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New Arkham Class D “Beast”
- Thread starter Dave Hill
- Start date
I can imagine how hard this combination punches. The split-MFD is the hottest and hardest-hitting pickup I've experienced.
No affiliation:
For Sale - Arkham Abyss (custom)
Gets you halfway there for less than half the price!
For Sale - Arkham Abyss (custom)
Gets you halfway there for less than half the price!
I'm debating between a Beast or a Zephyr/poweramp. Is there anyone who has tried both can offer their thoughts? The BotW is 2U vs 3U for the Z/Power, so that's a small but real perk. I am more concerned about how powerful the ICE power suppy "sounds/feels". I know it's controversial, but I've tried older class D heads compared to older class AB (I think or sometimes I've seen them as H) poweramps from separate preamps and they heavier amps always have sounded better to me and I've gotten feedback from bands not to bring the class D anymore (without knowing the accurate way to describe the difference, but it's something). Since the 1200 watt ICE is brand new, I haven't tried any amps using it. So I'm wondering what the impressions are.
I haven’t played it in the Beast but I have played it in another bass Amp and can tell you...it hurts. It displays none of the ills of its little brother.
I have played the 1200 ICEpower in an another bass amp different than husky123 has played and I found it to be as deficient as many other Class D bass amps I have played in tone. I am however on the waiting list for the amp husky123 played(Forte HP) and hope that it has the lead sled heft they claims it has. We'll see!
btw, up to date the only amps I have played that have any lead sled heft are the Kustom KXB500 and the Quilter BB800. In fact you might want to consider the Quilter as your power amp.
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Lowendtech
Happily trending in my own peculiar direction.
It is! I'm still going to give it a try. If it ain't what the say it is I'll send it back.
Ohhh, I forgot about the KXB500, that was a great amp. What power module did it use? Do you still have yours...I “think” you started a big mega thread on it?
I drifted away from it for a while and am now back using it again. If any of these new amps don't float my boat I'm giving up and will keep playing the KXB500 from now on. It's not the most hifi amp, but it has that punch and heft that have yet to find in any other Class D. It actually sounds like a bass amp!!
I think it might be the simplicity of the Kustom that makes it work:
NAD: The BEST Amp I've Ever Heard!! Kustom KXB500
Sorry for the derail. Another TB'er and I go back and forth about our dislikes of Class D amps and he alerted me about the comment above.
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I use a Prolite with my Zephyr and I have all the confidence in the world that this would never happen to me. Ever.
I haven’t tried a Beast so, I can’t compare. It’s 1200W RMS and the Prolite 3.0 is around 1500W RMS(?) so I’m guessing that neither should leave you wanting. Personally, I like the protection and versatility of racks.
It gave me pause, maybe others didn't like my tone and instead of telling me they just called someone else. I was always under the impression no one really "listens" to the bass, as long as it's there and not hitting clankers all was well. Apparently some people are indeed listening to the actual tone. They've even noticed pickup changes.
I'm leaning more toward the Zephyr with a poweramp, but definitely want to give the BotW a good look, before buying.
Yep, I don't have any engineering experience so it's hard for me to hear an amp via spec sheet. But I usually equate wattage with gauging how loud I can get while staying clean. But some amps I find are also able to confer more low end and punch differently than others, I just wish I could predict this better from the specs.
I think a lot has to do with how the preamp interacts with the poweramp (ex:is the preamp driving the amp to full power? Is input sensitivity coming into play?). If someone could A/B a beast and say a prolite 3.0, they would be able quickly determine if there is any perceived differences/advantages.
I just want to say this is only a discussion my own personal and subjective experiences and opinions of power amps (including class D), not any reflections or criticism of any Arkham or even ICE products. I'm just trying to make good choices based on my personal needs.
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