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Recommend me a 1u power amp

#41
agedhorse said:
If you are very careful, sure. I see an awful lot of 1U packages (amps, plus Yamaha and Lexicon FX) with twisted up rack ears.

Here's a common sight:
s-l1600.jpg

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Yes - I have too. Many years ago, I had that problem with an amp housed in an SKB-style molded case with aluminum rack rails that was marketed as “TSA approved” (pure BS). Since then, I’ve used Harding, Gator and others with no problems. I don’t baby my gear but I treat it with respect.
 
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#42
newwavefrank said:
Carvin has several 1u power amps.
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To be accurate, the old Carvin company made just one 1u power amp in the 1990's- the F150. As far as I remember, that was the only one. I still have the F150 I bought in 1995 for a compact effects-depth rack. It is 150 watts at 8 ohms bridged, and 75 watts per channel at 8 ohms each. Not much power, but it worked for the quieter gigs I used it on. The F150 was not a typically deep 1u power amp - it was not much deeper than any of the rack effects or the F1X preamp I racked it with. The F150, as did all the Carvin power amps from the 90's, used MOSFETs, and it's a very good sounding amp.

Here is an F150 with a Furman conditioner in an SKB effects rack.


F150.jpg
 
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#43
Michael Vee said:
To be accurate, the old Carvin company made just one 1u power amp in the 1990's- the F150. As far as I remember, that was the only one. I still have the F150 I bought in 1995 for a compact effects-depth rack. It is 150 watts at 8 ohms bridged, and 75 watts per channel at 8 ohms each. Not much power, but it worked for the quieter gigs I used it on. The F150 was not a typically deep 1u power amp - it was not much deeper than any of the rack effects or the F1X preamp I racked it with. The F150, as did all the Carvin power amps from the 90's, used MOSFETs, and it's a very good sounding amp.

Here is an F150 with a Furman conditioner in an SKB effects rack.


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I think the reference was to the ones that are currently for sale. I am really interested to hear from someone who has put one to use!

213636C8-7F79-4794-9D6D-D26E744D3869.jpeg
 
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#44
DrewFolkadelics said:
I think the reference was to the ones that are currently for sale.
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Wow.. okay! The new Carvin Audio company keeps coming out with new products. I will go take a look at these and catch up.

Update: From LT2000 2010W 2 CHANNEL PFC POWER AMPLIFIER -

"The LT2000 features a single space 1U frame, is 2 ohms capable, and includes PFC Power Factor Correction, which is internationally recognized as the foremost self-regulating power supply for high-end amplifiers. The LT2000 has exceptional headroom with lower power requirements than amps with a traditional power supply... The LT2000 2ch model delivers 340W RMS at 8 ohms, 580W at 4 ohms and 1010W at 2 ohms from each channel (2010W 4 ohms bridged)."

I don't think most of us will sell off our little Class D heads and rebuild the racks, but this LT2000 amp will make some of us go, hmm..

The OP in this thread has a winner!
 
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#45
seamonkey said:
For a cheap 1RU this has worked for me for a few years now. Loud fan and all. https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-300-Watt-Studio-Amplifier-605030/dp/B011JNVIYI Not a "Pro" level amp. 1 Year Warranty. And goes on sale often for even less. This thing also weights more than some 2ru amps.
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i happen to own and depend on two of these amps. that said, mine are rack mounted in racks/situations where they never move, so @agedhorse's warning about rear rack support is meaningful if you plan on using this one.

here's the blurb on that amp:
"Add 300 watts of clean and stable power to your studio rack using this 300-Watt Studio Audio Amplifier from Monoprice! This rack-mountable switching Class D amplifier packs 300 watts of power into a compact form factor, which takes up only 1U of rack space. It can be used as a stereo amplifier or can be bridged for mono mode. In stereo mode it produces 150 watts per channel RMS (300 watts per channel peak) into a 4-ohm load or 100 watts per channel RMS (200 watts per channel peak) into an 8-ohm load. When driving a 2-ohm load, it can produce 250 watts per channel RMS (500 watts per channel peak). When bridged for mono mode, the amplifier produces 500 watts RMS (1000 watts peak) into a 4-ohm load and 360 watts RMS (720 watts peak) into an 8-ohm load. Additionally, it is stable when using reactive or mismatched loads, so for example, you can connect a 2-ohm speaker to one channel and an 8-ohm speaker to the other without any problems. It features an extremely flat 20Hz ~ 20kHz (+0, -1dB) frequency response with less than 0. 05% THD+N and more than 96dB signal-to-noise ratio. Built-in protection circuitry includes full short circuit, open circuit, thermal, ultrasonic, and RF protection. It also features power on/off muting function to prevent popping in the speakers when power is turned on or off. There is also a selectable limiter, which serves as a brick wall on volume to prevent high volume levels from driving the amplifier into clipping, which can cause speaker damage. Features: • Class D amplifier• High current switching power for high power output, low noise, and low distortion• Extremely flat 20Hz ~ 20kHz (+0, -1dB) frequency response with less than 0. 05% THD+N• Balanced 1/4" TRS and XLR inputs• Unbalanced 1/4" TS and NL4 speaker twist speaker outputs• Built-in optional limiter helps prevent clipping• Short circuit, open circuit, thermal, ultrasonic, and RF protection• Stable with reactive and mismatched loads• Power on/off muting function• Separate gain controls for each channel• Signal and clipping LEDs for each channel• Power and protection LEDs• Bridgeable for high-power mono operation• 1U height• Includes rack mount ears"

