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Sure, I can comment further, but I have a real hard time conveying what I hear in the descriptive terminology that's usually used here. I'll start off by saying that my rig is admittedly overkill. I play in a cover band that plays mostly very small bars. That said, I've mostly been doing either 2xRS210 or 1xRS212 at gigs (sometimes all 3, just because). Not too long ago, I decided to sell one of the RS210s and go with 2 RS212s (that decision was made much in the same way a cat decides it needs to be in another room).
Basically there was no weakness in 2xRS210, so I can't knock that, but 2xRS212s was deep and rich and gave the sense in terms of overhead that I could have chased everyone out of the room screaming if I wanted to.
It also seemed like it might have mellowed the grind of the bass. I'm not saying it was mushy or muddy in anyway. I mean this in a positive way...a "smoother" punch. The grind was still there, but it was kind of pushed down or subdued in the fatness of the overall sound more than the 210s...I don't know if that makes a lick of sense, but there you go. I don't think I will ever be a reviewer
Makes sense to me!
If the manual doesn't say otherwise (special caveat, like the other TC heads to for the three cab config) I would definitely switch it to the 2 ohm setting at least for now. The 4 ohm setting MIGHT be safe, the 2 ohm setting WILL be safe.
All things considered, the Blacksmith was a lot cheaper than I was expecting it to be. By like half. Had it been what I was originally expecting, that would have been hard to justify. But at its actual price point, the cost was not an issue to me. I have always strongly believed that aesthetics are important in any kind of performance/show environment. And aesthetics are one of those intangibles that is hard to put a monetary cost on.And you spent all that money on the Blacksmith just for its 19" rack form factor... just for the looks? Wow. That was an expensive face plate!
I got my Blacksmith today (Donovan really is the best place to go for TC stuff in the US). I haven't really had much chance to play with it yet; I've mostly just gotten it hooked up and done basic testing to insure nothing on it is DOA.
(Please excuse the crappy cameraphone pics -- it was the quickest way to get a couple shots of the new amp up.)
One thing I am wondering with the Blacksmith: it has a switch for 2ohm or 4+ohm. Running three RS212s should technically fall in the 2ohm range, but TC always said this was fine with the RH450 (which only supports 4ohm) because they "know the exact characteristics of their cabinets)". So I'm wondering if I should leave it on 4ohm when using the three RS212s, or if I should switch it to 2ohm mode for optimal performance.
And not that I'd ever need it, but if 3xRS212 is still 4ohm "safe" then could you run two stacks of 3xRS212 off this thing at the 2ohm setting? That would be.... impressive. Overkill 9000, yes. But impressive, none-the-less. Or does it cap out at 4xRS212? I'm going to assume 4xRS212 since the manual shows 4xRS410s as an example of 2ohm configuration. Even still, 4xRS212 is a lot of air getting pushed...
(And to make things clear, I don't need the 1600W of power the Blacksmith delivers. I got the Blacksmith because it's a proper rack-mount form factor. I have the rack kit for the RH450, but it just looks terrible in a rack. So now I'll rack the Blacksmith in with my other gear [once the new, larger flight case arrives] and keep the RH450 for use as my practice amp in combination with my RS112.)
WTHECK? I'm not gonna' ask you what you paid, but I think I can tell from your language you got a HELL of a discount on that head. I'd have jumped ALL over that myself. The thing I think is especially cool about the BS is the fact it's a special... a hand made model. That's the reason they're so expensive. I would consider these to become a rarity... or maybe I should say, continue to be a rarity... long term.All things considered, the Blacksmith was a lot cheaper than I was expecting it to be. By like half. Had it been what I was originally expecting, that would have been hard to justify. But at its actual price point, the cost was not an issue to me. I have always strongly believed that aesthetics are important in any kind of performance/show environment. And aesthetics are one of those intangibles that is hard to put a monetary cost on.
It is nice that it also has the newer control design (that the RH750 shares). And I'll never, ever, have to worry about not having enough power...
