icastle

[quote name='mep' post='1088675' date='Jan 13 2011, 10:09 PM']Also called vice-grips! Any one got a funny story along those lines?[/quote] Nothing I'm gonna admit to...

[quote name='thepurpleblob' post='1088647' date='Jan 13 2011, 09:43 PM']It's fabulous... the power cable doesn't even take much thinking about. You spend thousands on your power cable and then plug it into the wall. Via a 4 quid MK socket (if you're lucky), yards of cheap and nasty T&E, a rickety old fuse box and then God knows what between you and a big, rusty, 1940s transformer at the end of the street.[/quote] It's even worse in Norfolk because there's no hills and the electric gets stuck in the wires - unless you use the Russ Andrews nuclear reactor cables of course...

[quote name='gelfin' post='1088697' date='Jan 13 2011, 10:32 PM']My poncey power amplifiers in my poncey stereo draw 11amps on switch on. My poncey stereo can produce higher sound pressure levels than my bass rig. A Gallien Krueger fusion 550 into a 4x10 and a 2x10 linked to an Ashdown 1000w bass magnifier power amp a 4x12 and 1x15. Measured at 3metres. I don't subscribe to expensive cables and Russ Andrews kit is over priced and he is a self opinionated twit. (I work in the Hi Fi industry and have met him on various occasions). However I have found benefits in buying "decent" cables for both my bass rig and my Hi Fi. Russ Andrews has also been warned by the ASA not to make unmeasurable claims for the ability of his mains cables. I realise that some Hi Fi junkies will spend anything in their search for the Holy Grail in audio reproduction, but it's their money to do with as they wish if they believe it's what they want. Personally I tend to advise against this type of purchase and suggest they spend their money on a load more music to try out. Rant over Sorry.[/quote] Yep - high end stuff can draw a lot of current on startup - that's why I said [i]normal household 'AV' setup[/i] - I was specifically staying away from high end hifi gear and bass gear...

[quote name='King Tut' post='1088677' date='Jan 13 2011, 10:12 PM']I think the correct impedance ext speaker to use depends on whether the output is wired in series or parallel - I've got a feeling that these are wired like the nemesis combos - which would make it OK to use with a 4 ohm cab. Can't be sure though.[/quote] There would be no need for the warning of 'Maximum 8Ω Speaker' if the outputs were wired in series...

[quote name='willyf87' post='1088179' date='Jan 13 2011, 03:39 PM']Got a little giant 1000 and a schroeder cab on the way. I see there are 2 pin and 4 pin speakon cables out there, which do i need and can anyone tell me the difference?[/quote] 2W Speakon cables are usually all that is needed to connect a speaker cab to an amp. The 4W connector has twice as many connections to allow for bi-amping. You can use a 2W 'plug' on a 4W 'socket' but not vice versa. 2W plugs are always cheaper than 4W plugs and the housing is smaller (as they don't need to have 4 wires connected inside them).

[quote name='mart' post='1088162' date='Jan 13 2011, 03:32 PM']I've never heard of molegrips before - but if I cut away the strap button and expose the screw head, you think the molegrips will be able to turn the screw, even though it was stuck so fast my screwdriver gave up? Sorry, I'm a bit clueless about these mole thingies [/quote] Mole grips have got one hell of a grip and let you exert far more torque than a screwdriver.. Most DIY places sell them (B&Q, Wickes, Homebase), they're not hugely expensive and once you have a pair you'll wonder how you ever did without them...

[quote name='mart' post='1088177' date='Jan 13 2011, 03:37 PM']If I take a hacksaw to the bit of the screw between the button and the body then I would have, at best, 3-4 mm of screw left protruding from the body. Would that be enough?[/quote] I very much doubt it. If I had the option of leaving a longer length of thread then I'd go for that.

[quote name='thepurpleblob' post='1088164' date='Jan 13 2011, 03:33 PM']They're for real. They got hauled over the coals recently by the advertising standards people for talking crap See [url="http://asa.org.uk/ASA-action/Adjudications/2011/1/Russ-Andrews-Accessories-Ltd/TF_ADJ_49597.aspx"]http://asa.org.uk/ASA-action/Adjudications..._ADJ_49597.aspx[/url][/quote] It was yesterday! Wow - we certainly have our 'fingers on the pulse' here in BC...

[quote name='mart' post='1088135' date='Jan 13 2011, 03:14 PM']Slightly more seriously: when you look at that site, does it tell you you have anything in your basket? I just glanced up and noticed it had put 3 things in my basket, without me clicking on anything. It was only £5000 worth of kit - I could just tell the wife it was an impulse buy.[/quote] Yeah - it did it to me as well when I first went to the site...

