Schiit Vidar: any reason this couldn't be a good power amp option?

[dByron]

Looking at one of the Class A/B power amps from Schiit Audio. They're known for high quality, reasonably priced hi-fi gear. I like that it's not Class D, and that I could use it in stereo for my acoustic guitar.

Looking at the specs, does anyone with more knowledge about this stuff see why this couldn't be a great lower powered power amp for a bass rig?

Schiit Audio: Audio Products Designed and Built in California and Texas

 

[rickdog]

Bass amplification is not home hifi amplification. The hifi expectation is that the amp will be operated at relatively low average power levels, and the rated high power of the amp is to ensure there is never any clipping or distortion of transient peaks, not to produce continuous high volume levels. Bass amps are often driven a lot harder than that.

When you say "bass rig" I assume you mean something for live performance? Unless you're going to be playing at small coffeehouse volume levels with acoustic instruments, you'll probably end up asking this amp to work a lot harder than it was meant to. Looking at the pictures, the heat sinks look too small for the amp to be driven hard for a long time. The web page for the amp mentions a microprocessor that (among other things) provides thermal protection. It would surprise me if you didn't trigger this protection on gigs.

Also, home hifi equipment may not be rugged enough for frequent transportation to/from gigs. It may simply break.

If you really want a class AB solid-state amp, look for a deal on a used one. You might find someone who has lightened their PA rig by switching to class D and has amps available for a song.