earljam Posted December 1, 2002 Share Posted December 1, 2002 suppose you had a two space rack and wanted to replace your head with separate pre amp and power amp. what would you fill it with if value is paramount? what would you fill it with if your loving wife went out bought you an el whappo?(yeah, right). for value i'm thinking ampeg svp pre amp and that peavey 1400. (anyone know the aprox. street price on these? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
music-man Posted December 2, 2002 Share Posted December 2, 2002 earljam - I'm just starting to consider this too. For the last ten years, I've been playing through a GK 800RB, but I'm getting tired of coping with limited juice ... I keep finding that 300W just aint enough to drive my two, 400W power-hungry cabs. I downsized and now only use a single cabinet, but even so occasionally I notice grit (the ugly, preamp-clip kind). And I also have a wife to contend with - this puts limits on my budget too. As to power amps, I've been looking at QSC, Crown, and Mackie. I'm not a live sound guy, and I'm just starting to sess this all out - at this stage, I only know that I want a stereo amp with two channels x 400W @ 8 ohms. For a preamp, I've been looking at the Sansamp. And if I could find one used ... Demeter or Aguilar. Ideally, I'd like a preamp that can biamp ... I'm just starting to think about this, so I'd love to hear what others know ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted December 3, 2002 Share Posted December 3, 2002 Peavey DPC 1400X is pretty cool. I believe it can be had for about $800-$900. There's also the Stewart World 1.2 -- probably a tad more expensive than the Peavey, a touch less power, but also a single rackspace. Ampeg pre would be nice. There are other nice single rackspace preamps out there -- Alembic F-1X, for example, Demeter has a couple, SWR Interstellar Overdrive, and then there's the one that I think really sounds fantastic, the Kern IP-777 (smooth like buttah, warm like toast). You've really got to play the preamps, though, if you can, to see how well you like their sound. A lot of them are really good, and in the end your budget and your personal taste in the sound of your rig will determine which to buy. A lot of these preamps show up used on-line, so try to play them in the stores and then shop on-line for a sweet deal. Have fun! spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wally Malone Posted December 3, 2002 Share Posted December 3, 2002 I've been thinking about the switch to separates as well. I want to try some of the options out first. I may soon have an opportunity to try out the Stewart 1.2 with an Aguilar pre-amp with Accugroove 1-12 cabs. When that time comes I'll let all know what I think. Wally I have basses to play, places to be and good music to make! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adamixoye Posted December 3, 2002 Share Posted December 3, 2002 Okay...this may not be completely related, but I wanted to ask this without starting a new thread. I have always dealt with combos, and I'm new to the world of thinking about preamp/power amp/speakers. I know a combo is all three, and a head is a preamp and a power amp. Let's say I had a 200W head, but a cabinet that could handle 400W. Can I add a power amp to boost the signal? I believe that is the greatest reply I\'ve ever read! I\'m not even joking. -- justinruins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted December 3, 2002 Share Posted December 3, 2002 well... I use a Mackie 1400i power amp, more power than you'd ever need for $600. Insert your favorite pre-amp and you're having a good time. Me, I use the Ashdown RPM1 preamp. It's quite lovlii. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenLoy Posted December 3, 2002 Share Posted December 3, 2002 I downsized and now only use a single cabinet, but even so occasionally I notice grit (the ugly, preamp-clip kind).I empathize, music-man. In some situations, though, believe it or not, I actually LIKE that nasty preamp clipping on the 800RB. When I was copping Nathan Watts' nasty, overdriven line on Stevie Wonder's "I Wish", turning the "Boost" knob up all the way was the only way I could get that touch-sensitive overdrive that he uses throughout the song...my Boss overdive just made me sound like I was playing death metal or something... I also use the sound with Mrs. Grundy liberally...although it bums me out that I can't footswitch that sound in and out without having to keep reaching for the master volume knob... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
music-man Posted December 3, 2002 Share Posted December 3, 2002 Originally posted by greenboy: Are you sure you are both talking about the same thing? One of you could be experiencing the preamp out level actually driving the amp section into clipping. But if one has a touch sensitive overdrive, that is the pregain driving the circuit into distortion, without necessarily clipping levels at all at the output to the amplifier section.... GB - in my simplistic terms, I think you're theorizing that I may be clipping the power section, while BenLoy may be clipping the preamp. My concern is obviously with the damage a square wave will do to my speakers ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leond Posted December 5, 2002 Share Posted December 5, 2002 You can take a signal from your effects send or preamp out and send it to another power amp. This way, you will be using the preamp of your existing head with your new power amp. Depending how your existing head is set up, you may or may not be able to use that power amp (the one in the head). You can check this by putting a cable in the effect send jack and nothing in the effect return jack. Try playing and see if you get any sound. LeonD Originally posted by Adamixoye: Let's say I had a 200W head, but a cabinet that could handle 400W. Can I add a power amp to boost the signal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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