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New Carvin power amp and messing with the numbers

LowEZ

LowEZ

Mar 29, 2011
958
685
Central NJ
#1
I noticed today that Carvin has added the HD2000 to their power amp line. Looks to be similar to the HD1500 except with some welcome extra wattage. After comparing the specs of the two for a bit my head started to hurt and my eyes became fatigued. Perhaps someone can explain this.

The new HD2000 puts out 400W per ch. @ 8 ohms. Read further and you find out that rating is for one channel driven. Okay, so both channels driven will be what? 380W? 360W? Nope, it drops down to a surprising 260W per ch. @ 8 ohms. Similar (but not as extreme) drop-offs for 4 and 2 ohm ratings as well.

Download the new spec sheet pdf for the HD series and you'll find new power ratings for the HD1500 with it now rated at 300W @ 8 ohms (one channel driven) and 210W per ch. @ 8 ohms (both channels driven), not even close to the 350W/300W that has been stated since it's release.

I believe this also means that anyone running a BX1500 into a pair of 8 ohm cabs is only doing 210W/210W. I know, it's only numbers and these amps are plenty powerful, I'm just shocked to see such a discrepancy so late in the game.

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#2
As far as the BX1500 goes, the tech sheet reads 300 watts at 8 ohm x2, and 450 watts at 4 ohm x2.

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#3
Sounds like somebody needs to get their marketing dept./manual writers squared away. Either that or something's quirky. it's 2 amps in 1 box. It shouldn't drop like that running both channels....unless the power supply is pretty under spec'd or something.....:hmm:
 
#5
will33 said:
it's 2 amps in 1 box.
Click to expand...
It's two amps sharing a common power supply.
It shouldn't drop like that running both channels
Click to expand...
It wouldn't if the power supply was large enough to allow both amps to run to full power at the same time. It isn't. That's not an unusual situation; Carvin owing up to the fact is. If a power rating doesn't specifically say 'Both channels driven' chances are it isn't.
 
#8
billfitzmaurice said:
It's two amps sharing a common power supply.
It wouldn't if the power supply was large enough to allow both amps to run to full power at the same time. It isn't. That's not an unusual situation; Carvin owing up to the fact is. If a power rating doesn't specifically say 'Both channels driven' chances are it isn't.
Click to expand...

Then why woould the BX1500 be different, as the spec sheet I posted indicates?
 
#11
Good for Carvin
Both channels driven is a good honest spec to add.
In this day of trying to sqeeze out every watt an amp can give, bi-amping is not a waste, one channel can be driven hard with bass and the other light with mids/highs and you're still fully using the amp to it's full potential.
 
#14
billfitzmaurice said:
It's two amps sharing a common power supply.
It wouldn't if the power supply was large enough to allow both amps to run to full power at the same time. It isn't. That's not an unusual situation; Carvin owing up to the fact is. If a power rating doesn't specifically say 'Both channels driven' chances are it isn't.
Click to expand...

The Peavey IPR series are similar, and they list ratings for 2 channels at 8ohms and then one channel at 8ohms. This seems to confuse people who assume that the 1 channel number is actually a bridge number.
 
#15
I have a different question regards the BX1500: Why is it 900W at 8 ohms bridged but only 2x300 (if you believe the manual) or 2x210 (if you believe it's the same power amp as shown by the new HD1500 manual) at 8 ohms running two separate channels?
 
#17
jamiroquai said:
I have a different question regards the BX1500: Why is it 900W at 8 ohms bridged but only 2x300 (if you believe the manual) or 2x210 (if you believe it's the same power amp as shown by the new HD1500 manual) at 8 ohms running two separate channels?
Click to expand...

Usually the bridging wattage at 8ohms is about what the amp puts out at 4ohms and combined, because of how the amp 'sees' the impedance load.
 
#19
jnewmark said:
The Bx1500, HD 1500, and HD 2000 are all Class D. :hmm:
Click to expand...

I guess I'm not hip to all the new Carvin stuff. I remember the HD900 and 1500. They were 20some pound amps which would indicate a toroid. Was looking at the 900 as a replacement for my trusty QSC MX700, just to shave a little weight off the PA rack, but that was a quite a while back. Still use the QSC. That thing has been so good to me I'm scared to get rid of it now.
 

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