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Need a new poweramp

F

Frikkn

Oct 6, 2009
19
0
#1
Hi first of all and thanks for reading.

My Peavey Tour 700 is starting to give up I think and I've decided to make a slight change to my setup.

I have a bass POD XT Live so I thought of just getting my hands on a power amp because it's potentially cheaper and lighter than my Peavey whichi was just over 20lbs.

Just lately however I noticed the Peavey cutting out, mainly when I use the 1x18 on it's own which leads me to think I'm driving it too hard. The poweramp section was also fixed under warranty before and I'm starting to lose trust in it. The last thing I want is for the damn thing to give up on me at a gig!

I'm mainly driving my SWR 1x18 400W @ 8 Ohm and for bigger gigs I throw my 2x10 Ashdown 250W @ 8 Ohm on top.

What I need is flexibility to drive either cab or both with enough headroom to not damage the amp and ensure the rig is upgradeable and rackmountable if possible.

I've read good things about Crown, QSC but I'm having trouble matching the power to my needs. I don't want to end up in the same situation again as I am now.

Wow this turned out to be a rather large post, don't know how that happened :eyebrow:

Thanks
 
#8
First of all NO, THAT BIG BEN IS MINE :bassist:

Thanks for the suggestions, I always forget just how much gear Carvin actually makes!

What about this one? [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Would that be matched well with the cabinets I have?

Quick question about power amp impedance too. If I connect 2x 8 ohm would the total load drop to 4 Ohm as on my current amp?

Also what wattage would I be looking at to push that 18" propperly? It's rated 400W @ 8 Ohm. Is 500W overkill already? I just dont want to have to drive the amp too hard to get the desired volume.
 
#9
Frikkn said:
Thanks for the suggestions, I always forget just how much gear Carvin actually makes!

What about this one? [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Would that be matched well with the cabinets I have?
Click to expand...

That amp should be fine, just do some checking to make sure your pod has enough power to drive the amp properly.

Frikkn said:
Quick question about power amp impedance too. If I connect 2x 8 ohm would the total load drop to 4 Ohm as on my current amp?

Also what wattage would I be looking at to push that 18" propperly? It's rated 400W @ 8 Ohm. Is 500W overkill already? I just dont want to have to drive the amp too hard to get the desired volume.
Click to expand...

That particular power amp is not bridgeable at 4 ohms. Running both your cabs in parallel would present a 4 ohm load. This is ok because even running in dual mono that amp has more than enough power to make your cabs die. They will both have the potential to receive 425 watts, each on their own channel, which is the way you should be running them to balance the power to each cab. You should not be driving a power amp hard to get your sound. The amp should be producing what you are sending, all the drive should come from your pre amp. Also be careful with your volume, if your speakers are making a farting noise, turn down the channel they are on.
 
#10
Thanks for the response, very insightful! How do I check the POD has enough power? The pedal has bi-amp features etc so I'm guessing it was made with this in mind? Is there a particular specification I'm looking for?

One of the reasons I want 2 volume knobs at the front is so I can easily balance the cabs.
 
#11
Frikkn said:
Thanks for the response, very insightful! How do I check the POD has enough power? The pedal has bi-amp features etc so I'm guessing it was made with this in mind? Is there a particular specification I'm looking for?

One of the reasons I want 2 volume knobs at the front is so I can easily balance the cabs.
Click to expand...

you have to compare the input sensitivity to the output voltage. If the output is greater than then input, you are fine.
 

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