Which power amp?

[Freddie75]

Hi,

I have recently purchased an aguilar tonehammer preamp pedal which i currently power through a Hartke Lh500. I'm thinking of getting a seperate power amp as well but not entirely sure whats good and whats not. Preferably around 800 watts and light weight?

Suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks
Freddie

[Dood]

The Hartke is a cracking head fr use as just a power amp, but lightweight around 800W i reckon you'll get suggestions that include the GK MB800 (fusion or non-fusion) MarkBass LM800 or LM800 Tube as well as Genz Benz's Streamliner or Shuttle heads. The TC RH750 might have too much on board if you want to keep it simple.

Some would suggest getting a ToneHammer head instead though!

[Ed_S]

Most threads about lightweight power amps tend to agree that Crown XLS, Peavey IPR and QSC PLX series are all good, solid amps. I can vouch for the Crowns - I have two XLS1500s that I'm very happy with.

[Freddie75]

Cheers guys, much appreciated.

Freddie

[Jesso]

I've had crowns and yamahas in the past, but I now have something really cheap, really light and really really loud. Behringer Inuke 6000. That's yer man. Buckets of power. I can't say it sounds at all any less good than my old crown XS 900, which incidentally died prematurely...... so, so far, the behringer is more reliable then. Go figure. I've run subs with it too, and while the power rating of 3000 watts a side is optimistic, there's definitely a healthy 900 there at 4 ohms.

[Happy Jack]

In terms of bangs per buck, these are hard to beat: http://www.soundindustry.co.uk/acatalog/W-Audio-800W-1U-Amplifier-Horizon800-AMP42.html

They also do an 1100W (which I use) and a 1300W version.

[JohnFitzgerald]

Crown XLS602s, I have two of.

I'd never say that they were light by any manner of means.
Our two are in a flightcase and when all the gear is being lifted, that's the last case to get lifted every time. Every walks around it.

The Peavey IPR1600 weighs half of nothing. It weighs less than the gator plastic flightcase that the Crowns live in.

Not aware of the reliability of the Peavey, but if it's reliable I could easily buy into one or two of those with no problems.

Edited December 23, 2012 by JohnFitzgerald

[bertbass]

Just a word of caution. We use and IPR1600 as a foldback amp and had a few problems with condensation over that last few gigs. In from the cold into a hot venue and it doesn't work for about 30 minutes until the condensation evaporates. Never had that with an amp before.

[JTUK]

Not light but I'd be putting a C Audio behind the TH pre amp stage.

[JohnFitzgerald]

[quote name='bertbass' timestamp='1356277906' post='1908689']
Just a word of caution. We use and IPR1600 as a foldback amp and had a few problems with condensation over that last few gigs. In from the cold into a hot venue and it doesn't work for about 30 minutes until the condensation evaporates. Never had that with an amp before.
[/quote]

Only amp I ever had that was with my old TNT, but that was just a matter of plugging it in and turning it on first. When everything else was eventually set up and turned on, the Peavey had awoken. Our guitarist joked that maybe it needed bled like an old radiator.

[barneyg42]

http://basschat.co.uk/topic/188077-for-salecrown-xls-402-power-amp-l150-collecteddelivered-local-to-surrey/page__pid__1909194__st__20#entry1909194

[Guest bassman7755]

Depends how light "light" is. A QSC PLX is 9KG ish, Crown XLS's are half that, as are Peavey IPRs.

Personally I would never use an PA amp of any decent power as a bass amp without a subsonic filter into any speaker I cared about (which would rule out the Crown & Peavey for me ...).

[Conan]

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1356366654' post='1909585']Personally I would never use an PA amp of any decent power as a bass amp without a subsonic filter into any speaker I cared about ....[/quote]

I'm confused. Does a pre-amp specifically for bass not include this subsonic filter of which you speak? Can the power amp somehow add back frequencies which the preamp has not "fed" to it?

[bigjohn]

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1356279630' post='1908721']
Not light but I'd be putting a C Audio behind the TH pre amp stage.
[/quote]

I like C Audios too. But yeah, they're not light.

[winterfire666]

Chevin research. Light, pro quality, reliable and relatively cheap 2nd hand

[Guest bassman7755]

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1356473907' post='1910472']
I'm confused. Does a pre-amp specifically for bass not include this subsonic filter of which you speak?
[/quote]

Many of them dont, including the ones I have used (such as SVP PRO).

[warwickhunt]

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1356366654' post='1909585']
Depends how light "light" is. A QSC PLX is 9KG ish, Crown XLS's are half that, as are Peavey IPRs.

Personally I would never use an PA amp of any decent power as a bass amp without a subsonic filter into any speaker I cared about (which would rule out the Crown & Peavey for me ...).
[/quote]

I've got a QSC PLX amp available if the OP is still looking for one... and it has the sub-filters!

[IMG]http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g119/warwickhunt/100_2370.jpg[/IMG]

I was hoping to sell it with the Helborg but the Christmas season has wiped out everyone's funds.

[Conan]

Aha! So you are "Johnny the Dep"?!?!

[warwickhunt]

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1356706189' post='1912691']
Aha! So you are "Johnny the Dep"?!?!
[/quote]

That'll be me! I was registered over there as WH but I de-registered a couple of years back because of some of the idiots that were posting... re-registered as JtD when thinks looked a bit less 'troubled'!

[Freddie75]

[quote name='warwickhunt' timestamp='1356617550' post='1911674']


I've got a QSC PLX amp available if the OP is still looking for one... and it has the sub-filters!

[IMG]http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g119/warwickhunt/100_2370.jpg[/IMG]

I was hoping to sell it with the Helborg but the Christmas season has wiped out everyone's funds.
[/quote]

Hi mate, how much did you want for it, what is the power at 4ohms and lastly the weight?

Cheers

[warwickhunt]

http://www.qscaudio.com/products/amps/plx/plx.htm

300w/500w/800w per side stereo @ 8/4/2 ohms (can be bridged to 1600w). IIRC the weight is 9.5kg. Price - £250 inc' the flightcase.

[fretmeister]

I'm a big fan of the Yamaha P5000S

Superb amp.