largo Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 Around 6 months ago, I went lightweight with a Mesa Subway 800 amp & a couple of Barefaced One10's. Main gigging bass is a passive 5-string. Anyway, while I usually wear in-ears a couple of the guys don't & so still want a decent on stage sound/mix. To do this, I run the gain at around 3 'o clock (just below clipping) & the master at 12 'o clock which is slightly over half way. This is the most I've ever had to run an amp but it's also the first time I've used 2 10" speakers, had 4x10's 2x12 and the likes before that with different amps. I know the Barefaced are slightly different to the usual 1x10s. My one question is, is it healthy to run an amp at this output. Head says it's fine (why would manufacturers put a volume that only works halfway) but heart says I shouldn't be pushing an amp continuously at these settings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 There really should be no problem with this, the only proviso being that some people are capable of breaking anything. (usually by doing something unexpected/slightly crazy) Your amp should have been tested at some stage in it's development for continuous running at it's full output with a test signal. (Unfortunately at some point after that advertisers may/will have got hold of the technical spec and may have picked out an instantaneous peak they choose to push but that's a separate issue) In addition just about all modern amps have extensive electrical protection against over-powering built in and will switch themselves off/limit the power if you do something stupid. On top of that you play music which has loud bits and quiet bits and gaps with no notes, if you play at 800W peak it will only be for a few thousandths of a second for each note. Your average power during a song is likely to be 20dB lower than that at about 8W unless you are using compression. Despite all the advertising claims about the 'high efficiency' of lightweight speakers that is only in comparison to previous generations of speakers of the same size. The efficiency of speakers at low frequencies is proportional to the square of the surface radiating area. It makes perfect sense to use them with all the extra power available but you would expect to have to turn up a bit compared with using an old school 8x10 it's good design but it doesn't break any laws of physics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanAxe Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 The position of your volume control means little on its own. In a not-especially-loud country band, it is normal for me to have the volume of my Demeter at 11 or 12 o'clock. There is extra volume available if I want it, and/or I can add a second cab. Or I can turn down! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 If you were using an active bass or higher output pickups, then you might find you don't need to have the master as high. On the other hand, if you use a different passive bass, you might find you need to turn it up further. The amplifier just amplifies the signal that it gets. So if it's not an overly powerful signal to start with. You could increase the input gain to clipping. Just use your ears (well, one ear for your IEM & one for your rig). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 (edited) My rule of thumb is that if the volume controls are always over 12 o'clock then I need a more powerful amp. But you're already running an 800 watt amp. The "controls don't mean a thing" mantra might be relevant at the cheap end of the market or at some time in the past, but it doesn't apply these days at the "professional" end. I'd like someone who repeats this mantra to come up with some actual examples, names of amps that are at full volume at 12 o'clock. Anyway, the D800 is not one of those amps. You get what it says on the front panel. If you're running your amp too hard it will overheat and switch off. I wouldn't expect you could hurt a D800 in this way. Thermal protection would step in and prevent any damage. If it hasn't done that then you're OK. I'd suggest you need less volume from the amp and more from the speakers. The D800 is an accurate 800 watts which will run at 2 ohm, so I'd add another cab. Edited February 20, 2017 by chris_b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
largo Posted February 20, 2017 Author Share Posted February 20, 2017 Cheers all, sounds like I have nothing to worry about. I've been running this way for 3-4 months with no problems so will happily continue to use my lightweight rig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 [quote name='largo' timestamp='1487548218' post='3240742'] Head says it's fine (why would manufacturers put a volume that only works halfway) but heart says I shouldn't be pushing an amp continuously at these settings.[/quote] With all gear matters, trust your head rather than your heart - the opposite of musical decisions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acebassmusic Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 [quote name='alexclaber' timestamp='1487597598' post='3241017'] With all gear matters, trust your head rather than your heart - the opposite of musical decisions! [/quote] Absolute blasphemy! Does this mean I have to come up with REASONS based on FACT to buy that extra bass instead of FEAR (Feeble Excuses And Reasoning) to feed my GAS? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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