Stewart World 1.2; QSC PLX 1602

[Ben]

I note that AlembicKoa uses a Stewart World 1.2 amp, and have had them recommended to me to power my pair of Epifani 1x12s.

The idea is to have a relatively small and light head with real power, so we are talking switch-mode power supply here, not something like a Crown which weighs more than a cab.

 

I checked the TBL archives and heard the usual mixed reviews for reliability, especially re. overheating. I want something without a fan if possible, I do play in situations where fan noise can be audible.

 

I would run the amp bridged into 4 ohms, and I note that Stewart's on-line specs (which are very sketchy to begin with) don't mention bridged into 4 ohms.

 

The QSC PLX 1602 seems to be another good option, but I have also heard that running it bridged all the time is not officially encouraged.

 

My GK1001RB runs 500 watts into 4 ohms, and doesn't seem to have any problems doing so all night. Am I just pursuing trouble by changing to a PA-style amp and running it bridged in order to get another 3 or 4 dB of headroom?

 

Comments, war stories?

[AlembicKoa]

Ben...I got burned in an internet deal. That is how I ended up with the Stew. I run it bridged into an 8 ohm Goliath III. I have never had a problem, and have run the little dickens in any number of different venues and situations. That setup gives about 750 watts into the cab which never come close to being used up, and the cab being 8 ohm does not seem to stress the Stew. It is never "good" to run bridged, but the Stew has also handled that better than the SWR it replaced ever did. No war stories yet...other than the story of the amps acquisition

 

*better now*

[g.]

I'm surprised so many overlook the Peavey DPC-1400X when searching for reliable, small and light power. Great slew and damping, and able to sustain bass demanding 2-ohm loads. I have run mine bridged at 4 ohms, but haven't needed to use this on a continual basis. But the times I've done 2-ohms non-bridged indicate that this is probably a relable amp for 4-ohm bridged.

 

Nothing whatsoever wrong with the practice of bridging, and 8-ohm bridges just should not be any big deal. Lots of switching amps of at least earlier generations didn't seem capable of sustaining an honest 2-ohm per channel load, a or 4-ohm bridge. Some manufacturers should never have published specs for those conditions since they couldn't honestly deliver.

 

 

<-- greenboy ---<<<<    extended-range bass is a good litmus test

[Ben]

Greenboy, what did you pay for your DPC? I believe that it's a great amp, but I also got the impression that it costs considerably more than the $700 street price for a Stewart or QSC. Get up over $1,000 and the new Euphonics Audio 750 starts to look very interesting - one unit, no rack to mess with.

[ebozzz]

The Peavey DPC-1400X is a cool amp. I had a chance to get one of those for $650.00 with a full warranty. I left the store, thought about it a few days but when I made up my mind, it was long gone. I'm still kicking myself!

 

At the regular price, they are not cheap. I think that the list is near $1500.00. I have never heard of anyone having problems running a Peavey at any load or mode that it's specs claim it will support.

[g.]

Ben,

 

When I got my DPC-1400X I don't the QSC PLX series had been introduced yet. I'd talked to several service departments about the QSC Powerlite series, comparing notes on their reliability, after we'd had trouble with them at a venue I was doing sound for. What I wanted was something that could handle bridged 4 ohm or 2 x 2 ohm loads.

 

I'd also heard conflicting reports on the Stewarts at that time at those loads. So when I heard Peavey was going to do their next generation of "digital" amps I called them and told them I'd like to be considered as a beta test site based on beta work I'd done for them before with their synths, and mentioned my ownership of the DPC-1000, and the older DECA-1200 that had tirelessly driven subwoofers for me.

 

So they me to send in my DPC-1000 and they'd send me a DPC-1400X as soon as they'd made a pre-production run. I think I paid $800 for my DPC-1000. They really didn't want much in return except to trash the amp thoroughly to make sure it could handle the real-world pounding a bass rig can deliver.

 

At the time nothing else affordable was in one-rack space and under 15 pounds that was up to 2-ohm loads, and the specs looked great so, I figured I was getting a free trade-up toward even better specs. One thing I like about the DPC, BTW, is that it only draws ten amps at rated power. Some of the places I'd done sound at actually tripped breakers when I'd turn the amp rack on...

 

So far nothing has phased this puppy and I really do not baby an amp.

 

<-- greenboy ---<<<<    if i was looking these several years later i don't know if i'd trade off a rack space for slightly more weight and less dollars, or not

[Ben]

Thanks, gb.

