Bass combo amps

[gearHed289]

I'm thinking of getting a nice combo for certain gigs. Probably a 2x10 or maybe 1x15. Minimum 300 watts. I played through a SWR Redhead years ago and thought it was pretty great. Those can be found used for around $700. Anybody have any experience with the Ashdown MAG C210-300? FYI - my amp is really nothing more than a floor rumbler at this point as I am running a DI off my pedal board and using in-ear monitors. However, I still want it to sound good and rock the house! 

[nofi]

i guess the day they started putting big power in combos was a dream come true for lots of folks. it sure was for me. kenny and gweimer both have ashdown combos btw.

[rahock]

I was never a fan of combos because  they were subject to develop rattles. But these days there's nothing inside them to rattle, so my next amp will likely be a combo too .
Rick

[gearHed289]

Been researching over the weekend and found this - Class D power AND neo speakers = 350 watt 2x10 @ 33 pounds. Hmmm...

http://backstage.musiciansfriend.com/Bass/Bass-Amplifiers-Effects/Bass-Amplifiers/Bass-Combo-Amps/Solid-State-Combo-Bass-Amps/MB210-2x10-500W-Ultralight-Bass-Combo-Amp.site1prod581053.product

[Bert]

If memory serves me right (which it not always does) BasVarken tested an Orange Class-D amp and found it to be not very dynamic. In other words a somewhat compressed sound. Another forumite from a Dutch bassguitarists forum (not sure if he is member here) confirmed that this is normal behavior for a class-D amp. You have to like it. If you do than it is a very efficient way of amplifieing.

[Basvarken]

Yes that is correct; I tested an Orange Terror Bass 500 Watt class D amp plus their smart cabs 2x12 and 2x10.

The Terror Bass lacks all dynamics that I'm used to with the Orange AD200 and any other Full Tube or even Solid State amp I've ever used.

For the first time in my 25+ years bass playing career I had to use the volume knob on my bass guitar, to create some sort of dynamics in my playing as the amp itself did not respond to the nuances I make with my right hand...

It puzzles me why engineers can't make an intelligent digital (or class D) power amp part that "knows" when you intend to either whisper or pound with your bass.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

Class D amps are always operating at the limits of their power supply and their output devices any time they're on, so "extra" demands on the output stage like normal playing transients are either met by increased wall current consumption to supply the needed power or the power supply will simply hold output at maximum, but the transient will not be reproduced. A few expensive PA type class D power amps have dual supply rails for this reason and more robust output transistors to give them the extra "oomph" of a class A/B amp. They also don't weigh much less than a conventional A/B amp. Their only benefit is more efficient operation at low volume.

There is no "peak" power like in an class A/B amp, where the inductive potential of the power transformer and the main power supply filter caps act as a reservoir, storing "unused" supply current until a transient expends it. The recharge rate is the frequency of the wall current, 60Hz in the US and 50Hz most elsewhere. While switching supply amps have a much faster recharge rate, up in the radio frequency range, their inherently much smaller power transformers and filter cap banks give them a much less amount of stored power, which is why a quality class A/B amp can outperform switching amps rated at twice its power, even before wall current is taken into account.  

[Happy Face]

Thanks for that explantion, Psycho. 

[Pilgrim]

That's not to say that you get NO dynamics with a class D.  My Genz-Benz Shuttle allows me to drop the gain for quiet passages if I just ease up on the old fingers.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

No,but the aural equivalent in perceived volume will be rated much lower with a conventional amp topology. Manufacturers know that rating numbers sell amps much more than actual playing when it comes to the modern marketplace and sight-unseen sales of amps. They don't lie in their ratings, but they do neglect to mention that their 500 watt class D amp is going to have the equivalent dynamics of a 150-200 watt class A/B amp. As long as you are aware of that and have those expectations of performance ahead of time, it's not a big deal, but to the vast majority of the amp market, it's a '500 watt amp that weighs the same as my bass!' only to find that what their idea of 500 watts should sound like ends up being alot more than class D ratings imply. Comparing apples to apples, a Steve Rabe-era 300 watt SWR Redhead (Class A/B) will absolutely EAT the MB210 combo in volume and dynamics but weigh nearly three times as much.

Also, not all class D amps are the same. I have found the Genz Benz ultralights to be far superior to the much-hyped Markbass amps.

[rahock]

Been researching over the weekend and found this - Class D power AND neo speakers = 350 watt 2x10 @ 33 pounds. Hmmm...

http://backstage.musiciansfriend.com/Bass/Bass-Amplifiers-Effects/Bass-Amplifiers/Bass-Combo-Amps/Solid-State-Combo-Bass-Amps/MB210-2x10-500W-Ultralight-Bass-Combo-Amp.site1prod581053.product

I tried one of these a few weeks ago and was very underwhelmed and I'm a big fan of GK
Rick

[Happy Face]

I have found the Genz Benz ultralights to be far superior to the much-hyped Markbass amps.

My God... Sysop! Sysop!! PBG dares to criticize the greatest amp brand ever!! He must be silenced. We can tolerate no criticism of MarkBass.

[Dave W]

I'm not impressed by the Markbass at all. Ho hum, in a few years the trendoids will find a new bandwagon to jump on.

[gearHed289]

I couldn't get myself to play a Mark Bass based on aesthetics alone. 


I'm going to GC to check out the MB210. With my octave divider. Again, I just need SOMETHING remotely acceptable. Front of house will do the heavy lifting, and my in-ears are all I hear on stage.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

My God... Sysop! Sysop!! PBG dares to criticize the greatest amp brand ever!! He must be silenced. We can tolerate no criticism of MarkBass.

That's why I got kicked off Talkbass.