What Amplifier Specifications Do You Feel Is Beneficial?

[superheavyfunk]

I just want to know what all knobs at noon does. Everybody thins that's where 'flat' is but it almost never is. I'm tired of having to fuss with amps for ages to get an approximation of the sound I want.

When I buy an amp, I want to not have to scour the internet to find out that 'flat' is something crazy and not "all knobs at noon."

 

[jaco944]

I'm simple.
When I turn it on will it be loud enough. (Watts)
When I play flat will it sound like James, Jaco or Victor (color)

 

[dave64o]

A lot of interesting ideas here, and many of them are beyond my EE capabilities (one electronics class in college as part of my comp sci program, but I took that class in 1984 and really haven't used it since).

But, based on my own personal work experience of sometimes having to present data to different audiences with different levels of technical expertise (sometimes the end users I deal directly with, sometimes my technical management, sometimes internal program management, and sometimes customer program management), I've often tailored reports and presentations to the least technical audience and then included supplements for those that understand what they're reading and want to dive deeper.

Maybe one way to present the more detailed information would be to, instead of including it right in the user manual, would be to have a supplemental technical data document or documents. Those whose eyes glaze over when looking at charts will never bother to look at it and those who are at least willing (able is a WHOLE other question ) to take a look can get it. It could be included in the original packaging along with the user manual, could be available for download on the web site, or it could be advertised on the web site as available on request. That way the stuff that is relevant to the vast majority of bassists goes in the users manual and those that want to peek under the hood can get it easily enough.

I know that's not really what you asked (what info do we want to see in the manual), but how to present so it's useful to the most people without also confusing those who don't need it is part of the equation.

 

[ThunderFox]

When I look for an amp, apart from the overall sound, I look for these factors;
•Lightweight
•Portability (can if fit in my car)
•Lots of Connections (XLR DI, Effects Loop, Footswitch, etc)
•Simplicity, but with a fair amount of features
•Great sound at 12 o'clock. (But it has to sound good all the time, ha ha)

 

[johnpbass]

Agree with others who said they'd like to know what control settings are flat. I'm not a play the amp at flat settings guy but knowing where flat is gives an important reference point for us players who are the knob twirlers.
What I don't find useful are those "suggested settings for [insert genre here]", like "rock", "jazz", "baroque", "metal" etc.

 

[jnewmark]

Some sort of meaningful spec for the average joe to understand what is going on with the Master control, as you turn it more to the right. For example, with the Subway 800, if I turn the Master all the way to the right, am I getting the full 800 watts at 4 ohms, or did that already happen before I got that far ? I'm probably not asking this in the right terms, but perhaps just a chart showing what type of volume taper is in the amp. Am I getting everything at straight up 12 o'clock, or do I need to go further, etc. ?

 

[eddododo]

All amps should come with a YouTube video, recorded from across the living room into the built-in mic on the computer.
Bonus points for a poorly timed hammer-fingered rendition of 'I want you back' or the 'jungle boogie' run

 

[fdeck]

I don't know what you should spec, but here's what I measure on my bench, when I get a new amp home:

1. Baked in frequency response graph as mentioned by @Inara
2. Knob settings to reach flat response -- useful starting point for upright bass IMHO
3. Max voltage before limiter kicks in

Since you've mentioned amps that don't have a hard max voltage, e.g., where some amount of THD is baked into the design, I don't know if the 3rd item applies to all designs. I find it useful just to know what I'm dealing with when I design my speakers.

I'm not interested in "gotcha" measurements, but just trying to get a better understanding of how amps work.

 

[ThinCrappyTone]

So I'm sitting at my desk pondering some thoughts for an update of specifications provided, and while there are a ton of possible specs. to include I think many of them are virtually meaningless to the overwhelming majority of players. Of course there are some important ones as well.

Now's your opportunity to state your opinions as to what an "ideal" amplifier spec. sheet should contain. As ideas come up, I may wish to discuss them to be sure we are on the same page.

The one thing I am not going to accept are disrespectful posts however, and this is not (yet another) class D amp debate as the class of amp does not matter for this discussion.

When it comes to amps, over the years I have come to pretty much ignore most manufacturer specs in my buying decisions. I either don't understand them or don't trust them. So my answer is: doesn't really matter to a mindset like mine.

The reason for this is that there has been so much deception and stretching of the truth with amp specs over the years that I stopped paying attention to the numbers. I'll audition if possible, and source as many reliable reviews as I can. A good example of why is the 80 watt Trace Elliot amp I have. It's way louder than some 300 watt amps I own, so what does the wattage spec even mean to a non-engineer type like me?