 

The size and weight of the QSC - another rack space and a few more pounds - are actually not that much of an issue. I just am interested in something that doesn't end up weighing as much as one of my nice new light 44lb cabs, since it seems silly to downsize/weight the cab and then upsize/weight the head.

 

Maybe I should just be happy with my GK - which really does sound pretty darn good and have quite a bit of punch at 540 watts - and get over this particular attack of GAS and get on with playing music..

[g.]

Yeah, Ben, at the time I was first getting into bass I was working on a three-piece rock concept where I would be using effects to "orchestrate" as if there was another guitarist. So I knew I'd be into some more rack spaces for the effects and wanted to keep it easy to set up and haul around for jam parties and not maintain separate gigs for lower-powered casual affairs. I drew the line at 4 spaces and maybe one of those slots empty for circulation and putting stuff for the gear schleps to and from.

 

As far as GAS and playing music I've had so many years of new tech gear turnover (studio demands, but also was a gear junky). But I've tired of it all, and getting into bass and putting other instruments aside was my way of getting back to basics, relatively speaking. So I buy very little now, and don't spend any time selling off stuff to stay ahead of obsolescence (bass itself is nice that way compared to midi and digaudio and studio racks).

 

Getting a killer bass rig together was my last major purchase cycle. Surprising how the focus has changed from being a multi-instrumentalist with lots of electronics, to just playing the same axe all night and having a quick set-up and take-down. I don't try very hard to keep up with "new developments", I just dig playing and having access to high-quality audio while doing it.

 

 

<-- greenboy ---<<<<    makes sense when moving to montana ; }

[Ben]

FWIW, my QSC PLX 1602 arrived yesterday and I have been putting it through its paces. It seems to be a nice amp, but does have the issues that were discussed in many threads on The Bottom Line. It buzzes if you put it on top of the speaker cab - I took the cover off mine and put some double-stick padding in the worst spots, but it still has rattles I can't find to cure. And it definitely likes a very strong preamp - I'm using a Fodera stomp-box preamp and I have to turn it up all the way. Also has fan noise that is pretty loud in a quiet living room, but shouldn't be a problem at a gig.

 

I have to say, though, that the main impression of the QSC PLX 1602 is how good my GK1001RB is in comparison. I thought the QSC, bridged, would blow the GK into the weeds, but it doesn't. With my pair of Epifani 112s the QSC is maybe a bit punchier and a few dB louder before the cabs start to buzz on the attack transient, but nothing earth shattering.

 

With one Epifani 112, using just one channel of the QSC, you can hear the QSC clip as soon as the red clip light comes on at 300 watts. In bridged mode with one cab there is little to choose between the QSC and the GK. The GK has a bit more hiss, but the fan is smarter and quieter (it isn't on all the time, and when it does come on it's very quiet).

[music-man]

Ben-

 

That's a pretty underwhelming review. Bummer. What's with the rattling - is it mechanical?

 

I've been having grumble fits over my GK800RB - clipping out when I whack my B-string (I think you weighed in on my whiney post a while back). I've been considering a QSC 2402 ... but haven't done anything yet since it would also require a decent pre, and in any case, the second my checkbook even smells a little fatter, barking rights go to a new acoustic amp (looks like it will be an AI Contra) for my electric cello.

 

In any case, I'll take your experience into account when I'm thinking about a new rig ...

 

Thanks for the update, even if it isn't the greatest news.

[Whappo]

I use a Stewart 2.1 & it's fantasic. Full range, bridged or stereo this amp kicks it big time. They're around 18 lbs or so & pump out 775 per side at 4 Ohms mono or somewhere around 2200 watts at 4 Ohms bridged. They're light weight, reliable & most important they really sound incredable. Specs are one thing, but you can only tell how an amp sounds when you plug it in, not from a brochure.

 

Whappo

[Ben]

music-man, the rattles were all mechanical, and today I tracked the rest of them down, and it rattles no more. Just surprised that QSC hasn't done anything about this by now - it's a 1998 design.

 

For the sub-$600 street price, the PLX1602 seems to be a good amp, very clean and plenty powerful. It's just not the "end-of-GAS" experience I was hoping for. Once again, all else being equal, you gets what you pays for. The GK1001RB has a street price of ~$750 and the Stewart 2.1 is about ~$1,000.

 

My GAS, alas, still remains - the new EA750 beckons.