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Double Bass Power Amps for your favorite Preamps

#42
I used a Dynakit MkIII mono block tricked out for bass with a Demeter tube pre for a while..2 6550's, a 5AR4 rectifier, a few different 115 and 210 cabs. Sorta in the dark ages before anyone was building cabs for DB. I had a jumper on the test socket that changed the feedback loop..not sure exactly what that did technically, but it seemed to give some more punch to the fundamental. A tech told me those mono blocks have flat response way out to the end of the galaxy..andplaying through it felt that way. I liked it quite a bit. Ultimately, those amps do what they were designed for best..to reproduce well recorded music in a stable listening environment. Pretty awkward rig, setup wise. Quite a bit of headroom really..tube amps are such different beasts than Class D though.
 
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#43
BTW flatback..the old Sunn amps were Dynakit power amps of different flavors mated with an in-house preamp design. The 4 power tube head, the 1000s i believe is a a Dynaco MK VI power amp. The 100 and 200 are really great too.
 
#44
B String said:
The more powerful Acoustic Image heads all have effects returns that bypass the preamp and have a volume control. This extends to everything in the line aside from the newest Clarus S4+, which has no effects loop volume control. I often use my AI heads as power amps using other preamps. You never know when your pre might develop a "thing" at the gig. One plus is that most of the AI heads are smaller than most power amps on the market.
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Pretty much any bass amp with an effects loop and master gain can do this. All the heads I have can be used this way. Ampeg, G-K, Genz Benz...
 
#45
MR PC said:
BTW flatback..the old Sunn amps were Dynakit power amps of different flavors mated with an in-house preamp design. The 4 power tube head, the 1000s i believe is a a Dynaco MK VI power amp. The 100 and 200 are really great too.
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That is what got me started looking at the Dynakit monoblocs...I was loking for a Sunn Head and read that they were Dynaco's and since I was only looking for the power section, I got to the monoblocs.
SO which of the sunns would you recommend for what I am looking to do: power the Felix and MAS speaker cab?
 
#48
I own a Ampeg B-15N(C). It sounds amazing. You could actually plug the Grace Felix into the External Amp input on the B-15. If you want to go DIY Dynaco look no further

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These babies run hot, tubes are getting very pricey, and those trannies make them heavy.
 
#50
Ric Vice said:
I own a Ampeg B-15N(C). It sounds amazing. You could actually plug the Grace Felix into the External Amp input on the B-15. If you want to go DIY Dynaco look no further

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View attachment 884769 These babies run hot, tubes are getting very pricey, and those trannies make them heavy.
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I think you are right though, once you start down this road it's just easier to buy a B15 or the V4b... For this case the PF50T could be a viable option...
 
#52
Yeah the Mark 3 seems to be a sweet spot. I have a Dynaco 70 powering my stereo right now and it sounds delicious. It even has the 1/4 in out mod but it needs two speakers or else you blow up the transformer. I would have the Focus in the car as a backup .
I would have the Mark 3 altered to take either a speakon or 1/4 and a power cord and maybe a box to put it in.
 
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#53
Nathan Levine said:
Seems like a thread dedicated to the small, but powerful, power amps out there with power ratings and dimensions would be nice for anyones future reference. As we all know, the list is rather short. Please add to this list if you know of any others.

Focus SA - 600w @ 4ohms (10" x 6.5" x 3.1")

SWR Amplite - 400w @ 4ohms (8.5" x 9.75" x 1.75")

Demeter Minnie 800D - 800w @ 4 ohms (10" x 6" x 2")

Jule M700 - 700w @ 4 ohms (12" x 12" x 4.5")

Bose Packlite A1 - 250w @ 4ohms (10.5" x 5.5" X 2.25)
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Thought the original goals of the thread was good.
I have noticed now that Home Theater power amps are now starting down the path of small, light, practical.
IWA-250
Not much bigger than a laptop. It would be interesting if an backplane could be set up where you slide and amp into the HT when home, and slide it into a small rack bag for the venues.
 
#54
Wow this has taken an interesting turn. I used a Sunn Concert amp back in the good old days but never could get the pre to work well with DB. I bought an Alembic 2B and ran that through the Sunn liked that sound a lot more. Later I learned the Alembic was based on a Fender Dual Showman. I also preferred using it with my WW amp, go figure.

While this is all good, I don't think I'll rush out and find another Sunn.
 
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#56
seamonkey said:
Thought the original goals of the thread was good.
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Well I think the original goal of the thread is to find a power amp that goes well with the new preamp offerings that are changing the way a lot of upright bass players are looking at their amplification. I don't think talking about a small tube offering is a derail.
In fact there are tradeoffs for everything. I think revisiting what is good about tubes for double bass: warmth, sheen, smoothness etc, is a lot more viable with a serious preamp like the Felix. I am amazed that there is so much variation in the sound of a power amp. When we were going thru them the other day, it was really ear opening to hear the felix (with a mic and pickup mixed on my bass) plugged into different power options and to hear that just that aspect of it altered so much about the sound.
 
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