charic Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 Im looking for a pa about 500w a side at 4ohm. Any advice on what are good/bad? Definitely looking 2nd hand (may upgrade later) Currently watching: Behringer ep2000 QSC RMX1450 Samson s1500 Yamaha p3500s Its to power 2 x bfm dr280 loaded with Eminence Delta pro12s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 Not a fan of Behringer myself.... but they use they same bits that some others do...like some PV, LD, Mackie etc ...IIRC They do a job.... but not so well, IMO. but band for buck, then maybe. I'd probably be most interested in the QSC myself but it also depends on the quality of the rest of the chain. What mixer, mics..?? What are the BFM cabs like...?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted December 15, 2012 Author Share Posted December 15, 2012 Tbh I dont like behringer either Main source will be coming from a laptop for its main use (monitoring electronic drums and synths as we dont have a drummer, maybe some guitar too) Mixer is a korg d888 from my recording days until I get something smaller/less fragile I have no idea what theyre like lol, im picking thrm up today but they're unloaded atm. Mics we have are shure sm58 and super 55sh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 Big move away from 58's for us as they pick up a lot of stuff... which can be useful, but need to be used with that is mind. Overspill into 58's is an issue, IMO. A decent quality power amp like C-audio is good but they will be HEAVY. Personally, I think they are worth it as I like a sound with guts. Not so sure, I would be buying cabs unloaded, tbh.... as I would wonder what they are tuned to...and also how you are going to do that with the new units. Horns and x-over...??? Many P.A cabs are too mid biased and this doesn't help seperation. and a 15 and decent horn can do this quite well. I post this all the time, but we got 2 Martin Audio ICT500's PLUS controller for £450 off Gumtree ...and those cabs will walk over most cabs ..let alone anything else you can pick up for that price... plus you can put a lot thru them as they are 410 units per side. We currently run QSCKW12's..and they aren't anywhere near as good with out subs..IMO. I also heard Martin type cabs without bespoke drivers or controller and they DID NOT work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete.young Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 Peavey IPR 1600 should be on your list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertbass Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 I've got a quantum, that's Matrix, P1600, 800w ch poweramp. A Quantum, again Matrix, T800, 400w ch poweramp and a Phonic Max 1600, 450w ch poweramp, I'm selling these but haven't advertised them yet. PM me if you're interested. They all work as they should and have been totally reliable. DR280s, doesn't get a lot better than that. The above amps powered a pair of T39s and a pair of Otop 12s run 3 way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_S Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 The Yamaha P3500S is a brilliant workhorse of a power amp - mine once ran flat out at a party in a field for pretty much 12 hours straight and it was barely more than lukewarm when I packed it away; the fan didn't even come on. Sadly I don't own it any more as I just can't cart that weight of gear so I swapped it for a pair of lightweight Crown XLS1500s (which I can also thoroughly recommend) but if you're able bodied and don't mind carting it, I can't say a bad word about the Yamaha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevie Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 I've heard some negatives about the Samson but the other amps listed are well respected - even the Behringer. You might keep a look out for a used QSC USA 850 or 900, which are 425 watts per channel and are the amps that built QSC's reputation. They sound good, have quiet fans, and just keep on going. They are 3U but fit in a shallow rackmount case. eBay prices are generally under £100. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 I've run Behringer EP series for years without a hiccup EP1500 and EP2500 in my case. They are really heavy is the only downside. I went over to Peavey IPR1600 recently which has a built in crossover for a sub if you need it. These are so light and the sound is pretty indistinguishable from the Behringers and frankly from most other PA amps. Again they just do the job and give me no pause for thought whatsoever. Not often available second hand however. I'd recommend either. I think we are going to go over completely to switch mode power supplies in the next few years for power amps (the lightweight part of the lightweight amps) That means either you wait until you can afford the new amps or you rub your hands with glee as you pick up lots of heavyweight bargains as the rest of us upgrade perfectly serviceable amps in a belated attempt to save our backs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted December 15, 2012 Author Share Posted December 15, 2012 Cheers everyone just got back. Ha, they're pretty beefy cabinets! Bert, Pm'd mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3below Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 Reading the BFM site and forums you will also most likely need some form of eq. Behringer DEQ2496 processor seems to be well thought of on BFM forum. The low cost route would be suitable flat response mic and laptop software to measure response in room, then s/h 31 band eq. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bassman7755 Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 If you looking at QSC then consider the PLX series - they are only half the weight of the RMX, although you will pay a little more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted December 15, 2012 Author Share Posted December 15, 2012 Ill be honest, at this point in time weight is the least important thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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