-up, there was an Eden WT400, a Thunderfunk, and (god help me) a Glockenklang Heartrock
My entire point is that no-one should immediately dismiss an entire category of amp because class D or SMPS somehow doesn't 'perform as well' as older style SS amps. That being said, there are still those who will like a DB750 better than a STreamliner, and that is totally cool. Thank god I feel the opposite on that one
