Stewart 2.1 amp equals??

Excellent question. For those who don't know, the Stew 2.1 has been discontinued.

It's my favorite amp, too. I own a pair.

I lost a channel on one a couple of years ago, but it was fixed easily (at minimum expense, anyway) by a local shop. While that amp was down I got a Crown Xti 2000, hoping it would be equivalent to the Stewart. I eventually realized the Crown was not as powerful, it was complicated to operate, and worst of all it eventually died. :scowl: Crowns aren't what they used to be.

If I were looking for a replacement I would start with the lightweight Crest and QSC amplifiers, however I have no direct experience with these amps.

 

If you want a ton of juice in a light box, the Behringer iNuke is crazy good for the money. It hasn't been around long enough to determine the stoutness over the long haul, but for $400 for a few thousand watts is not too bad.

 

the Carvin DCM range of power amps are good value for money. I have owned several of their older Class AB amps which I liked but now use the DCM1000L for every gig.

http://www.carvinguitars.com/poweramps/

 

Good reviews and performance to measurements on the iNukes. DSP models have great features.

Right now the Crests Prolite DSP is the best deal going. Great features you can't get in other amps, and a great warranty.

 

FWIW I'd probably go with the Crest Prolite 3.0. I'm not sure about the DSP: doesn't add a lot to the price, but I don't know that I need it, and after my experience with the Crown Xti going bad (it too had DSP features), I worry that it's just more stuff that could go wrong.

 

I liked the 2.1 a lot, but I didn't find it magical.

I'm guessing the Stewart's weight is part of the appeal. If so, here's another vote for Carvin DCM amps. I sold my Stewart 2.1 when the DCM 1000 edged it for most of my rack-rig gigs. (Partly b/c of input sensitivity, features and connectivity that better fit what I needed, and also b/c the Carvin's shallow depth let me use less bulky and heavy rack cases).

The DCML (newer, lighter series) is about half the weight of the DCM series, but w/ different input sensitivity and a somewhat limited feature set.

QSC's amps also are worth a look, and Crown, Crest, and Peavey all have their fans.

 

I just got a Demeter Mini 800D.

Factory matched and internally installed in my vintage VTBP-201.

I am still putting it through its paces but so far it's sound has been remarkable.

This is my first Class D power amp.

I've used the pre with Crowns, Mackies, and some old tube power amps... none of them come close. I really was not expecting such a dramatic difference.

The only question that remains is will it hold up to a 6 hour show at max volume without overheating and sputtering or catching on fire?

 

You've got no worries
Demeter knows what they're doing.
It's why they chose class-d and modules they did.
Why they didn't match to Crowns, or Mackies is something you could take up with Demeter.

Because really - all pro power amps are sonically the same. Once you get past matching the gains/getting the levels right - they're sonically the same. If gains aren't match, and one amp sounds a little louder than another, it will sound better. Louder sounds better, no mystery there. DSP's can make a difference as they have EQ and all kinds of features.

 

The long discontinued SWR Stereo 800 was a whopping amp with great sound

 

Reviving this old thread. One channel on my Stewart kicked the bucket a few weeks ago - can you recall the easy fix you'd mentioned on yours?

 

Now that's called a VTBP-M-800D.

 

I brought it to a local electronics repair shop, who required $50 down, which is also their minimum repair fee. They fixed it for that minimum. They may have mentioned what the problem was (or maybe not), but I don't recall, sorry.