• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Poweramp sensitivity

They probably didn't use a paper towel to block off the area, and sprayed it like ether into a carb.
Also decided to clean everything they could see, bc I've had a couple people tell me that's their line of thinking cleaning instruments & amps.
W ell, it's either spray the fu**er with DeOxit, change all the caps, or it's a bad transformer depending on the day of the week on the internet.

A can of DeOxit lasts me probably 3 years and I'm servicing a lot of amps. That's how little is needed. Anything more than the tiniest spray and you are likely causing more trouble than you are solving in the long run.
 
W ell, it's either spray the fu**er with DeOxit, change all the caps, or it's a bad transformer depending on the day of the week on the internet.

A can of DeOxit lasts me probably 3 years and I'm servicing a lot of amps. That's how little is needed. Anything more than the tiniest spray and you are likely causing more trouble than you are solving in the long run.

Man I spent all day in a room of 200 people that you'd hope got a clue by 6pm or hit by a Bart train.
They'll expose more data to the Internet bc many either don't or are too arrogant to learn proper methods and tooling.

There's frighteningly stupid behavior everywhere.....Darwin needs helpers.
 
  • Like
Reactions: agedhorse
Looking for advice on how to get more juice out of my rig.
I'm currently playing an active bass into a DG B7KU - > 500W poweramp - > 800W 8x10 at 4Ohms, stereo. I find myself having to dime the volume on both pedal and amp just to hear myself between our drummer and guitarist, something easily achieved when going through the power section of my 300W 4x10.
We play techdeath in a fairly small room, but we watch our levels and aren't too loud, considering. I have always-on distortion for some extra definition and clank, and I don't have my mids scooped or lows boosted enough to shake the walls.

So, what gives? Is it as simple as changing the input sensitivity from 1.4V to 0.7V or 26dB, or is there some other aspect I'm missing?

Cheers

Edit: I'm feeding the amp an unbalanced signal, surely that can't account for the low volume, can it?
Yep I tried the same type of setup when I was using the b7ku, The solution is to put something with a line level out between the pedal and the power amp. For me this is my Avalon u5 DI but anything with a line level out will do for example I’ve also used a sans amp rbi with with the blend totally dry. I’m currently running my Alpha omega into the Avalon then to my crown power amp.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: gregmon79
I think you may need a preamp, you might just try someone's head (preamp out) or something designed to give a line-level output to a power amp into your power amp and cabinet. If you don't get more volume, and assuming everything is working the way it's supposed to, then you don't have enough power for the sensitivity of your cabinet. You could get a bigger power amp or a more sensitive cabinet.
 
I had a Crown XLS1000 which had a much higher input sensitivity (it was somewhere around 3.0) and I couldn’t find a single EQ/OD pedal to drive it. First used a ART TubeMP microphone preamp to boost the signal enough, but then upgraded to a Tech21 RPM which was a great preamp with a slew of handy options.

I would try lowering the sensitivity as much as you can and keep the attenuator (level knob on the power amp) fully CW and only use the pedal’s (or future preanp’s) output knob to control volume (*). If you need more output, I would look at sticking a proper preamp before the power amp.

(*) I don’t know the details of why you should do this, but multiple people recommended this to me when I was in the same situation and it worked out well for me.
 
I would try lowering the sensitivity as much as you can and keep the attenuator (level knob on the power amp) fully CW and only use the pedal’s (or future preanp’s) output knob to control volume (*). If you need more output, I would look at sticking a proper preamp before the power amp.
Be careful with the full CW. Safer to dime the out from the pedal, then adjust the PA to something less than speaker killing volumes, then pull the knobs off the PA and throw them away (or use the security cover), then dial back the pedal. Feet can do funny things when the mind is on playing the bass. Other peoples feet might not even care.

If it still struggles after you try the higher sensitivity setting (lower voltage) on the PA, this might do if you want to keep the tone as it is:

ART CLEANBoxPro 2-channel Balanced / Unbalanced Converter

http://artproaudio.com/downloads/owners_manuals/om_cleanboxpro.pdf?v=1429189032

As usual, RTFM, look before you leap, YMMV and be careful with that axe, Eugene (You'll find it in the suitcase by the corner).
 
  • Like
Reactions: Matthew_84
Be careful with the full CW. Safer to dime the out from the pedal, then adjust the PA to something less than speaker killing volumes, then pull the knobs off the PA and throw them away (or use the security cover), then dial back the pedal. Feet can do funny things when the mind is on playing the bass. Other peoples feet might not even care.

If it still struggles after you try the higher sensitivity setting (lower voltage) on the PA, this might do if you want to keep the tone as it is:

ART CLEANBoxPro 2-channel Balanced / Unbalanced Converter

http://artproaudio.com/downloads/owners_manuals/om_cleanboxpro.pdf?v=1429189032

As usual, RTFM, look before you leap, YMMV and be careful with that axe, Eugene (You'll find it in the suitcase by the corner).

Those a good points. I always kept the attenuator on my power amp full up and adjusted the level on my preamp output, but it was a rack mount preamp and I only adjusted the output with my hands and did it very slowly and carefully.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BadExample
Hoping @Darkglass will stop by and have the additional specs not listed in the manual.

That is, I think, three times that you have paged @Darkglass. Her’s another for luck.

A comment, if I may, on contact cleaner. In the 56 years I have been playing my bass I have never had the need to spray contact cleaner on the jacks. On the switches in the jacks that complete the circuit for the Effects Loop yes but not the contacts themselves.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PraiseBassing