SWR Super Redhead vs. Eden Metro

Carvin Rl1015. It's a full stack for well under 1500.

 

Yeah, except the Carvin doesn't sound as good as either one. My setup is all Eden, but I like the sound of the Redhead over the Metro. Oh, the Metro rules, of course, but it all gets down to personal taste. Also, the Metro will put out 600 watts at 2 ohms with extension cabinet(s). The Redhead only goes up to 450 watts at 4 ohms (2 ohms not recommended).

 

Ampeg SVT810 - $900
Carvin DCM1000 - $400
----------------------
$1300

you can find some pretty cheap used preamps ........

this is assuming you get the cab and power amp brand new....

 

I hardly think the Carvin cabinets are substandard.

 

Carvin is a budget amp. If your sound is less important than your pocketbook, buy the Carvin. Carvin is OK, but isn't in the same league as the other two. Take a look at the back line of a pro bassist.

What will happen is that you will buy the Carvin, and someday plug into a Redhead or Metro. You'll sell the Carvin at a huge loss, and fork over the money you should have spent the first time on the correct amp.

 

i might say that about the speaker cabinets, and MAYBE the heads, but carvin power amps sound really really good, regardless of how much it cost.





jason

 

I have had a Redhead for almost a decade how (I have the old version, not the Super Redhead) and it has performed admirably with out fail for years. The Redhead is widely considered in the industry (professional bass players, session players, recording engineers, producers, etc.) to be the best all-around, cleanest, modern, hi-fi, versatile and well-built amp on the market. Its is great for recording, great for small to medium gigs, great for rock, funk, jazz, blues, country, etc. You name it, this amp can do it and has already done it thousands of times over. However, considering this, it is NOT the perfect amp for ALL situations. the Redhead has enough volume for any club gig and can keep up with medium gain guitar amps in the 50 watt category. However, it may not be good for larger venues and metal gigs. It does have a headphone jack and can be used a low volume levels, but it also weighs close to 100 lbs and is very difficult to carry by one person. In fact, I make it a habit NOT to carry it by myself EVER!!! The amp is extremely clean and honest, but if you are navigating stairs and have to travel to play (move your stuff from location to location by yourself) then you might want to look into components. This might be more expensive in the short run, but your back and mental state will benefit from the suffering saved from carting a 100 lb beast around, in and out of your appartment. If you play the Redhead and decide that you really like it, the combo itself can easily be "recreated" by component parts...SWR 350 amp/preamp and a 2X10 SWR speaker cab, etc. Read as many opinions and reviews as you can, but the importance of grabbing your bass and plugging into one of your potential choices (preferably both in a side-by-side A/B comparison, if possible) can not be overemphasized.

 

I think Freakapotamus's hybrid Carvin/swr thought was good. You could try that and a preamp of choice, or a cavin r1000/600 with a swr, eden or ampeg cab setup. It's a compromise you may like.

 

If you're looking for some excellent cabs, try Bergantinos. They rock!

 

This is absolutely correct. The old "penny-wise, pound-foolish" routine. My suggestion is to look for a used Eden D410XLT for about 5 bills, then get yourself a used Eden WT800 for about 8 or 850. You can then mono-bridge 800 watts into 8ohms. My guess is you can find both on Ebay for less than your budget if you're willing to wait a month or so. Otherwise, you're headed down the path Munji alludes to above.

 

Are you in an upper apartment or a first floor unit??? If you are in an apartment NOT on the first floor, you will get what is called a COUPLING effect - which means that even though your amp is barely audible (to you), your neighbor's pictures are falling off the wall from the vibrations...my suggestion is this: if you feel you NEED a new amp go ahead and get a new amp. However, if you don't think that you do, get a bass POD and use the headphone jack, that way, when you play live you will also get the versatility of the POD with your current system.

 

All I gotta say is after spending thousands and thousands of dollars on amplifiers alone, the first thing that I think of is what musical situation am I using this for and can I do without it. A lot of times the answer is yes, but a lot of times I end up buying it. As far as amps now I am using a component system (kind of)...I use a SWR Workingman's 12 with a Sansamp Bass Driver for basic stuff when there is a PA involved; or I use the above system with a Yamaha Bass cab with a Peavey power amp which gives me an additional 300 watts or so...but that's what works for me.

 

you could get 2-4x10s or 1-4x10 and 1-1x15, or 2-1x15s. this means you could take one to a small gig, and both to a large gig were you need the extra power.

or if you dont need that much you could get the DCM600 with one 4x10 or 1x15. you could use a POD as a the preamp.

an ampeg SVT410CL ( 800watts/400RMS, i believe ) can be had at around $600

dcm600 with rack case ... around $400-$450

and a Bass POD for $350 ( $600 for the rackamount one )

the end result ... a nice rig for around $1400

 

Don't get me wrong here, I think both the Super Redhead and the Metro are GREAT amps. I'm not really interested in combos, but if I were, I'd get the Carvin RC210 "Red Eye Combo". I honestly believe it can stand shoulder to shoulder with either the SWR or the Eden.


I own a Carvin stack, and I intend to get a new one soon. I play other gear in stores and gear belonging to friends all the time. I like to check out all the cool stuff that's out there, and there is a lot of great equipment to chose from. But I've never found a system that would make me want it more than a Carvin even if they were the same price. The idea of Carvin being a "budget amp" is a myth. The people in stores will talk down Carvin because they don't sell it, and they can't compete with Carvin's factory direct prices, just like they will talk down the idea of you buying something mail order from Musician's friend or Manny's or whatever. People who own other good equipment will also talk down Carvin because they can't accept that a product that is so much less expensive than what they paid for their stuff could possibly be as good or better. They want to believe that their stuff is better bacause they have to justify what they paid for it.

I really prefer the Carvin stacks, which you can get for the price of the combos you've listed. If I wasn't so hung up on Carvin gear, I'd get an SWR Goliath Senior 6x10. I really love that cab.

Of course, it all comes down to what you like best. That's the one that's right for you regardless of what anyone else likes. I just don't think you should think that one product is not worthy of consideration because it costs less.