Preamp for Ganz Straight Ahead

I've used the EDB-2 to drive a QSC K8, a MAS Powered 1/8 and a Monique M700. 30 DB of Gain is a lot. The input sensitivity
on the M700 is -26 DB so you can virtually run it with a active bass guitar. I don't know what the Ganz amp costs but Monique
makes a M500 that runs at -26 DB. It's bigger than the Ganz amp. There's also the Baby Sumo really small. 500 watts at 8 ohms 1,000 at 4

 

I've been talking to Jay as well about purchasing one of his amps and he didn't bring up any concerns when I mentioned I'm using a Mesa Subway Preamp. The signal coming from the line level 1/4" preamp out is +4 to +6dB, and the XLR preamp out can do +12dB at "High master volume settings."

Is it possible some wires have been crossed and that he meant that it can not be a DI (mic level) out since they are at -30dBu and that it needs a LINE level signal? Because +30dB is an awful lot of gain that most equipment out there simply is not designed to produce.

The reason I say this is because SansAmp describes their gear, which many of us have used into power amplifiers, as -20db being mic level on their DI (Mesa uses -30dB), -10db as instrument level, and 0db as line level. They even have a switch on the BDDI v2 1/4" out to boost the signal from -10dB to 0dB for the purpose of driving a power amp properly. Something just does not sound right if his amp truly needs up to +40dB above instrument level in order to drive it. You'd need something like an MXR Micro Amp between your preamp and the amplifier in order to come close to that.

 

Yeah, I hear yah, but there is a less expensive Monique, more than the Ganz however, but it has a larger footprint.

 

i just sent him a message to see if he can come on here and clear it up. It very well could need +30dB for optimal performance, but I can tell you from my quick research that there are very few products most of us would use that can achieve that. With so many happy customers so far I'm curious to know what the specs really are.

 

And it is...?

 

M500, he’s also protyping a small pedal board amplifier.

 

The official spec claims that the EDB-2 offers 0-32 db of gain...

EDB-2 | Headway Music Audio

 

I've used it to drive lots of different power amps and powered speakers.

 

Jay is not able to respond directly to the thread here because of forum rules, but he’s great for information. Anyone that has some questions is best to contact him through here privately or on his Facebook business page.

 

He told me the same thing and also suggested one of the clean boost pedals on the market if there really isn't enough. I also asked him if he could build mine with a TRS or XLR input so I can take advantage of the XLR preamp out from my Mesa which has 2-3 times more gain than the unbalanced 1/4" preamp out.

 

Im using the Ganz SA with the EDB2 and it has plenty of clean power. You need a cab to match 300w at 8ohms 500 at 4ohms.
It ways 1 pound.

 

I would just put a preamp or boost pedal in between the tonebone and Straight Ahead. That is what I am doing, using a Sadowsky with the treble and bass controls set fairly low and the volume at max. Seems to work well.

The Bassbone is so useful that I wouldn't get rid of it ina hurry, just needs a boost. Spark Boost or similar would do the job.

Cheers

Tim

 

Does anyone know how the Two Notes Le Bass pre would work with Jay's amp?

According to this post you'd need at least 20db of gain to drive the power amp: Jay Ganz Straight Ahead Power Amp