[quote name='lemmywinks' post='1088150' date='Jan 13 2011, 03:23 PM']That site is ace, funniest thing i've read in ages! I suspect that it's actually one big joke, surely nobody is that stupid? I can't imagine the folk who actually sit and write the advertising blurb can make it through one draft without falling on the floor in fits of laughter. Still, good idea for a company. Make 300 sales, buy two or three houses, retire![/quote] I think it's a real site - I placed an order for £130,000 and it sent me to an https page for filling in my credit card details!

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='1088098' date='Jan 13 2011, 02:57 PM']#2 but it would be better if you could cut or file the groove.[/quote] +1 Stay away from the hammer though or you're likely to have more than a stuck screw to contend with... Hold the existing strap button in place with long nosed pliers (or long nosed mole grips if you have them) and very gently and carefully cut a slot using a junior hacksaw - you'll probably cut a slot in the strap button as well. Use the biggest bladed screwdriver you have to remove the screw afterwards and be gentle with it (the remaining metal won't be anywhere near as strong as a prime slot headed screw. Whilst attempting the unscrewing treat the slot in the strap button as part of the screw - it'll distribute the load a little. If that goes wrong then worry the remains of the screw out and use molegrips on the remaining shaft.

[quote name='mart' post='1088097' date='Jan 13 2011, 02:57 PM']Wouldn't a 13A fuse give more headroom ? [/quote] Not as much as my hat with built in Dolby...

[quote name='yorick' post='1088072' date='Jan 13 2011, 02:43 PM']Can you imagine the conversation down the local Dog and Duck gig... Mate, can i borrow your mains lead, forgot mine Sorry mate, cost more than your 59 Les Paul............ etc[/quote] ...and telling the landlord he needs to upgrade his ring main as well... I was kinda hoping to find a price for a 2m guitar lead but they obviously figured out that anything with a 1/4" jack involved was bound to have at least a modicum of intelligence attached to one end of it...

[quote name='Rich' post='1088039' date='Jan 13 2011, 02:18 PM']Their speaker cables are [url="http://www.russandrews.com/product.asp?lookup=1&region=UK&currency=GBP&pf_id=3378&customer_id=PAA1237014111701KYWGGSXPYLGKRJPJ"]a bit of a bargain[/url] though.[/quote] Bargain! [i]'Listening confirms that they are significantly better'[/i] - so much more meaningful than taking that boring old scientific approach with all those dull numbers and wierd symbols... I kinda thought the 0.5m XLR to XLR cables were a snip at £997.20 each...

[quote name='Rich' post='1088026' date='Jan 13 2011, 02:10 PM']Not unless it boils water or gets creases out of your shirts. A 'better sounding fuse'? Absolute codswallop. A fool and his money...[/quote] I'm gonna invent a special hat with Dolby in it to remove the hiss from steam irons...

[i]Kord Signature-SD II™... cable’s 24 conductors mean that it has very low mains impedance[/i] Which makes absolutely no difference as UK mains voltage is +/- 10% anyway. This site is hilarious - I haven't found a single item yet that either makes any sense or isn't overpriced by 1000% +

[quote name='thepurpleblob' post='1087981' date='Jan 13 2011, 01:52 PM']I can't get over the concept of "retro-fitting" a 13A fuse. Ha ha ha. You probably shouldn't be using a fuse that big in your poncey stereo anyway.[/quote] Nope. Poncey stereo stuff generally uses 3A fuses... in fact I can't think of anything in the normal household 'AV' setup that actually would need a 13A fuse...

This site has to be a p*ss take... [url="http://www.russandrews.com/product.asp?lookup=1&region=UK&currency=GBP&pf_id=1019&customer_id=PAA1310011411438DGPMMGPSHMFMWOUL"]http://www.russandrews.com/product.asp?loo...GPMMGPSHMFMWOUL[/url]

