Canadian Posted September 15, 2001 Share Posted September 15, 2001 OK....so my Baretta 31C arrived in from Sweetwater despite everything else going on...what I was wondering is how far can I push this amp (in shear volume) before I should worry about causing some damage to the unit? Are there any noises I should listen for? I'm feeding my QS8 into it on two channels... thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slowly Posted September 15, 2001 Share Posted September 15, 2001 Originally posted by Canadian: OK....so my Baretta 31C arrived in from Sweetwater despite everything else going on...what I was wondering is how far can I push this amp (in shear volume) before I should worry about causing some damage to the unit? Are there any noises I should listen for? I'm feeding my QS8 into it on two channels... thanks Hey, its new, under warranty. I`d test the limits myself. Don`t tell nobody I told you that. Casey "Let It Be!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Posted September 15, 2001 Author Share Posted September 15, 2001 unfortunately since I live in Canada (no Barbetta dealers) it would be a pain to have to get it repaired...another reason be very weary of causing this beautiful piece of equipment any harm... http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif P.S. so far I am VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY happy with this unit...thanks to everyone who gave me input leading me to invest in this amp... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slowly Posted September 15, 2001 Share Posted September 15, 2001 Originally posted by Canadian: unfortunately since I live in Canada (no Barbetta dealers) it would be a pain to have to get it repaired...another reason be very weary of causing this beautiful piece of equipment any harm... http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif P.S. so far I am VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY happy with this unit...thanks to everyone who gave me input leading me to invest in this amp... Well, as a electronic repairman for over twenty years. And since you want to be careful. I have tested all kinds of amps, except tube units. Between 6 and seven is where you will get maximum volume and still have some room for dynamics. A simple rule of thumb is play the loudest notes you think you will play and hold it, turn it up until it just starts distorting and back off just a bit. Be wary of loud bass because believe it or not bass distortion is what blows tweeters. Casey P.S. that 6 and 7 above assumes your amps master control goes from zero to ten. "Let It Be!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yikes Posted September 16, 2001 Share Posted September 16, 2001 I live in So. Cal. and took my 31C back to the factory today (Saturday!), to have a buzz checked out (no big deal - a wire was touching the side of the speaker). Tony Barbetta himself looked it over and ran it through a sine wave generator, pushing the 31C at all frequencies to make sure there was no other mechanical vibration. I told Tony about your question on this forum. Tony basically said that: 1. Since this is a combo amp, the amp is matched to the speaker, so there is no way that the amp will blow out the speakers. 2. Both the transformer and the amplifier have their own thermal protection. 3. The amplifier transistors are 'oversized', so he's not worried about those. 4. This leaves the only remaining concern which is a distorted/clipping input. Tony says that clipping can occur on grungy, beat-frequency sounds, like with blues organ in a band so loud that you can't hear yourself clipping. Clipping introduces DC, which if sustained for long periods can be hard on speakers. However, Tony didn't seem worried, because prolonged clipping also heats up the amp, which would eventually trip the thermal protection for the amp. So, Tony seemed to think that the amp protection against sustained clipping would also protect the speakers. Conclusion: Tony told me it was OK to crank my 31C all the way. I told him that other posts suggested you crank it while it was under warranty. He seemed to relish the reputation of having built a sturdy combo amp. FYI - While I was there, we played it through a keyboard (Roland XP-80) and also (as I mentioned) a wave generator. We listened to 3 different types of buzz: (1) The mechanical buzz of the now-fixed wire, (2) the buzz produced by clipping (we pushed the sine generator, and I think it's real obvious when you've pushed it to the clipping mode) and (3) a buzz that comes from moving a LOT of air at loud volumes. We had it cranked so loud that the speaker was bouncing and shaking on the amp stand, and a workbench about 5' away was vibrating from the air movement. Then we hooked it up to a 41C for comparison. The 41C had a slightly easier time with the air movement (does it have a bigger port), but this is nitpicking, because the test volumes were far beyond what I need. I don't know if there are any 41C owners out there, but my impression was that you'd buy the 41C over the 31C only if you wanted final victory in volume wars with a Marshall Stack. Personally, I'm glad I have the 