Amp to Get The Best Out of LFSys Monza

[Obrienp]

Quite a few questions bound up in this. The Monza is rated at 600 watts at 8 ohms. I have two gigging amp heads that I am very happy with:: a Blackstar U700 and a MB LMIII 500 but they are only capable of delivering 250 and 300 watts respectively at 8 ohms. While their max is as much as I am probably ever going to need, it does mean that they would be running at their ragged edge at this volume, which I don’t think is going to give the full clean sound I would like. My instinct is that I need more headroom in the amp, so that it can deliver 300-400 watts without being stretched, thus producing a full clean sound. Does this make sense, or am I just falling for an urban myth?

 

I don’t want to be spending money on a new amp unnecessarily, especially as I like what the U700 and LMIII can deliver. If I was to consider an alternative it would need to be able to operate at 8 ohms for the Monza, 4 ohms for my BF Two10 and 2.67 to run both  simultaneously. That seems to narrow my choice down to some pretty expensive hardware. If I was going to spend that sort of cash, I would want the amp to have some of the extra features that the U700 has like built in compression, variable overdrive and amp voicings, preferably controllable via footswitch.

 

What do you folks think. Do I need a more powerful amp, or would I just be spending money for not much gain? If I do need to go down the more powerful amp route, what should I be looking at? 

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

The speaker power rating is the maximum, not the minimum. For that matter the 600 watt rating is thermal. Chances are it may not handle anywhere near that before reaching its mechanical limit. I'd make sure that something's broken before trying to fix it.

[Downunderwonder]

I think if you plugged in a 250W Trace Elliot amp, which is around 160w @8 ohm, it would get very very loud. Try your current amps out before over thinking it.

[Obrienp]

Thanks folks. I think you have saved me from a lot of unnecessary expenditure. A bit of research was suggesting one of the Mesa 800 heads would tick all the boxes but they start at well passed £1K!

[stevie]

I think the spec for the Blackstar U700 says it will drive a 2.7-ohm load. If so, you could run your Monza and Two Ten together no problem. How it'll sound is another matter; I've tried a few different cabs with the Monza and the result has been a reduction in overall sound quality every time (despite being louder).

[Obrienp]

49 minutes ago, stevie said:

I think the spec for the Blackstar U700 says it will drive a 2.7-ohm load. If so, you could run your Monza and Two Ten together no problem. How it'll sound is another matter; I've tried a few different cabs with the Monza and the result has been a reduction in overall sound quality every time (despite being louder).

Yes, it works. I’ve tried it but the Two10 sounded like it was struggling with its share of the work load, so you are right: louder but not necessarily better. 
 

What I was more concerned with was an amp to get the best out of the Monza on its own but consensus seems to be to stick with what I have got. The need to run at 2.7 was only if I was going to get another amp and was to keep my options open. Looks like I’ll just stick with what I have for the while. I’d love to have a Messa Subway Plus but that’s champagne tastes for lemonade money as far as I am concerned! 😀

[tubbybloke68]

My tec amp puma 900 is 600watts at 8 ohms and sounds fantastic through my monza (s)  x 😊

[BassAdder60]

I agree when I used the Eich T900 with my Monaco cab it sounded awesome for sure 

 

The only cab that was better was the Vanderkley 212 MNT but it has two 12’s not one like the Monaco 

 

 

[Chienmortbb]

To be honest if you want more, stack another Monza on top of the first. 

[Obrienp]

 

58 minutes ago, Chienmortbb said:

To be honest if you want more, stack another Monza on top of the first. 

That is definitely on my wish list but before I went there (money permitting), I wanted to know if I was getting the most out of the one I already have. I just wondered if I would be better off with an amp with more output and therefore, more clean headroom. Consensus seems that I should stick with what I have got. 
 

Also I was wondering whether I should keep saving and stretch to a Monaco instead of another Monza but then I would be mixing 10 and 12” drivers. Just that a mate, who recently got a Monaco, was saying how much more he “felt” the bass than with his two BF One10s. I know it’s not comparing apples with apples but I can’t help but wonder if the size of the driver has something to do with that.

[spyder]

I know we are always going to get conflicting answers here on Basschat because we all have different experiences.