[quote name='pantherairsoft' post='1087903' date='Jan 13 2011, 01:03 PM']Its not my week with amps and cabs. Received an EBS 410 today. It was fine when it left the sender and arrived with me with an odd issue The top right of the 4 drivers has a strange overdrive to it… At first listen it sounds like a vibration, but on lower notes or with the volume turned up its like having an overdrive pedal with a blend and letting about 10% fuzz through… I have checked everything is tight and am certain it is not a vibration. I've also taken the driver out and there is no noticeable damage it physically. Unlike normal damaged speakers this driver is letting the full original signal though, but as an extra layer there is this very feint fuzz. Putting you ear up to each driver in turn reveals the sound is coming from just this one. I imagine many people wouldn't even notice it in a rock band setting, but its definitely there. When you sustain a note and it starts to trail off it almost sounds as though that fuzz layer is shifting in pitch or phasing… its hard to put my finger on it but reminds me of using my Moog FreqBox ith only 10% wet signal. I'll be claiming from the courier but not sure its going to go anywhere so prob looking at a new driver from EBS… but before I do that, anyone else experienced anything similar?[/quote] Good Grief! You are having a run of bad luck - have you considered taking up playing the triangle instead? There's a few places the noise could be coming from: 1) Is the grille rattling (take it off if you're not certain). 2) Not sure how these are wired internally but it may be worth checking to make sure that the cables to the speaker (and at the crossover end - if there is one) are secured and have good solder joints (assuming they're soldered of course!). 3) Take the driver out of the cab and lay it on its back (so the cone is facing you). Gently place a little food plate on the cone. Put your finger in the middle of the plate and very gently push down. If you hear (or feel) any grating then it means the voice coil has been damaged. If that's the case then a recone usually works out cheaper than replacing a premium driver.

[quote name='pantherairsoft' post='1087604' date='Jan 13 2011, 09:15 AM']Hi folks, Yesterday my amp ran silent. It went out to the studio with me yesterday and back last night. Having plugged it in this morning where it usually sits at home, same power socket, same cab, cables everything it has a low level electrical mains hum style noise through the speakers. The odd thing about this, is that the hum gets quieter the higher you turn up the amp volume, being loudest when the amp volume is at zero or the amp is on standby, then completely vanishing if the volume is turned to max. Ive tried different speaker leads, power sockets, a different cab… etc etc etc Any ideas?[/quote] Sounds like an amp defect somewhere around the volume control. If you're adventurous you could pop the lid off and take a peek to see if you can see a dry or broken joint. If not it sounds like a visit to an amp tech (or the retailer if still covered by warranty).

[quote name='Soliloquy' post='1087467' date='Jan 13 2011, 12:26 AM']Is this any good ? I've always kind of stayed clear of Behringer gear, cheap components and reliability issues have scared me off. But this looks a little bit good, and at that price a bit of a bargain to boot.[/quote] There's not a huge amount of love for Behringer amps I'm afraid. They have a poor reliability track record and tend to have pretty nonsensical power ratings. If it were me I'd take my £200 and see what's on Ebay...

I use the Warwick WCA kit. On the plus side you get high wattage at 8Ω (unlike many other cabs that specify output at 4Ω) and are therefore easily stackable without dipping towards the minimum impedance levels specified by amp manufacturers. They are extremely robust and well made. On the minus side they weigh an absolute ton.

[quote name='Steve Spector' post='1087313' date='Jan 12 2011, 10:06 PM']Just read a tip about setting gain levels, turn the master down to 0, then edge up the gain while plucking quite hard until the clip light comes on then back it off a bit and you're there. Did this with my Spector Euro - seriously hot output active bass I believe - and even with Gain at max and even with the -6db switch disengaged the clip light never came on. Should I expect it to?[/quote] This is a question that crops up from time to time and has never really been answered due to the number of variables involved. It could be that there's not enough signal to make the clip light come on. It's a bit like having a smoke detector without a test button though - is it working or not? I think the best way to judge it is by using your ears - if you can hear clipping then just back the volume down like we used to do before they started putting warning lights on gear...

[quote name='dan670844' post='1086280' date='Jan 12 2011, 12:11 AM']But if you pay for it i.e. a custom case you can rack anything, you can have a custom shelfy tray thing made, most things are put into racks these days, even pedal boards, how mad is that, a remote control pedal board...... the latest craze is to put three valve heads in a 12 u rack box, mainly for publicity shots... they are all at it James Johnson, Bass player from van Halen (i can never remember his name) even Geddy Lee (he only has two in a flat box) they are usually grimacing next to their tower of power[/quote] The grimacing is probably due to the hernia caused by lifting the damn thing...

[quote name='grayn' post='1087052' date='Jan 12 2011, 07:00 PM']As the amp output says, MAXIMUM 8 ohms, I can't see why it should fry, with 4. I guess you were attempting humour but this is a decent, small combo.[/quote] It's a very badly translated manual. I reckon that 'maximum' should read 'minimum'. Nobody worries about maximum impedance - it's minimum impedance that'll fry your amp... If you're going to add an extension speaker then you are looking for a 100W 8Ω cab. If you start hanging 4Ω cabs off of it then you will definately be in the market for a new amp!