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power amp for backline


pburrows

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I don’t have a Helix but I’d be very surprised if it didn’t have a dedicated (XLR) DI out for FOH etc & a separate (un)balanced line out for driving a power amp or just going direct into a bass or guitar amp probably in the form of either a TS (unbalanced) or TRS (balanced) jack socket out .. probably with separate volume controls, I haven’t read the manual though lol

As far as power amps .. as long as your Helix sends a strong enough signal (line level) most power amps will work but how much dya wanna spend ?

I’m actually selling a very powerful, high quality power amp that I think  will really make your super twin shine .. it’s worth a look as it’s a Lab Gruppen but there are loads of power amps out there (cheap to really expensive) ... time to do some research lol ... you can also use most bass amps that have a ‘return’ or ‘power amp in’ socket which will bypass the amp’s preamp (as long as it’s a serial effects loop) ... :)

 

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20 minutes ago, jrixn1 said:

@pburrows Didn't you have a QSC 12.2?  Did that not work in this situation?

I did but I’m selling it on. It’s very good but doesn’t have enough grunt for me personally. I’ve used it for monitoring on a couple of live stream shows and it performed well but I want to get something that hits a bit harder for a tour that is booked for the autumn. So gonna list the QSC

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1 hour ago, pburrows said:

I did but I’m selling it on. It’s very good but doesn’t have enough grunt for me personally. I’ve used it for monitoring on a couple of live stream shows and it performed well but I want to get something that hits a bit harder for a tour that is booked for the autumn. So gonna list the QSC

Crest CA9 does grunt in spades .

I bought one a few years ago . Used to be in charge of band's PA over the years , so had lots of brands - from big 'ol iron heavyweight jobbies , to various switch mode ones .

I bought it on a whim , really expecting all the hype was rubbish , scratch the itch , and move it on .

It's a beast . Never a better time to buy a heavy power amp that really does the business , if you don't mind the weight - good bargains to be had .

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I used a helix (svt setting) to a power amp (quilted bb800). Worked very well, and had a tiny footprint.

Also using the helix you can split paths so have eq for your stage sound without having to alter you di sound.

And if anything happened to the helix you've still got a bass amp head there.

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4 minutes ago, owen said:

Everybody loves a Crest CA9. But that Lab Grupen with bring the heft for shure. If it is good enough for Martin FOH then it is good enough for backline

True - a fP6400 will blow any bass guitar cabinet into oblivion.

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34 minutes ago, nilebodgers said:

True - a fP6400 will blow any bass guitar cabinet into oblivion.

If abused, yes. But that does not have to happen. I used to bridge a Chevin A3000 into an Eden 4x10. The headroom was utterly addictive. 

Edited by owen
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Check out Matrix poweramps; lightweight, loads of power/headroom. A workhorse!

I ran a 4U rack for a long time, a 2U Matrix GTX series (I think they've done facelift models recently), plus a rack tuner and a variety of Sansamp units.  It was just as happy working off the Sansamp or a floorboard (which was wired for a dual channel setup).

Would generally run it bridged (into one cab), but it was equally adept at operating on a dual channel set up (twin cabinets).

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If you are running a mono signal out into a dedicated power amp to run full range, would it not be just as easy to use the send/return - pre/power of a regular bass amp?  You bypass the preamp and just have power but with the added advantage that anything going Pete Tong with your Helix, you can still continue the gig with the bass amp.  

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25 minutes ago, warwickhunt said:

If you are running a mono signal out into a dedicated power amp to run full range, would it not be just as easy to use the send/return - pre/power of a regular bass amp?  You bypass the preamp and just have power but with the added advantage that anything going Pete Tong with your Helix, you can still continue the gig with the bass amp.  

Leave the guy alone - he's got GAS! 😂

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39 minutes ago, warwickhunt said:

If you are running a mono signal out into a dedicated power amp to run full range, would it not be just as easy to use the send/return - pre/power of a regular bass amp?  You bypass the preamp and just have power but with the added advantage that anything going Pete Tong with your Helix, you can still continue the gig with the bass amp.  

Yep could do. It’s an option. Just thinking of the best way to get decent on stage monitoring that’s simple to take care of when our engineer isn’t with us. 

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It really is no different to using a dedicated power amp.  Helix out > bass amp return or power in > cab(s).  

I'm always thinking worst case scenario and I look to build in a back up without having to actually carry 2 of everything.  Hence if your Helix glitches at a gig, you can just plug straight into the amp front.  :)  

 

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15 hours ago, owen said:

If abused, yes. But that does not have to happen. I used to bridge a Chevin A3000 into an Eden 4x10. The headroom was utterly addictive. 

Yep. I used to bridge a QSC PLX 1202 into various 8ohm Trace Cabinets, some with a power rating much lower than the 600Wrms that the amp could supply into that load. 

All survived.

And yes, the headroom and sheer control that extra power gives really is something. 

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I ran this rig for a few years and loved it. So much so that I'm considering recreating it for big outside gigs when my K12.2 won't be enough. You'll need the line outpt on your helix or some other kind of preamp. 

 

IMAG0784.jpg

Edited by Jack
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On 06/03/2021 at 14:06, owen said:

If abused, yes. But that does not have to happen. I used to bridge a Chevin A3000 into an Eden 4x10. The headroom was utterly addictive. 

True until you have an accident, or a momentary lapse of good judgement. 

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