Personally I would get a more powerful amp first to allow for more clean headroom. Then I would add another duplicate speaker. Never mix and match, always use the same speaker to match sound and technical specifications.

 

Please don't have go... It's only my personal opinion. 🤠

[Phil Starr]

I think @stevie uses a Trace Ellliott 1200. It does sound good

[msb]

Is your volume maxed out at gigs? If it is you might look at more power. So if you still have some headroom I wouldn’t worry about changing things , unless you really want to try out another amp. 

I have modular mixed cabs that were designed to be used together , but most gigs only require a single cab. Generally have a ton of headroom. 

[Phil Starr]

On 16/11/2024 at 00:28, Obrienp said:

 

I don’t want to be spending money on a new amp unnecessarily, especially as I like what the U700 and LMIII can deliver.

I think you have answered your own question

 

You like what you have, so this is only a theoretical worry about whether it will be loud enough. The only test of whether it is loud enough is to use it as it is. Doubling the amp power won't double the sound level just increase it a bit, 3db at best. If you don't need the 3db why throw money at a non-existent problem. FWIW I use my Monza with a Warwick Gnome more often than not and have no problems with just 130W on tap.

[Merton]

On 25/11/2024 at 21:08, Phil Starr said:

I think @stevie uses a Trace Ellliott 1200. It does sound good

He does. And I think he blames me for it. But it does sound bloody good!

[stevie]

Lots of good answers here. As @Phil Starr says, your setup is probably capable enough to handle the venues you are currently playing. It's not your normal 1x10!  Of course, the only way to know for sure is to try. If you do find that your amp is struggling, the most effective way of getting extra headroom is adding another Monza. This will give you an extra 6dB (in theory) - a noticeable volume boost - and you'll have the option of using one or two cabs depending on the gig. It shouldn't prove too expensive, as you'll then be able to sell your 2x10.

 

Unless you're playing reggae and boosting the bass to its max, a Monza stack will cope with just about anything. Any louder, and you'll definitely be going through the PA.

 

As far as amps are concerned, it might be worth looking at more powerful amps once you get a second Monza (and even if you don't). I always assumed that the sweet spot was around 500W into 4 ohms, and I've owned most of the well-known brands like Markbass, Aguilar, Ashdown RM as well as heavier amps like Trace, Behringer, etc. In my opinion, there wasn't very much to choose between them. I ended up buying a Veyron and stuck with that for a while. However, when @Mertonplonked his Trace TE1200 on top of a Monaco at the SE Bass Bash last year, the difference in sound quality was immediately noticeable. More punch, more clarity, greater definition - a more 3D sound. Overall, it's much more enjoyable to play through. My Precision with flats now sounds like Sean Hurley playing through thousands of dollars of studio gear - or at least it would if I could play like him.😃

 

The Trace was quite expensive but I notice they are now selling for around £850 new. To mitigate that price somewhat, it includes an excellent two-band compressor that is much better than any other built-in compressor I've used and on a par with £150 pedals. I bought the Trace from @BassAdder60, who seemed to prefer his Eich T900 to the Trace - so it might be worth checking that one out, too. Other expensive brands, like Mesa and Bergantino, are available but I haven't tried them.

 

 

 

Edited Monday at 14:57 by stevie

[Obrienp]

Thank you for the comprehensive response @stevie. A second Monza is on the list but it might have to wait, as one of my daughters just got engaged. They are looking to buy a house and I think the Bank of Mum and Dad might have to step in, not to mention wedding costs, which I understand average around £30K these days!!!😱😱😱😱
 

Looking at the price of prestige 800 watt plus amps (even used), the Monza looks like the best value option to get more clean headroom. The 4 ohm load will double the output of my current amps. Although, as @Phil Starr pointed out, that is more than I need for the kind of gigs I’m playing, it would give me plenty of headroom (as I understand it).

Edited Monday at 17:56 by Obrienp

[Chienmortbb]

5 hours ago, Obrienp said:

Although, as @Phil Starr pointed out, that is more than I need for the kind of gigs I’m playing, it would give me plenty of headroom (as I understand it).

Want trumps need every time!