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TC RH750 louder than RH450?

mcnach

mcnach

Jun 16, 2007
8,722
9,565
Edinburgh, Scotland
#1
Just wondering. I know there are a few people here who have owned both. Is the 750 noticeably louder than the 450?

The ratings seem confusing to me.
I own a 450 and I like it a lot. I just wish it had a bit more power sometimes... I like to use a small rig, so more power helps. When I used the 450 with enough big cabs, the sound can be enormous, but I like to travel light.
The 750 is appealing because of the "tweeter tone" control and the dedicated compressor knob, but that alone is not enough to make me get one. However, if the 750 were noticeably more powerful, it would really be tempting.

So... any experiences?
 
#6
mcnach said:
Just wondering. I know there are a few people here who have owned both. Is the 750 noticeably louder than the 450?

The ratings seem confusing to me.
I own a 450 and I like it a lot. I just wish it had a bit more power sometimes... I like to use a small rig, so more power helps. When I used the 450 with enough big cabs, the sound can be enormous, but I like to travel light.
The 750 is appealing because of the "tweeter tone" control and the dedicated compressor knob, but that alone is not enough to make me get one. However, if the 750 were noticeably more powerful, it would really be tempting.

So... any experiences?
Click to expand...

I've owned both, and the 750 is capable of being louder. While the crossover where I had both of them at the same time was a fairly short period, I'd say the difference is not insignificant. Like you said, the Tweetertone control introduces some tonal options that aren't there with the 450. You can get some sounds more in the direction of "open" or airy.

That said, I ran up to 3 RS cabinets, and in my experience and for my non-pa supported use, I didn't have the 450 come up short.
 
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#8
wattage alone only nets you a couple of dbs extra - looking at the specs, the edge of the RH750 over the RH450 is the increased headroom and tweaks to the preamp.

In the EQ, the RH750 has lower hz bass (probably due to the extra headroom), much higher treble hz adjustment and the Tweetertone knob to adjust or defeat the lowpass filter that is always on in the RH450.

The RH450 is the mainstay of the TC lineup, with EQ and the lowpass to give a more focused and specific sound very loudly compared to the wattage - though the RH750 can technically go louder, it seems to me like it's designed to deliver RH450 levels of volume with any amount of clean bottom or highs

edit: EQ freqs can be set manually, so this post only applies to factory settings*
 
#9
Thank you for all the comments.
So if I switch to the RH750 I must do it on the extra adjustment and tonal possibilities alone and not thinking on a louder version of the RH450.

I used the 450 for a while with a 210 and a 410, and that sounded really good and loud. The thing is that i am slowly moving towards smaller lighter cabs with more efficient speakers... So I was wondering about the possibility of getting back some of the lost volume by increasing the power, if the RH750 made any substantial difference.
 
#10
mcnach said:
Thank you for all the comments.
So if I switch to the RH750 I must do it on the extra adjustment and tonal possibilities alone and not thinking on a louder version of the RH450.

I used the 450 for a while with a 210 and a 410, and that sounded really good and loud. The thing is that i am slowly moving towards smaller lighter cabs with more efficient speakers... So I was wondering about the possibility of getting back some of the lost volume by increasing the power, if the RH750 made any substantial difference.
Click to expand...

It's a louder amp than the RH450, but I think the question is, "Do you need a louder amp?"

What cabinet are you talking about using when running small? IMO, if you're talking about running a 210, how loud you'll be able to get is going to be primarily limited by the cabinet. If you have a cabinet, had the RH450 master pegged, and it wasn't enough for you, then you need a louder amp. In that situation, if you like everything else about the RH450, the RH750 will be capable of getting louder than the RH450.
 
#11
mcnach said:
Thank you for all the comments.
So if I switch to the RH750 I must do it on the extra adjustment and tonal possibilities alone and not thinking on a louder version of the RH450.

I used the 450 for a while with a 210 and a 410, and that sounded really good and loud. The thing is that i am slowly moving towards smaller lighter cabs with more efficient speakers... So I was wondering about the possibility of getting back some of the lost volume by increasing the power, if the RH750 made any substantial difference.
Click to expand...

This makes a bigger difference than amp power. I'll be safe (people argue this number) and say you need 4 to 10 times the amp power alone to double perceived sound. That would mean from 236 watts: 944-2360 watts. Most folks are in the 10 times rule camp (2360 watts).
Efficient use of incoming amp power is as important as adding surface area.
 
#12
My current "small rig" is a RS210 and a BC212, vertically. That has not been found to be lacking yet, although at times I was driving it hard.
I have used a single cab a few times, but I nearly always ended up maxing the master, so I prefer using two cabs.

I have ordered a Barefaced Compact (1x15") cab, which is small, light and loud. I'm thinking that if it's as good as the reviews have me believe... I would happily get another one for a very light and portable rig that is likely to be at least as loud as my existing one.
If a RH750 were noticeably louder, that added to extra controls etc would make it very appealing to me.
It's the combination of things, not that I am after a louder amp necessarily.
 
#14
mcnach said:
I have used a single cab a few times, but I nearly always ended up maxing the master, so I prefer using two cabs.
Click to expand...

If your RH450 was maxed out, and you have a cabinet that still has more to give, the RH750 will go farther than the RH450; an amount that I'd think most actually hearing it would call "moderate" or "significant." This is from my experience owning both amps.

There's routinely a false importance given to ranking "twice as loud." An already "loud" sound doesn't have to have doubled loudness to be taken as significantly louder.
 
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#15
drpepper said:
If your RH450 was maxed out, and you have a cabinet that still has more to give, the RH750 will go farther than the RH450; an amount that I'd think most actually hearing it would call "moderate" or "significant." This is from my experience owning both amps.

There's routinely a false importance given to ranking "twice as loud." An already "loud" sound doesn't have to have doubled loudness to be taken as significantly louder.
Click to expand...

Thanks.

And agreed. I don't particularly need "twice as loud".
 
#17
reading the manual, I saw that the all the boost/cut frequencies on all eq knobs can be tweaked to one's own liking, so the difference in these amps is not as big as I thought.

I agree with Musicman20 - the lowpass filter doesn't really matter since the 3015 in the Compact does not quite go to the 5k hz area, so with only a difference in wattage the RH450 might be sufficient
 
#18
i own the rh450. it simply is'nt loud enough to compete with my drummer [ heavy rock band. using it with a pair of tc RS210 cabs. vol on max and gain on as high as will allow. struggling also to get a fat bottom end. considering the RH750 as i like the amp features but i'm also worried that it will still not be loud enough. watts confuses me these days. in 1983 if i bought a 100w bass amp it could blow my windows out, these days, 450w is a kitten !
 
#20
Nick-p said:
i own the rh450. it simply is'nt loud enough to compete with my drummer [ heavy rock band. using it with a pair of tc RS210 cabs. vol on max and gain on as high as will allow. struggling also to get a fat bottom end. considering the RH750 as i like the amp features but i'm also worried that it will still not be loud enough. watts confuses me these days. in 1983 if i bought a 100w bass amp it could blow my windows out, these days, 450w is a kitten !
Click to expand...

Remember the amp is only capable of 236W maximum. It only 'sounds' like 450W. Same goes for the 750.
 

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