Power Amp Help & more

[poppinsmac]

Hey guys

My current rig is a Sansamp RBI into a Peavey PV 500 which goes into either a 8 ohm Markbass 4x10 or a Ampeg 8x10 (4 ohms, I think...)

The Peavey just isn't enough power. It clips out when I'm trying to get up to stage volume.

I know nothing about power amps. This is just one I had laying around so I'm using it.

How much money am I going to need to get this going?
What should I look for in a power amp?

For peace of mind, should I sell the Markbass and get a new 4 ohm 4x10 so that my cabs match? Is this something I need to worry about?
I never use them at the same time, but would it just be nicer or easier to have them the same for switching back and forth or does it matter?
What is the difference between a 4 and an 8 ohm cab going to be? Is it volume difference?

thanks guys

 

[BassmanPaul]

Try picking up a Carvin DCM1000 for about $340. That should get you up where you need to be.

Paul

 

[bongomania]

You'll want to read the FAQ to learn about ohms. As far as what to look for in a power amp, the main thing is reliability. Stick with well-known brands like Crest, Crown, QSC, Carvin, etc. For convenience, look for a power amp which can be bridged to 4 ohms without the use of an extra cable. To ensure compatibility with the widest range of external preamps, try to find a power amp where the input sensitivity (given in the list of specs) is 0.7V or 1.0V, maybe 1.2V tops.

 

[rpsands]

The DCM2000L is one of the few with the ability to use a standard cable from what I've seen, and also has 1.0V sensitivity (also rare).

The down side is it doesn't have a built in high pass filter, which is one of the huge selling point for QSC for me.