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Splurge on cab or amp?

#21
It's just funny because an Ashdown CTM-300 watt all-tube amp costs $2,800 alone! But apparently you guys feel that if you run that celebrity amp (used by Jeff Ament) through a "standard" quality 410 (let's say Hartke for fun) it will sound less good than if you ran a $650 Little Mark III head through some righteously expensive cab. I'm doubtful, but then again I've never spent more than $1300 on a complete rig. Many of you have spent tens of thousands and toured professionally.
 
#23
ArcadeNate said:
Like, assuming you took out a second mortgage to buy a brand/model that would normally be considered celebrity musician level and out of reach,
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No need for that gimmicky way over priced stuff, $1,000-2,500ish is all you need for a great cab.


ArcadeNate said:
But apparently you guys feel that if you run that celebrity amp (used by Jeff Ament) through a "standard" quality 410 (let's say Hartke for fun) it will sound less good than if you ran a $650 Little Mark III head through some righteously expensive cab.
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The speaker cab is your week link, if it can not produce the joys of the amp, the amp's goodness means nothing.
 
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#25
ArcadeNate said:
It's just funny because an Ashdown CTM-300 watt all-tube amp costs $2,800 alone! But apparently you guys feel that if you run that celebrity amp (used by Jeff Ament) through a "standard" quality 410 (let's say Hartke for fun) it will sound less good than if you ran a $650 Little Mark III head through some righteously expensive cab. I'm doubtful, but then again I've never spent more than $1300 on a complete rig. Many of you have spent tens of thousands and toured professionally.
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I don't think that cabs have the same broad spectrum of price. You can have your pick of some of the finest cabs on the market for less than $1000.

The cost of building an amp versus building a cab are dissimilar. With the cab, there is a more direct and linear correlation between the materials costs and the outcome. With an amp, the design profile and intent can impact the cost of materials greatly - and the last $1800 spent on a $2800 amp may be in support of qualities that are subjectively better, but not objectively better than a $1000 amp.

What looks better - a 4K UHD movie played on a crappy old TV, or a regular HD movie played on an OLED TV? Obviously it's the latter. The cab is like the TV screen as it's the last stage in the signal chain where the information in the system takes physical form.
 
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#31
ArcadeNate said:
Does it make more sense to splurge on the amp or the cab? Like, assuming you took out a second mortgage to buy a brand/model that would normally be considered celebrity musician level and out of reach, would it be wiser to spend that kind of money on the cab or the amp? (Assuming that your only priority is sonic quality)
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never take a second mortgage for something like music equipment..
 
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#32
ArcadeNate said:
It's just funny because an Ashdown CTM-300 watt all-tube amp costs $2,800 alone! But apparently you guys feel that if you run that celebrity amp (used by Jeff Ament) through a "standard" quality 410 (let's say Hartke for fun) it will sound less good than if you ran a $650 Little Mark III head through some righteously expensive cab. I'm doubtful, but then again I've never spent more than $1300 on a complete rig. Many of you have spent tens of thousands and toured professionally.
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If you're not touring professionally, you don't need a professional touring rig.
If you are touring and backline is provided, you don't need a professional touring rig.
If you are touring and you can afford roadies to bust their backs for you, buy whatever floats your boat, both for amp and cabs. No need to compromise.
If you are touring with no roadies, invest in a great cabinet and a reliable amp. A compromised cabinet will always sound compromised, regardless of the amp.
 
#34
ArcadeNate said:
It's just funny because an Ashdown CTM-300 watt all-tube amp costs $2,800 alone! But apparently you guys feel that if you run that celebrity amp (used by Jeff Ament) through a "standard" quality 410 (let's say Hartke for fun) it will sound less good than if you ran a $650 Little Mark III head through some righteously expensive cab. I'm doubtful, but then again I've never spent more than $1300 on a complete rig. Many of you have spent tens of thousands and toured professionally.
Click to expand...
Speaker systems are much more flawed than amps. Speakers are rarely transparent. Most have significant coloration to the sound through midrange emphasis, weak or trumped-up bass, missing highs, artificial sounding highs, poor dispursion.

So as has been said, the speaker is THE WEAK LINK in your whole chain. A $350 amp is far more able to reproduce wide range, accurate sound than a $350 speaker.

$300 amp plus $800 speaker will sound much better than an $800 amp plus $300 speaker.
 
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#37
ArcadeNate said:
Does it make more sense to splurge on the amp or the cab? Like, assuming you took out a second mortgage to buy a brand/model that would normally be considered celebrity musician level and out of reach, would it be wiser to spend that kind of money on the cab or the amp? (Assuming that your only priority is sonic quality)
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Cab
 

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