What Power Amp is in your Rack Rig??

[Fuzzbass]

Update to my previous post:

I still have the Stewart World 2.1. Excellent amp: lots of watts, 17 pounds.

I added a Crown XTi 2000. It's similar in weight and power to the Stewart. Input sensitivity is lower, but that doesn't really affect me.

I sold my Crest Ca9 because it was too heavy for me, but it is definitely the best amp of the bunch. If you don't mind lugging a 50 pound amp, then I highly recommend it.

 

[lsabina]

I use a Carvin DCM200L. 100W per side, bridgable, and only 1 RU. 5lbs. Perfect for the smaller venues in which I play.

 

[TL5]

Same here, great price on the Yamaha and dead quiet.

another Yamaha:

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( not shown: pedals, featuring the Tech 21 VT Bass in front of the pre/power)

 

[steveksux]

I run a CROWN MACROTECH 2402 into a pair of EA VL210 8 ohm cabinets. It sounds really good, but is pretty heavy to carry around. I bought it thinking I might conceivably be able to repair it if it ever blew up, compared to K2's and other switching types that can be hard to fix. But it hasn't broken down. Wish I could say the same for my old-man back.

I got the K1, (same cabs) got it in the late 90's I think. Only time I had to take it in for repairs was when I was carrying it in a rack in the winter, and hit a slippery part, feet slid out and I landed on the rack. Just broke a connection.

Now I'm in the same boat as you, hoping it breaks so I can get one of those new lightweight Crown amps. Also wish I had waited a bit and gotten the neo version of the 210 EA cabs...

Randy

 

[Art Araya]

Carvin DCM2000 - chose it based on price and features. I'm happy with it. I've not used any other brand of power amp in the past.

I wonder what the other big named power amps would sound like but not enough to go out and replace the Carvin.

 

[Floridabwoy]

Yamaha PB-1 ->Crown xls202 (600 watts)

Mainly because, it was inexpensive. I traded the Yami for a GK BL600, and the Crown was like 250. It sounds really great.
(The crest audio is just along for the ride, it powers the PA.)

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[Floridabwoy]

Those of you that have the BBE processor (not preamp) in their rig does it help? Why?


I have a 362 just laying around, so I was curious.

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

Crest CA9

 

[dhomer]

Carvin DCM600. Found it on ebay for a very decent price. Powerful enough to drive my BFM cab, versatile enough to handle rehearsal room and "quiet" gigs..

 

[Hoover]

Edit: what the heck? I already responded to this thread!

 

[bassplayer7770]

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[scottbass]

Crown CE1000. I think it puts 1100 watts into 4 ohms when bridged. It's heavy, but it's 100% proven reliable over the years. I have used several preamps over the years. I'm currently using an Ampeg SVP-pro. I'm waiting for some of the good TB reviewers to reach two-to-three year experience with the class D amps before I decide which one seems the most reliable to replace the old Crown.

 

[Thunderthumbs73]

What power amp are you running, for your bass rig? Why did you choose it, and how do you like it? Just trying to get opinions and ideas for all of us to see and use. Post a pic, if you can. If your using just an amp head, this won't require any answers, but may give you future ideas.

First off, I took my power amp OUT of my rack rig as I realized with it in the rack (along with the other gear, and the general size of that box, made it very heavy and unwieldy. I've been using a Crest Audio CA4 which has been stone-cold reliable. No problems. Go to the manufacturers sites for pdf of the owners manuals for any unit. It's time well-spent.

 

[ptidwell]

What power amp are you running, for your bass rig? Why did you choose it, and how do you like it? Just trying to get opinions and ideas for all of us to see and use. Post a pic, if you can. If your using just an amp head, this won't require any answers, but may give you future ideas.

I have a couple of power amp/preamp rigs: 1.) QSC 2402 Chose it for its power handling and ability to go down to 2 ohms, bridge, and parallel capabilities along with its 21 lbs weight and 2U rack space, power handling 1,200W/ch @ 2 ohms, 700W/ch @ 4 ohms, 425W/ch @ 8 ohms, 2,400W bridged mono @ 4 ohms, 1,500W bridged mono @ 8 ohms.
2.) Crown XTi2000 Chose it for the same reasons along with its DSP capabilities that I have not utilized thus far and its lighter weight @ 17lbs and power handling 1,000W/ch @ 2 ohms, 800W/ch @ 4 ohms, 475W/ch @ 8 ohms, 2,000W bridged mono @ 4 ohms, 1,600W bridged mono @ 8 ohms.

Only picture I could find with the QSC/BMAX-T and that's not me that's David Dyson playin' my gear (NAMM 2010 Bass Bash)

Crown/Pope Rig

 

[bluesman 101]

Marshall dbs 7400.... 400 watts, rack mt.,hybrid tube pre-amp.,super clean and tons of headroom.

 

[Ronny49]

QSC PLX1804

I use an SWR M2 preamp and they match well. The QSC's main sell, to me, was the weight. I bought it without trying it first, but compared notes with a few PA guys who unanimously respect the brand. I really do like the sound. You can "sort of" see my rack in my video clip (see my sig). It's just like Red Planet's rig ... except in Australian voltages ... so his photos can also suffice.

It's worth mentioning that the QSC PLX1804 is a fairly shallow amp too, so you could fit it in a shallower rack than some amps. Its fan is always on, fairly quietly, and has been used as a hand warmer on more than one cold winter gig. The amp itself has never gotten hot. I run both sides at 4 ohms, but I definitely don't use all 1800 watts.

Nice video and great sound ya got there! I also see that you have Dr. Bass cabs... isn't that a valuable thing these days??

 

[Ben Clarke]

Alto Pro Audio D2. 17lbs, 750W @ 4R. Neutral sound works well with my early Demeter tube pre. Plenty of umph for big outdoor stuff - never even thought about bridging it with my 8R 21012L.

 

[zombywoof5050]

What power amp are you running, for your bass rig? Why did you choose it, and how do you like it?

My power amp is a Carver PM1400.
I specifically chose it for use with my Alembic F-2B, partly because Alembic recommends a power amp with at least 10K ohms (unbalanced) input impedence for use with the F-2B. Since most of the popular power amps are right around 10K ohms on the unbalanced inputs, I thought the Carver would be a step up with its unbalanced input impedence of 25K ohms. Also the Carver PM series' input sensitivity is switchable from 1.5V to 0.775V, and I switched mine to 0.775V to insure that I'd have no problems driving it to full output. Another plus is that there is no gain loss when using the unbalanced inputs compared to the balanced inputs. About the only negatives I can perceive are that it won't go down to 2 ohms per channel (4 ohms minimum) and no high pass filters, but neither of those ever hindered my application. Bob Carver is a power amp genius, and his PM series is a great amp IMO. A big heavy thing though for sure.

 

[Scatterblak]

What power amp are you running, for your bass rig? Why did you choose it, and how do you like it? Just trying to get opinions and ideas for all of us to see and use. Post a pic, if you can. If your using just an amp head, this won't require any answers, but may give you future ideas.

Crown XLS-1500 and a DNA DNS-410. The cab wants 1400W RMS, 2800W peak, and the XLS-1500 puts out 1550W bridged. It's got digital controls on the front, and it weighs less than 10 lbs. Very transparent, very quiet, light as a feather, - don't know what else I could ask for.

 

[mojothumper]

dbx 160A, Alembic SF-2 Superfilter, Alembic F-1X pre-amp, SWR 750