31C for the size/performance ratio. This message has been edited by Yikes on 09-15-2001 at 05:56 PM Nord Stage 88, Roland XP80, Barbetta Amps, and a bunch of stuff gathering dust in the corner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slowly Posted September 16, 2001 Share Posted September 16, 2001 Originally posted by Yikes: I live in So. Cal. and took my 31C back to the factory today (Saturday!), to have a buzz checked out (no big deal - a wire was touching the side of the speaker). Tony Barbetta himself looked it over and ran it through a sine wave generator, pushing the 31C at all frequencies to make sure there was no other mechanical vibration. I told Tony about your question on this forum. Tony basically said that: 1. Since this is a combo amp, the amp is matched to the speaker, so there is no way that the amp will blow out the speakers. 2. Both the transformer and the amplifier have their own thermal protection. 3. The amplifier transistors are 'oversized', so he's not worried about those. 4. This leaves the only remaining concern which is a distorted/clipping input. Tony says that clipping can occur on grungy, beat-frequency sounds, like with blues organ in a band so loud that you can't hear yourself clipping. Clipping introduces DC, which if sustained for long periods can be hard on speakers. However, Tony didn't seem worried, because prolonged clipping also heats up the amp, which would eventually trip the thermal protection for the amp. So, Tony seemed to think that the amp protection against sustained clipping would also protect the speakers. Conclusion: Tony told me it was OK to crank my 31C all the way. I told him that other posts suggested you crank it while it was under warranty. He seemed to relish the reputation of having built a sturdy combo amp. FYI - While I was there, we played it through a keyboard (Roland XP-80) and also (as I mentioned) a wave generator. We listened to 3 different types of buzz: (1) The mechanical buzz of the now-fixed wire, (2) the buzz produced by clipping (we pushed the sine generator, and I think it's real obvious when you've pushed it to the clipping mode) and (3) a buzz that comes from moving a LOT of air at loud volumes. We had it cranked so loud that the speaker was bouncing and shaking on the amp stand, and a workbench about 5' away was vibrating from the air movement. Then we hooked it up to a 41C for comparison. The 41C had a slightly easier time with the air movement (does it have a bigger port), but this is nitpicking, because the test volumes were far beyond what I need. I don't know if there are any 41C owners out there, but my impression was that you'd buy the 41C over the 31C only if you wanted final victory in volume wars with a Marshall Stack. Personally, I'm glad I have the 31C for the size/performance ratio. This message has been edited by Yikes on 09-15-2001 at 05:56 PM See, I told you, most manufactors want to know whats going on out there. If they don`t have warranty feedback, they don`t know how to improve. A blown amp says way more than you could. Casey "Let It Be!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steinwaym Posted September 17, 2001 Share Posted September 17, 2001 The only drawback that I have discovered with the Barbettas is that they tend to have a little bit more "noise" than other comparable amps. I have plugged a Roland, and a new Peavey into the same wall socket and just let them sit without anything plugged into it, and it is much more noticeable in the Barbetta. I have also tried other Barbettas and they have a similiar sound, so I don't think that it is my unit. You don't feel that you can leave it on for a period of time when you aren't using it. Has anybody else experienced this? I have a 41C. I bought one figuring that I could use it in any situation. If I had to do it over again, I might consider purchasing two of the smaller Barbetta amps. I could take just one to the jazz gigs that I play, and then have the other to run two for those times when you really need the power, and two at a more moderate volume would sound better than one cranked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yikes Posted September 21, 2001 Share Posted September 21, 2001 My 31C is pretty clean in terms of clarity / lack of distortion. However, I do have some background 'white noise' or hiss, most noticeable when there's no signal fed to the amp. Its not really noticeable in a performance situation, but I do pick it up in the home studio. I hooked my 31C up recently with another friends' 31C in a stereo configuration. With 4 woofers and 2 tweeters I was able to turn both units way down and still have a full sound. (It also kept a nearby file cabinet from otherwise vibrating due to all the air movement of one amp.) This 2 amp/stereo configuration would make any combo amp system sound better. I agree that a pair of 31C's would be a more flexible and useful setup than one larger cabinet. Now, if I could just find the money... Nord Stage 88, Roland XP80, Barbetta Amps, and a bunch of stuff gathering dust in the corner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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