Separate power amp help?

[Umberhulk]

Hi all, I'm sure someone on here has some experience with this. Here's the no frills situation:
Current rig-
Hartke 3500 @350w split-between two 2x10 @200w cabs.
Cabs were chosen for portability and expendability. Love the head, NEED more headroom

New rig idea:
rack mounted Hartke3500 preamp wired into QSC mx1000a @700w power amp split between two cabs @350w.
These cabs are niiiice

I just want to know if wiring the Hartke preamp into that more powerful bog-standard power amp to raise the levels would present any issues or negatively affect the sound. I ask because I have all of these components and really am not interested in shelling out $750 to replace 'ol faithful. Thanks

 

[agedhorse]

I would sure recommend being careful with that much power into 200 watt cabinets. Your Hartke amp has about the right amount of power for your cabinets. If it's not loud enough, you really need to upgrade both the amp and cabinets IMO, otherwise you are just chasing your tail.

Also, the MX-1000 is a very old QSC amp, many parts for that series (and the EX series) are no longer available.

 

[Nebadon2000]

There is a Good chance Hartke amp is getting Max Volume speakers can play and adding more power will be of little benefit and dangerous to Health of Speakers

Unless you are more concerned with getting 'Big' Bass on Stage standing a couple feet away by boosting Bass EQ without using HPF; Which will Zap your headroom and also most likely be Boomy out front

I would heed @agedhorse advice if my sentence above is off base[or not]

Maybe find matching 8 ohm 4x10 to use with 1 of 2x10 and sell other?

 

[Zooberwerx]

Hi all, I'm sure someone on here has some experience with this. Here's the no frills situation:
Current rig-
Hartke 3500 @350w split-between two 2x10 @200w cabs.
Cabs were chosen for portability and expendability. Love the head, NEED more headroom

New rig idea:
rack mounted Hartke3500 preamp wired into QSC mx1000a @700w power amp split between two cabs @350w.
These cabs are niiiice

I just want to know if wiring the Hartke preamp into that more powerful bog-standard power amp to raise the levels would present any issues or negatively affect the sound. I ask because I have all of these components and really am not interested in shelling out $750 to replace 'ol faithful. Thanks

Are you stacking the cabs for a vertical "4 x 10"? The Hartke amp and enclosures are a great match...adding extra juice is not the best of ideas.

Riis

 

[jeffb28451]

Yes, AgedHorse, as usual, is exactly right. I love old QSC war horse stuff, but refuse to carry that much weight anymore.
The Crown XLS stuff is very light and pretty neutral with s’tons of power and versatility. I am sure there is plenty more to be said on that subject, but I’m using a Quad Cortex or an Arkham Oracle (depending on the job) into a bridged XLS 1502 and it is way more than enough power.

On most jobs, I use a Ganz Straight Ahead on a board with the Arkham. If I can convince either band I play with to go in ears, then this will all be academic and I’ll be QC all the way.

Speakers are up to you, but you will quickly over-whelm your listed speakers. Modern speakers, GR Aeros, Berg next, etc. are very expensive but light and they can handle power.

Like the old Hot Rod guy used to say, “speed costs, how fast do you want to go?”

Have fun with your playing and your new configuration, whatever it ends up being.

 

[S-Bigbottom]

Are you stacking the cabs for a vertical "4 x 10"? The Hartke amp and enclosures are a great match...adding extra juice is not the best of ideas.

Riis

Yup.

Stack them cabs vertically so the speakers look like this.

O
O
O
O

Now your speakers are not at your knees, but closer in the room to your head.
There is your free headroom.

 

[Umberhulk]

Are you stacking the cabs for a vertical "4 x 10"? The Hartke amp and enclosures are a great match...adding extra juice is not the best of ideas.

Riis

I have the whole rig lifted on a stand of sorts. A festival stage where my rig was 30 or so feet behind me was what prompted the idea. I already have an amazing Aguilar 2x10 350w I use for smaller home gigs with other groups, was thinking I could switch out the 2)200w with 2 Aguilars, but optimally I'd want to a little more juice flowing through them which is why I even considered the QSC. From you all it seems I just need to bite the bullet and replace the amp+cabs with something more powerful, preferably with more speakers
OR I could rackmount 2 Hartke 3500s cheap . Pennypinch is my middle name

 

[Zooberwerx]

I have the whole rig lifted on a stand of sorts. A festival stage where my rig was 30 or so feet behind me was what prompted the idea. I already have an amazing Aguilar 2x10 350w I use for smaller home gigs with other groups, was thinking I could switch out the 2)200w with 2 Aguilars, but optimally I'd want to a little more juice flowing through them which is why I even considered the QSC. From you all it seems I just need to bite the bullet and replace the amp+cabs with something more powerful, preferably with more speakers
OR I could rackmount 2 Hartke 3500s cheap . Pennypinch is my middle name

….or move the Hartke rig closer to meet the definition of “back line”, not “outpost”. Heck, isn’t that like a ~30 millisecond delay? What’s this “stand of sorts”?

Riis

 

[Umberhulk]

Yup.

Stack them cabs vertically so the speakers look like this.

O
O
O
O

Now your speakers are not at your knees, but closer in the room to your head.
There is your free headroom.umbug

Yes, AgedHorse, as usual, is exactly right. I love old QSC war horse stuff, but refuse to carry that much weight anymore.
The Crown XLS stuff is very light and pretty neutral with s’tons of power and versatility. I am sure there is plenty more to be said on that subject, but I’m using a Quad Cortex or an Arkham Oracle (depending on the job) into a bridged XLS 1502 and it is way more than enough power.

On most jobs, I use a Ganz Straight Ahead on a board with the Arkham. If I can convince either band I play with to go in ears, then this will all be academic and I’ll be QC all the way.

Speakers are up to you, but you will quickly over-whelm your listed speakers. Modern speakers, GR Aeros, Berg next, etc. are very expensive but light and they can handle power.

Like the old Hot Rod guy used to say, “speed costs, how fast do you want to go?”

Have fun with your playing and your new configuration, whatever it ends up being.

I actually use a BOSS GT1000 upfront for all my effects needs. The Crown XLS is a very interesting idea, I just thought I would need a preamp in the chain running into the power amp, no?

 

[joel the bass player]

If you are standing 30 feet from your cabs at a festival and actually want to hear them you are going to need a lot more than a couple 2x10s. If you want more volume you need more speakers. There is a reason you see guys with two 8x10s (or more) at shows like that.