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My back hurts! Any ideas on power amps?

kvane

kvane

Sep 26, 2007
125
1
Seattle, Washington
#1
Alright, I just put together my first bi-amped rig.:D An Ampeg SVP-Pro w/ a Crest Audio CA6. Awesome, powerful combination with a tone to die for:hyper:. My problem? My Back:eyebrow:. I just put it all (SVP-Pro, CA6, Furman, tuner, & noise gate) in an ata shockmount. Looks totally awesome and professional, but obviously, very heavy. Would/do any of you have experience with the CA6 and compared it with another power amp of less weight? The CA6 weighs in around 44lbs. I'd like to find a power amp with around the same output (1500w @ 4ohms bridged) and that sounds just as well for about half the weight. Any ideas? I know, I could just separate the rack into two, but it's a little hard to find a 20" deep 2-space rack. That and I like keeping it all in one.:smug:
 
#4
Have you considered any of the PLX series from QSC? I was forced to switch from an Ampeg SVT 6 pro to a PLX due to back problems.

I think you can get up to 3600 watts all the way down to 1200.

I can tell no difference between the two other than the weight. I even A/B'd the Ampeg into the QSC before making my decision to keep it.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/QSC-PLX1802-Professional-Power-Amplifier?sku=481542
(Try for a used one... they pop up every once in a while here on TB)

My PLX is very quiet, which is very important as most of my gigs are in houses of worship where the choir mics will pick up the fan.
 
#6
The PLXs are very good,the 1804 would be my pick for me if I went QSC.I'm using a Crown XTI1000 now that's 1000 watts at 8 ohms bridged and 1400 at 4 ohms and it works great for me.I haven't used the Crest so I can't compare but the lightweight Crown I have replaced a heavyweight Crown CE1000 and I can't hear the difference.The XTI Crowns aren't too expensive either.By the way,I run my poweramps bridged into 4 or 8 ohms bridged too and they both have given me no trouble.
 
#9
i moved from a qsc rmx 2450 to a using a (now discontinued) qsc plx 3002 for the weight reduction.
i am really happy with it in pound for pound sound, light weight, etc.
for the 5 or so years that i have used it (my only amp and i use it all the time), the only problem i encounter was a broken solder joint.
 
#10
Fretlessboy said:
with out trying to be funny here...why biamp? Most companies gear is made to ru full range (cabinet wise). You will be wasting a lot of power by cutting it in to 2 sections low and high. Only half your cabinets will be working at a time. I am only asking so don't be offended.
Click to expand...

Using full-range cabs for highs and lows isn't the best way to biamp, but it is NOT a waste of power.
 
#13
I would suppose you would be "waisting amp" if you only loaded 8 ohms per channel on a 2 ohm stable amp. If you bi-amp and put a decent load on each channel of the amp, I would not see anything wrong with that. However if he were to have 4 (4 ohm) cabs, a heavy amp would be the LEAST of his worries!!

What ever gives you the sound you are looking for!
 
#14
I really like the Crest CA series despite the weight issues. I just moved the power amp into its own molded SKB case. Sure, its an extra trip but I'm not dropping a testicle down my trousers.

AcmeB-4009.jpg


Riis
 
#15
Fretlessboy said:
well if your frequencies are split high and low...
and only one cabinet is working at a time...
Half an amp is all that is working at one time...
wouldn't mono full range into the cabinets be a better use of power?
Click to expand...

Absolutely, depending on how many cabs you want to run and the cabs' power handling. Maybe I used the term "bi-amp" incorrectly. I thought "bi-amp" just meant a seperate pre-amp and power section. At one time (actually in my avatar photo) I ran a complete dual setup, two full stacks. I ran 3 cabs (a 215, 410, & 810) I had one amp' eq set for all the highs into the Hartke 810xl; and all the lows on the other pushing through the Hartke 410vx & 215vx, more of a stereo setup, kinda... The advantage of seperate sections is: 1.) For recording, a stand-alone pre-amp is terriffic because you won't get ANY noise from the power section (unless, of coarse, it's a noisy pre) 2.) You'll always have plenty of power to run many cabs, nearly as big as you want and/or any cab you may want. Is it always needed? Of course not. It sucks when you get a cab and your all-in-one amp doesn't have the appropriate power to push it. Also, maybe I'm trippin', but the more power I have to push (no, I don't use it all) the better my tone; very "pro" sounding. Besides, as much as I love 'em, there's no way I'm gonna move an SVT around everywhere without roadies. So, I just use their pre-amp, sounds exactly the same, and I have complete control over the volume, I can D.I. without needing a seperate unit to keep quiet. I don't have to crank it to get that beautiful growl.
 
#16
Yes you were using the term biamping the wrong way,that's why the confusing answers.In audio terms biamping is what Frettlessboy was talking about,using an electronic crossover dividing the signal into two different frequencies,lows and highs,and then feeding those two signals to two different amplifiers.You are running full range and that's what most bass players do and have done for years.I like your rig and think you are on the right track,you just need a lighter poweramp.
 
#17
To address the OP's topic and question, I have to agree that a QSC PLX is hard to beat. High/Low pass filters, stereo/mono, input options, etc.

To the tangent - I think with today's cabs biamping is a waste of time, energy and gear.
 
#19
I went from a PLX1602 to an 1804, cause the 1602 was just too bloody heavy!:D

Nah, seriously, I just like the way that the output of the 1804 matched up with my cabinets better. To get the same power output into 8 or 4 ohms as the 1804, without bridging (Andy, I listened!), you would need to move up to the PLX(2) 3102 series assuming you wanted/needed 2 ohm and bridging capability. Losing 8 lbs and having a shorter chassis was just a plus.

Kim
 

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