Power Amp Shutdown (HELP!!!)

[KIRKSFANGS]

Greetings - I am running a power/pre setup and having problems with the amp shutting down during gigs. The amp is a Crown Macro1200 which bench checks OK. During gigs when I start going sub "E" , the amp will shut down for 4 to 5 seconds and then come back on. Talking to the local bass Guru , he told me that my problem is most likely the fact that I am running all items (including the Crown ) through a Furman power conditioner , and that I should run my other rack gear through the conditioner , but go straight to the wall outlet with the power amp. I know alot of folks here run a similar setup to mine , so if anyone can confirm this theory or give me some alternative ideas , it would be greatly appreciated ...

 

[oddio]

I can see where your local tech was coming from. When you go "sub E" it places a large and immediate demand on the power amp which attempts to draw more power. I had a similar problem when my PLX was (unbeknownst to me) plugged into a circuit that also fed some neons and a jukebox. Running the amp to another outlet / different breaker solved the issue. Give it a try.

 

[DubDubs]

Greetings - I am running a power/pre setup and having problems with the amp shutting down during gigs. The amp is a Crown Macro1200 which bench checks OK. During gigs when I start going sub "E" , the amp will shut down for 4 to 5 seconds and then come back on. Talking to the local bass Guru , he told me that my problem is most likely the fact that I am running all items (including the Crown ) through a Furman power conditioner , and that I should run my other rack gear through the conditioner , but go straight to the wall outlet with the power amp. I know alot of folks here run a similar setup to mine , so if anyone can confirm this theory or give me some alternative ideas , it would be greatly appreciated ...

I have my power amp plugged into a power conditioner with no problems. That's probably because I only have one other thing in the rack besides the power amp.

 

[IvanMike]

is your amp rated for 20 amps or 15? and how about your power conditioner? I use a pl pro which is rated for 20 amps and have had no problems.

 

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

Greetings - I am running a power/pre setup and having problems with the amp shutting down during gigs. The amp is a Crown Macro1200 which bench checks OK. During gigs when I start going sub "E" , the amp will shut down for 4 to 5 seconds and then come back on. Talking to the local bass Guru , he told me that my problem is most likely the fact that I am running all items (including the Crown ) through a Furman power conditioner , and that I should run my other rack gear through the conditioner , but go straight to the wall outlet with the power amp. I know alot of folks here run a similar setup to mine , so if anyone can confirm this theory or give me some alternative ideas , it would be greatly appreciated ...

I agree with what the bass guru told you. Power amps generally don't need power conditioning. You're just adding a bottleneck (even if it's just a little one) to the amp's AC path.

 

[KIRKSFANGS]

Thanks to all for your advice so far. I checked some specs and found that the Furman is rated at 15 amps , and the Crown is drawing 16. At first , 1 amp didn't seem too bad but taken as a percentage it seems pretty significant. If I may go a bit further into this - Since house voltages can be so problematic , would I be getting any voltage "clearance " by running only 1 side of the amp , instead of bridged/mono ? This would still give me 800 watts into a 4 ohm cabinet that houses 1x15" , 1x12" Eminence Omega Pro Speakers with 2 tweetrs ... The 15"is rated at 800 watts and the 12"at 700 watts ...Any thoughts ???

 

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

That'll might save you a little bit of current, but not much. It will give you less headroom, but if you can get the sound levels you need without clipping the amp, you have enough power and headroom.