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Which power amp for bass?

Gwardar

Gwardar

May 24, 2009
408
22
Australia
#1
Hi

I'm looking to enhance my current rig by adding more power and extra cabinents. I know it shouldn't matter whether power amp is for bass or anything else, but as experience teaches us some things just work better than the other.

I'm currently looking at Fender MB-1200, seems OK, good reviews, kinda "dedicated" to bass (although that's probably irrelevant).

For pretty much the same $$$ I could get a Crown XTi series with double the power, but I've heard they are plagued by quality issues. Also most of good deals on those are B-Stock. Some sellers are honest and mark the items as such, but I bet some won't do that. How would I tell B-stock from "normal" item. I don't want to buy a lemon. Or should I stay away from Crown alltogether?

Are there any other brands/models worth considering?

Any enlightment in the matter is greatly appreciated.

Kind regards

MP
 
#2
some say ... all PA power amp sounds the same ...

others say ... the new generation of light weight are as good as the lead sled ...

all we know is that, when one have a clear preference, the name Crest CA comes up a lot ...

(Jeremy Clarkson voice off)
 
#3
I'd tend to prioritize like this:
1) price
2) power per weight
3) warranty and ease of obtaining service
4) extra features
5) tone

That is to say, whether different power amps do or don't sound different, their tonal differences are small enough that for me it's the very last consideration. For others, those smallish tone differences are more important than weight.
 
#5
bongomania said:
I'd tend to prioritize like this:
1) price
2) power per weight
3) warranty and ease of obtaining service
4) extra features
5) tone

That is to say, whether different power amps do or don't sound different, their tonal differences are small enough that for me it's the very last consideration. For others, those smallish tone differences are more important than weight.
Click to expand...

There can be huge differences in tone between power amps, and although usually everyone is somewhat concerned about price there is a lot to saying that "you get what you pay for"!
 
#6
"Can be" huge differences, sure, but it's not common for the differences to be easy to hear, never mind huge. For example certainly an all-tube Mesa or Ampeg power amp is going to sound different than an Acoustic Image Focus SA. But the extremes are not the norm--and the norm is very small differences.

As one common example, the Crest CA9 has a very, very low input sensitivity rating, while the Stewart World series that people like to contrast it against has a very high input sensitivity rating. If you feed the same preamp, with the same settings, into both--the Stewart will sound weak and thin, and the Crest will sound mighty and ballsy. But the source of the difference is in the usage, not so much the power amp.

Now, that's not to say they sound identical--they have different components, they will sound a little different. But when used properly, their tone difference is not huge at all.

And sometimes "you get what you pay for", but not always--for example my Carvin DCM power amp was fairly cheap, but it has served me faultlessly (and sounded great) for years. Really though the reason I put price at #1 was not to encourage going cheap, but rather to say that when buying a power amp I will set my budget first, then find the power amp that will do the best job within my budget. If you've got a tall budget, then you can move straight to the next item in line. :)
 
#8
I have used a lot of different power amps and the differences are minimal if you know what you're doing. The varying high pass filter built in is the biggest deal that makes them sound different.
 
#9
In terms of tone, the best I have heard whis is still practical for gigs is chordelectronics spa amps.
The only "problem" may be that they are not cheap.
I used to use crest,qsc,crown as well and all worked.
With my current amp though(chord spa2232) I don't think I'll feel the need to upgrade any time soon.:)
480 Watt per side at 8 ohm.
3 rack unit spaces.
18 kg
:)
 
#10
Ive used a crest ca6 and it thumped and was super clean, if thats your thing, but yes it is heavy. If you've got the cash to get a crest "pro" series amp, they are amazing. Lightweight, very powerful and super clean. They are pricey but you kinda get what you pay for.
 
#11
I have the Crest CA6 and love it.

8 Ohm Stereo - 400 W
4 Ohm Stereo - 600 W
2 Ohm Stereo - 750 W
8 Ohm Bridged - 1200 W
4 Ohm Bridged - 1500 W

I really don't need more power than this. The clarity is fantastic with the Alembic F2B.
Very fast and with tones of head room.
 
#12
I've owned the Crest Ca6. Great amp. Lots of push and it will drive any cabinet to it's extreme.

However, a well kept secret is the ElectroVoice 7300 (NOT the 7300A). Run it bridged (rated at 600W). It's usually around 150 - 200 bucks used and it sounds just as good or better than some very pricey amps.

See my profile. I'm a gearhead. I've owned some serious stuff. It weighs about 50pouns but the EV is a great choice.
 
#14
I'm generally with Bongo and adbass on this one: it doesn't have to be huge and pricey to be good.

I've used Crest, Crown, QSC, Yamaha, Stewart World, and Carvin.

For the last couple of years, I've been relying on a Carvin DCM for pre+power gigs. There are sexier, spendier, and heavier amps, but the DCM has been trouble-free, it's not brutally heavy, and it sounds great with my pre-amps.
 
