Good power amp for cabinet impulse capture?

Samgai

New member
I need help with finding an inexpensive, flat response, totally clean power amp to use with my guitar cabinets. I want to run my frequency sweeps through them without distorting the signal so I can capture the speakers faithfully for impulse creation. One amp channel would do.

There are so many power amps out there that my brain hurts - any suggestions?
 
I suspect you can have any two of those requirements. I've no idea the purpose of your quest though?
I want to run my frequency sweeps through them without distorting the signal so I can capture the speakers faithfully for impulse creation.

I get the first bit, but what are impulse creations? Guitar cabinets are notorious for being totally and utterly UN-flat. flat response from a guitar driver and the cabinet has never been high on the list. Most power amp0s have amazingly low distortion figures now, and most are very flat. The differences are going to be so small, I wonder if you could actually hear them at all without observing on a test set, rather than listening! Many mics have the kinds of response curves that would make any amplifier's curves look like a totally flat line by comparison.
 
I get the first bit, but what are impulse creations? Guitar cabinets are notorious for being totally and utterly UN-flat.

It's a short audio file (fractions of a section) that maps the cab's (and yes, the mic's) response to various frequencies over time. It's the same technology as convolution reverbs.
It allows you to do a lot of your live production in the box simpler. You can DI your guitar amp and run that signal through convolution to get a sound near identical to what you would have gotten setting up the cab and mic.
 
This works? no more pedals, or truck space for the big 8 x 10' cabs? This costs though/

I've been futzing with it recently. It works pretty well for cabinets but not necessarily anything else in the chain. Amps and pedals need more complicated simulation.
That said, if you're playing a show where you're going to DI, cab sims could save you some weight.
 
Any solid state power amp with good clean power will do the trick. Find a used QSC, and you are in business.If you really want to keep it inexpensive, just buy some IR cab packs. If Heavy is your thing, look at the Ownhammer packs. If you want versatility + excellent IR's, get the Redwirez Big Box pack. I own and use both, as well as some after market stuff for the AxFx. The Redwirez IR's cover any mic, mic combination, placement/distance you can dream up. Really well done.
 
Yes, impulses work wonderfully for acoustics, but not so much for signal processing. Amps and pedals, like mentioned, need digitally written code to mimic the nonlinear and complex interaction between currents in electronic equipment.

Update: I think I have landed with the Behringer KM750 power amp. It's quite inexpensive, has one of the lowest distortion specs of any PA, and has no problem feeding a standard speaker with enough power. Perfect for a sine sweep. Ironically, it's generally way to weak for most PA speakers though.. 200w to 8ohms will strangle the bass drivers, haha
 
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