mine have worked flawlessly. several times i've run one of them bridged/mono ("500 watts RMS" for bass) and it delivered everything i needed! who knew? mostly i use one for rehearsal space speakers-on-sticks, and the other one in the studio to power a couple of urei 809s. i got the first one ~5 years ago and although i was very skeptical: it was so cheap i had to try it. i was surprised by it's hardiness, but i really liked its flexibility. i got the second one a year or so later.

i have a couple of other 1U amps. this one is a two-channel cheapie, but i've used it for both PA and certain bass gigs for a year --- it's held up nicely, no issues at all, plenty of power (although the advertised power ratings have to be bogus, right?), with these caveats:
- 4 ohm minimum.
- i don't throw my stuff around, i'm pretty mindful/gentle.
but, bottom line: it's cheap power in a 1U form:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SB2FSJ8/ref=emc_b_5_t?th=1

all i got! good luck with your amp search! :thumbsup:
 
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#48
JRA said:
:laugh: sure, the advertised power specs are probably double what the unit actually produces, but i take your point.

in my universe: that's what volume knobs are for! ;)
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A volume knob only works when you have reasonable expectations, something that most experienced designers do not take for granted...
 
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#51
Bob_Ross said:
or, for a rather out-of-the-box solution, perhaps an [This invalid link has been removed]? It clearly has a lot of features that make no sense for a gigging bassist's onstage rig (e.g., IR and IP control?!?! an ethernet port?!?!) but AudioControl does make robust, high-quality products so there's no reason this shouldn't work.
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As an astute reader pointed out, my suggestion of the AudioControl RS 500 was a little too "out-of-the-box" since its frequency response is severely limited (it's designed as a dedicated subwoofer amp) ...but I remembered this thread when I just saw a new product announcement from AudioControl: Their forthcoming [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] looks like it hits the bull's eye for a crap-ton of power in a shallow lightweight 1RU form-factor. Still has a lot of features that make no sense for a gigging bassist's onstage rig (signal sensing, digital inputs...plus RCA gozzintas and Phoenix connector gozzouttas, ugh!) but beggars can't be choosers. $1,300 MSRP.
 
#53
It doesn't quite come up to your desired output power (it's 800w @4 ohms), but I love my Demeter Minnie 800D. It is a great match with the Kern preamp - currently my #1 rig, both units mounted in a 3 space rack.
 
#54
@chicago_mike - what do you think about that Carvin LT2000?

Looks like a winner all around, other than it would have to have a standard depth rack, as opposed to a shallow effects rack, and the inputs are XLR-only - no 1/4". Tons of power in 1RU, and the weight is good, too.

Edit: I just remembered there are aftermarket combo XLR-1/4" input jacks. Could be an easy upgrade to this amp for more connectivity flexibility.
 
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#55
InkCow said:
For what it’s worth, I also use this power amp, but I don’t bridge it. You can daisy chain the channels, so I have 150w from one channel into a 4 ohm cab and… well, less into an 8 ohm from the other channel.
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Oops, I just realized that was referring to an Amazon link to different power amp. I have the Monoprice that's referred to initially in that post, sorry!
 
#57
I just noticed in your original post this: "1 or 2 channel. 1u 1KW rms at 4 or 8 ohms."

By 1 KW, did you mean per channel? That's not the Carvin LT2100 at 8 ohms- I'm not sure there is a current 1KW per channel at 8 ohms 1U power amp (others can chime in.) But bridged, it does 2 KW! Into whatever stacks of speakers that can handle that..

I'm thinking about getting one of these. I was going to pick up a higher-powered Carvin poweramp before the original Carvin went out of business. It's exciting to see the new company offering all these new designs.

It's definitely a want, rather than a need, as I have both of the Mesa TT and WD heads. But still.. what a power amp!
 
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#59
baxter_x said:
I would seriously consider the lab gruppen ipd 1200. Absolutely perfect amp, lightweight, powerful,lots of features.
I tried it one with my axe FX and it was pushing an Ampeg 810 to it's limit. And the tone was simply great .
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Not sure that pushing g an 810 to its limit is a good idea. That’s an expensive repair… ;)
 
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#60
agedhorse said:
Not sure that pushing g an 810 to its limit is a good idea. That’s an expensive repair… ;)
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Completely agree. What I meant was it's "only" 600 watts pers side. So I thought I would have to push the master. After a several seconds of playing and paying attention to what I was hearing, I immediately jumped in the master to lower it immediately.

That was a wrong way to explain the amp is "just" 600 watts, but way more than what anyone needs in reality.
 
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