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Small form factor power amps

K

konaboy

Feb 28, 2009
72
8
Stockholm
#1
OK, so I've seen a wave of tiny bass amp heads such as the MarkBass stuff.

What I have never seen is power amplifiers with the same form factor. I'm in the market for a power amp as I already own a couple of preamps. Would be nice with something small and light especially since my cabs are relatively small.

But all I can find is equipment designed for 19" racks. Is anybody aware of a more compact solution in this day and age? The 19" stuff looks a bit daft, it ends up being wider than my cab.

Failing that, which is the smallest 19" power amp? Some of them are as deep as they are wide!
 
#2
The Carvins are pretty shallow, as I think is the QSC PLX1804. There is really no market for power amps that aren't racked at this point because most preamps need to be racked (no feet or anything means it's pretty unsafe to just let them sit on top of something).
 
#3
Power amps are designed to be racked because most sound companies are going to have many power amps, and a rack is the best way to tote them around safely and conveniently. So I doubt you'll find anyone who builds them otherwise. At least for now.
 
#4
It sure would be nice if someone took one of those light ICE modules or something like what's in the Genz mini amps (and I think almost everyone's mini amps) and dropped it in a box with an XLR/1/4 combi input, subharmonic filter, and a volume knob though :)

If it were designed in a 1/2 rack formfactor that would be magnificent :)
 
#6
rpsands said:
It sure would be nice if someone took one of those light ICE modules or something like what's in the Genz mini amps (and I think almost everyone's mini amps) and dropped it in a box with an XLR/1/4 combi input, subharmonic filter, and a volume knob though :)

If it were designed in a 1/2 rack formfactor that would be magnificent :)
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make it a bridgable 150 WPC @ 4ohm stereo power amp and I'll by one.
 
#8
johnnycat42 said:
I should form my own company and make some of these based upon all the requests on TB.

Hmmmm...:eyebrow:
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Bass players who use pre/power rigs are not nearly as common as bassists who use heads. That's why so many companies that used to make pres don't anymore. So before you tool up, you might want to investigate a little further before you make a product there's no real demand for. I don't see those little Bose power amps setting the world on fire.
 
#9
some great comments, thanks.

forgot to mention that all my preamps are in pedal format or slightly larger. Nothing that needs to go in a rack! I tend to carry the preamp around in my gigbag. I play in a couple of rehearsal rooms, I can either plug into the PA or in one room I have a cab connected to a PA power amp which is on loan to me. But that is a massive beast, when I buy my own I want something a lot smaller. Rack format is OK, but shallow would be nice.
 
#10
you mean something like this. I use a pre on my pedal board sending signal to the little amp i built pushing a vertical epifani 212 cab
 

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#11
JimmyM said:
Bass players who use pre/power rigs are not nearly as common as bassists who use heads. That's why so many companies that used to make pres don't anymore. So before you tool up, you might want to investigate a little further before you make a product there's no real demand for. I don't see those little Bose power amps setting the world on fire.
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That's because they are underpowered and overpriced. I swear this same subject comes up quite a bit. I dont care that much though because I dont know how to make a power amp anyway. :smug:
 
#14
There is a company called powersoft, you can find them sold on Invalid Link Removed they sell high powered, light weight, single space power amps....

Acoustic Image used to make a the Focus SA which was the power amp section of what is now the clarus + (1000w @2 ohms, 800w @4 ohms, 500w @8 ohms) It didn't seem to sell all that well.

For bass players who use a seperate pre/power section I don't know that there is a big market for micros, by their nature they seem to be at opposite ends of the spectrum.

No reason you can't buy a micro head and bypass the preamp section by utilizing the return/power amp in on the effects loop.
 
#19
I think the only way to get a market for it would be to make it 1/2 rackspace (and possibly 1u), so you could get the pro audio guys on board - two of them per rackspace.

Course, Peavey's doing that with the IPR series, but combined into one unit, so much not be necessary.
 

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