What I can say is that the mesa literature is outstanding. It helps me get the most out of the gear, adds to the good feeling I have about the brand, and makes me want to purchase again. Things I love about the lit:
• I like how it explains, in real-world terms, how to set the amplifiers to get certain sounds
• Practical simple illustrations like how to hook up various impedence loads
• Good amount of info: Neither too little nor too much
• Just the right amount of humor

Happy owner of a D800+ and Express 5:25 Plus. Former happy owner of m9 Carbine.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

Folks, out of respect to the OP, let's focus on his original question: What amp SPECS matter to you? This is not about features.

Got it. I misunderstood.

Tone control flat settings is all I really need to know.

 

[gregmon79]

A DI. My amp is a very minimalist approach to feature set. All that's on it is a bass control, presence (it's labeled as a boost but it's really like a presence control) and a volume. It's actually pretty versatile with just that on it. But I would kill to have a nice DI in it with a Jensen transformer and all that good stuff. My life would be complete

And I would need at least 400 watts of power. My amp is an all tube head and it pushes 180w but it sure sounds much louder. Then my GK 1001, well, you all know that one. So yeah, I need some power in an amp as well.

 

[Jeff Scott]

... I'm a civil engineer (nearing retirement)...

Once you retire you will no longer have to be civil!

 

[AngusHasMoxie]

I would love to see a scope reading (if that's the right term) of the amp with all eq controls at noon. If the response is not basically flat at those settings (e.g. if it has a baked-in eq curve like the GK heads), I'd also like to see what knob settings give the closest to flat response on the particular amp in question.

If this is also going to be considered for cabinets, I'd like to see actual response graphs, on and off axis, rather than some mystical "sensitivity" number provided with no information on what frequency it occurs at, or what the response curve as a whole looks like.

It would be really cool to see the reading with flat EQ, and then what each EQ knob does to effect that reading so we can have a visual representation of how much sculpting is possible. There are a lot of customers (me, for example) that have no easy way of trying Mesa or Genz Benz geat out so things like this might help sell a few extra units to a player that knows specs but lives too far away to try it for themselves.

 

[40Hz]

Detailed frequency specs or (ideally) a graph with EQ flat as @Inara stated earlier.

I'd also want to know the center frequencies and frequency ranges of the the EQ points, and the type of EQ circuit they're using.

 

[seang15]

Great idea/question here, thanks agedhorse!

I didn't read through all the responses here, although quite a few were very good. My responses/suggestions won't be too abstract, but they're features I usually dig:

-Higher input impedance: Supports both upright and electric.
-HPF (Able to be tweaked by user). This is YUGE!
-Ability to run either pre/post (power) amplifier to D.I.
-Mute! (Front panel)
-Tuner out! (Front panel)
-Effects loop (of course)
-Illumination of some sort...we all usually play in the dark!

And: Not overly complex. We'd rather be playing than RTFM.

Edit: Add the ability to run with no-load needed! Love that I can use my GK MB200 as a headphone amp, sans speaker cab. And could use it at a gig to drive an inner-ear monitor, and go direct to PA if needed, without a cab. (Haven't done this yet, but it's great to know it's available.)

Edit again: Able to properly operate at 2ohms!

Cheers,
Sean

 

[rockiezz]

I'm going through this as we type, blew out my speakers in my Aguilar DB210 for the second time with my MB800 GK, (yes it is too much power for the cab) although knowing the watts is IMO the most important issue is is equally important to match up the correct cab for amp wattage, can't drive the amp without the cab.

 

[Hoochie Coochie Man]

Many responders here remind me of politicians. They are asked a question, and respond to an entirely different question.

Andy. I think you should have phrased the question in the title of this thread in a way that would discourage people from thinking you are conducting a marketing survey to find out what design features people want in a bass amp.

Something like "What amplifier technical specifications do you want to read about in an owners manual?"

 

[jonathanhughes]

Yes! I'm amazed that five pages in, people are still just answering the question they want to be asked.

 

[Crash 56]

I would like to know what "baked in " tone the designers had in mind for a particular amp, so I know if I even need to seek one out to try. Ideally, the flatter response with all the knobs straight up would be great...

 

[BasturdBlaster]

If it has been mentioned already, I apologize....

I'd like to see the "effects return" and "power amp in" input sensitivity specs.