#15
Here is my Crest CD3000 class D 3000 watt power amp which is a real light weight amp and low amperage draw for this high wattage, 7 amps at peak. You can never have enough power :D as long as your cabs peak program rating can handle it. Each cab is receiving 1500 watts at peak output leaving 100 watts shy of the SVT's 810's 1600 peak program power rating. If I ever saw the need, I could still add 2 more Svt's for even more sound dispersement but this setup is more practical :eyebrow: and suits me just fine.:)

Power amps are a great way to go because the versatility in power, preamp options, speaker configurations,etc. and there are so many to choose from.

When choosing a power amp, be sure to consider your power and speaker cabs needs now and the possible future. I would recommend choosing an amps power by stereo/dual mono power rather than it's bridged mono power output. With bridged mono, you will be stuck using only 1- 4 ohm cab or 2 -8 ohm cabs max and you won't be able to add more in future if you desire without buying another amp.

Crest amps are now part of the Peavey corp. Peavey now makes a real lightweight high power power amp that is really affordable. I would check this one out as well. These are the IPR series and come in many different power levels.



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#16
fourstringburn said:
Here is my Crest CD3000 class D 3000 watt power amp which is a real light weight amp and low amperage draw for this high wattage, 7 amps at peak.
Click to expand...

just an FYI. while those are very nice amps, there's no way any amp can produce 3K watts and draw only 7 amps. your crest amp draws alot more than 7A at peak.

here's its actual specs:

Circuit breaker rating (120V/230V): 20A /12A
Current draw (120VAC) 1/8 power, 4 ohms: 7.0A
1/3 power, 4 ohms: 14.0A
 
#18
I have 2 rigs both with Sansamp and bbe compressor and carvin cabinets 4X10 and 1X18 and in one rig I use a Carvin DCM1500 and in the other rig a Tapco 2500. Never had a problem with either had both for 2 years regular giging about 2 to 3 times a month plus practice about twice a week.
 
#19
johnk_10 said:
just an FYI. while those are very nice amps, there's no way any amp can produce 3K watts and draw only 7 amps. your crest amp draws alot more than 7A at peak.

here's its actual specs:

Circuit breaker rating (120V/230V): 20A /12A
Current draw (120VAC) 1/8 power, 4 ohms: 7.0A
1/3 power, 4 ohms: 14.0A
Click to expand...


Sorry to burst your bubble, but class D amps go against the ohms law formula (not really but it seems to). The explanation is complicated but Bob lee from QSC audio explained and confirmed this why it is so.

I also plug this in to a amp meter to verify and sure enough with the amp dimed, the meter showed less than 8 amps draw.This is why class D amps are the ultimate in efficiency

Here is the CD3000 spec's copy pasted from Crest audio if you still doubt, then you can argue the facts with Crest audio or Bob Lee on this forum.


CD3000
current draw (120VAC) 1/8 power, 4 ohms 7.0A

Another spec shows the amperage draw based on severe pink noise testing:

1/3 power, 4 ohms 14.0A

According to Bob Lee at QSC audio, the 1/8 power test result is the real world application you should be concerned about as this is the actual current draw of this amp.

The 1/3 power spec is based of a severe pink noise factor rating and is really not obtainable in normal usage.

Also my amp has only a 12 amp breaker. If the amp drew the 14 amps, then that would trip the circuit breaker wouldn't it? Most amps usually have a circuit breaker rated around 2x the actual amperage draw right?
 
#20
i recently went with a Crown XLS1500 and i agree with all above...

though im suprised no1 is gonna mention the need for BALANCED cables...i mean the first thing i did was plug in my UNbalanced 1/4 to the Crown and i was sure someting was wrong it was barely loud at all on 100% pusing 6x10 @775w....after all kinds of reading and learning from forums i have to make yet another purchase to change my 1/4 UNbalanced leads to BALANCED XLR leads...never knew this would be the HUGE problem it was and pretty expensive too >$200 ...apparently unbalanced signal is weaker than BALANCED signal thus less headroom at the power amp -BTW any clarifications are appreciated-

you will need a DI box or device (preamp or wireless) that outputs a BALANCED (TRS) signal....and youll need to do some research cause from what ive learned you cant penny pinch here unless you want unbearable hum....some devices dont let you control the VOLUME/LEVEL of the BALANCED XLR out while other let you choose with a switch (-30db , 0db , +10db ) and others use a knob style.....some are active and require a wall outlet or batteries....some are passive but may not be strong enough for, well ANY application reguarding bass....im not even sure yet what to get myself....i wish someone in the store or ANYWHERE for that matter could just tell me what device i need....

i use a Bass PODxt Live as my preamp and it DOESNT have BALANCED outs...so ive got a $500 question in front of me NOT includin new expensive cables i need

geez its enough to make your head spin on just this topic....let alone all others brought up previously like how much power is really in the amp at all, some companies list RMS, continuous, MINIMUM GUARENTEED POWER <---this ones new even to me on my Crown

good luck
 

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