Power Amp recommendation

  • Thread starter Thread starter dolod44
  • Start date Start date
Actually, I cringe at the thought of having to run bands on QSC RMX, Crown Powerbase, CE, K2 etc... It seems as though those amps always run oout of headroom really fast and don't have a very fast response so things never slam, only bump. For more affordable amps however I have really been enjoying the Face Audio LIne-up of amps. They are a new company on the scene and we were one of their first clients. We have been using their stuff for almost a year now with no problems at all. They have a decently fast sound, good headroom, handle clips very well, run very cool and I have yet to have any problems with them. The only thing I do not like is that they are VERY heavy compared to amps on the market today. On talking to them they said that the reason they are heavy is all of the protection in them and the parts chosen for their design. Basically, they easily could have made them lighter, but that would have come at the expense of either longevity or cost. They chose instead to go with well built good sounding amps that are stil lheavy at a low cost rather than trading the weight for a higher cost.
 
xstatic said:
The only thing I do not like is that they are VERY heavy compared to amps on the market today. On talking to them they said that the reason they are heavy is all of the protection in them and the parts chosen for their design. Basically, they easily could have made them lighter, but that would have come at the expense of either longevity or cost. They chose instead to go with well built good sounding amps that are stil lheavy at a low cost rather than trading the weight for a higher cost.
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we both have been around long enough to remeber people laughing about buying amps by the pound... and until the advent of switch mode supplies it was understandable... and still is if you dont got6 to a switch mode....

the 2 heaviest active components are the tranny and supply filters.... ya want current drive???? ya need trannies and supply filters...
 
xstatic said:
...The only thing I do not like is that they are VERY heavy compared to amps on the market today...
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Isn't most of the weight due to the magnet in the power supply transformer? I understand that the PLX's have a lightweight neodymium magnet while most other amps still use the older Ferrite magnets.

Is there any truth to this?

RD
 
dolod44 said:
Thanks guys---you have been a great help.A friend of mine is offering to sell me a CS 800 for $200...but after what raw depth has said I might go for a higher power rating...I felt I wouldn't really need something too powerful as I will only be doing coffee house style gigs for now but if it makes a difference even at small gigs well I would be willing to go a little higher.
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The CS800 is a workhorse that goes forever. For what you want to do this is more than enough power.
 
Cool---should I be worried about the usage the unit has had or ask him any special questions? He is going to lend it to me for a week to try out...
 
Try it you will like it. I have used them for years and have never had one go out on me. I use them in bars all the time for the PA
 
RawDepth said:
Isn't most of the weight due to the magnet in the power supply transformer? I understand that the PLX's have a lightweight neodymium magnet while most other amps still use the older Ferrite magnets.

Is there any truth to this?

RD
Click to expand...

NOPE !!!
the difference is they use what's called a switchmode pwoer supply... like a computer supply... it basicly senses when there's more current draw and turns it's self up... the end result is since it's not "on" all the time they can use "lighter duty"parts for the tranny and filtercaps...
 
dementedchord said:
NOPE !!!
the difference is they use what's called a switchmode pwoer supply... like a computer supply... it basicly senses when there's more current draw and turns it's self up... the end result is since it's not "on" all the time they can use "lighter duty"parts for the tranny and filtercaps...
Click to expand...

Also the centre of a transformer is Soft Iron which is easily magnetised by the primary coil, it is not a magnet at all in a permanent sense. Weight savings on the transformer is by using a toroidal design which is usually lower in mass than the typical "E" frame design for the same rating.

Switch-mode power designs do indeed contribute greatly to lowering the overall mass of an amplifier but they have to be designed and manufactured well to achieve good reliability and performance.

Behringer (among others ) achieve a good mass/output ratio by lowering the duty cycle of the Toroid, The EP2500 will indeed manage 1200 watts into 2 ohms but I think not on a 100% ED.

Tony
 
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